Yesterday Taylor and I found a letter on our dresser. We were so touched by the letter that we thought we would share it on our blog. Thank you Monika for the touching words.
Taylor and Katie,
This morning I had this bubble of energy and emotion inside of me. I took it as the Holy Spirit, but it very well could have been that I had too much coffee to drink. So I decided to write down all of this emotion, and here it is.
In a couple of weeks it will be time once again to say goodbye to my brother, sister (in-law), and their six beautiful children. This time around I feel much different. I feel this sense of peace within me. So I began to reflect on this feeling, and ask myself why the feeling was different in September when they left for the first time. For me, I think it all started when Mom and Anna came back from visiting Taylor and Katie in December. When they came back they were just awestruck at how joyful everyone was with the little that they had. The kids would play all day with little to no toys. They laughed, prayed, and were simply joyful, appreciating everything given to them. They didn’t have an overload of technology or things to crowd their mind. They had pure joyfulness of the Lord.
A couple of weeks after mom and Anna got home I started to realize that we have so much junk in our lives that is unneeded. I started going through our house and donating lots of clothes and toys.
The next realization was when Taylor and Katie came home to visit for the first time since they left in September. I was so excited to see everyone, but at the same time (sorry Taylor) was thinking “Oh great, here we go. They are going to make me feel guilty for not living a simple life. For having too much stuff and so on.” I can laugh about this now because it was the exact opposite. After seeing Taylor and Katie and talking with them my whole perspective has changed. They are still human beings don’t get me wrong, but I can see and feel the Holy Spirit moving within them. And after holding their newborn twins, reality hit me like a ton of bricks. What are we truly doing on this earth? Are we truly trying to be a better version of ourselves? Are we truly doing the will of God in our everyday lives? For most of us we would like to say that we are striving for Sainthood, but are we truly putting all that we have into life?
I used to think Taylor and Katie were crazy for taking six children (mind you two of them are newborn twins) into a foreign country and become missionaries. I no longer feel this way. God has opened my eyes to the real picture. They are not “crazy” or “nuts.” They are brave, unselfish, trusting, and completely 100% saying yes to the will of God! Which to be honest, how many of us can say we would do the same. I think that is why so many people are having a hard time with Taylor and Katie’s situation. They think to themselves, well if I can’t do that then Taylor and Katie can’t.
This situation reminds me of when the apostles, for the first time, started following Jesus. People couldn’t believe it. They thought the apostles were looney tunes. How could the apostles leave their jobs, families, and everything they have to follow this man, that claims to be the “Son of God.” Crazy, right? Well guess what? That man who claimed to be the Son of God, turns out He is the Son of God. And then the apostles turn out not to be so crazy anymore. They in turn inspire us to have more faith and trust in Jesus.
So instead of calling Taylor and Katie crazy, we should allow their journey to inspire us. We should pray for them. We are all called to be missionaries, whether it’s foreign missions, or being a missionary at home, work, or school. but just because some of us may not be called to foreign missions, does not mean that we need to condemn or judge the ones that are.
My prayer is that all of us could truly be open to God’s will. That we can stop being ashamed of loving the Lord publicly. Because in the end, when our time is up on this earth, it doesn’t matter how big our house is, or what car we drive. It doesn’t matter how successful we were in our career or how much money we have. It doesn’t matter if our kids are the most popular in school or if they have the most stylish clothes. It matters how we lived our life for God. Did we lead by example? Did we inspire people to be the most holy they could be? And how many people did we bring back to Jesus with the TRUTH!!!! Taylor and Katie, I love you so much. I am sorry it took all of this to tell you how much I love and support your decision. Thank you for trusting in the Lord!
Monika
Taylor's finding of Relevant Radio was a miracle in itself. He was 17 cutting hay listening to the local rock station and as he would drive back and forth in the field the radio station would switch from FM to AM. Relevant Radio happened to be on the AM frequency. They were discussing discerning the priesthood which was something he was thinking about at the time. This continued for several passes of the field. He then stopped at the end of the field and changed the radio to 1050AM which was Relevant Radio. From that day forward he listened to Relevant Radio as much as he could when driving alone. Through them he learned the basics of the faith and all that the church had to offer. This is where he fell in love with Jesus Christ through the hosts and guests of Relevant Radio. They are the reason why he is still catholic today.
I, Katie, was introduced to Relevant Radio by Taylor. When I met Taylor I was Lutheran. As we dated and became engaged I had questions about the catholic church. Relevant Radio was where I was able to find answers to my questions. The diversity of topics discussed on Relevant Radio helped me see the beauty of the church. It was wonderful to hear people discussing the things I had questions about and struggles with. I loved being able to call in to voice my questions and believe me I called in with lots of questions. There were so many opportunities where I grew in my faith and love for Christ through them. I can honestly say that I am catholic today because of Relevant Radio. This Easter will mark my nine year anniversary as being catholic.
