Week 2 Intake

Good afternoon!

            Peace of Christ. I am so blessed to be writing you all today. This week surely has continued to be a whirlwind that I am constantly to adjusting to, but the blessings are abundant. This week was our first “normal schedule” week so there have been several aspects during this week that were different compared to last. My basic schedules looks like this:

7:30am Wake up
8am Breakfast
8:30am Morning Prayer (Either as a household or community)
10am Lesson (Teaching workshop, or Sí Señor)
11:15am Break
11:30am Lesson (Acts Bible study or Mission of the Redeemer Study)
12:30pm Break
12:45pm Lunch

2:30pm Work/Chores
4:30pm Rest/Prayer/Study
6pm Dinner
7pm Formation (Mission formation, Praise & Worship, or Bible Study)
10:45pm Lights out

This schedule can change some depending on the days. For example, beginning this past Tuesday I had the opportunity to go to a local youth group run by James Franke, FMC’s coordinator of short-term mission trips. It was such a blessing to begin to build fellowship with some of the youth in the group. The youth group is in Kaplan, LA and ranges from 8^th grade to local sophomores in college. I will be returning every Tuesday evening to continuing fostering relationships with the youth. On Thursdays I went with a group to East Ridge, which is an assisted living facility. We will pray the rosary, have a communion service, and spend individual time with the residents in their rooms and in community. Furthermore, on Thursdays we have a community leisure night where, as singles, we get to plan a fun night of fellowship, whether it is here at Big Woods or off base.

            This week during our Teaching workshops I had the opportunity to share my testimony that we started working on last week. By next Tuesday we will all have shared. It is a beautiful opportunity to grow closer to our groups in faith and personally from their past.

            Yesterday (Saturday) we started with a service/work day where I assisted in sanding and priming benches that we have in the back yard of Big Woods. It was a hot several hours, but the end product looked great! After painting, we have what is called a “Desert Day” where we spend time alone with God anywhere on base that we like. I decided to spend my two hours out in the back yard by the fence in front of the field where the horses are. During this time I prayed the rosary and sat and observed everything. I watched the flowers and the grass, the bugs and the horses and knew that God made all of these things and that they do his will perfectly. I reflected back on the creation story in Genesis where God created all the things of the world and he made them “Good” but when he made man and woman he made us “very good.” I was reminded that I need to be striving more fully to be united with God’s Love, and know that through God I have worth and that I am part of God’s beautiful creation.

            Also, I received a correction if anyone wants to mail me through post. The correct way to address a package or letter is:

Kate Mudgett

12636 Everglade Rd.

Abbeville, LA. 70510

I wanted to thank you all for following me on this journey and reading my blog each week. You can continue to contact me via email at 1tim412missionary@gmail.com, and make sure to check out some photos from my time here in Louisiana so far on Facebook, www.facebook.com/katharine.mudgett. If you feel called to donate and be a mission partner with me www.katemudgett.familymissionscompany.com is the best way to do so. Please let me know is there are any intentions that I can take to prayer for you.

Peace and God bless-

Kate Mudgett

www.katemudgett.familymissionscompany.com

“Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12

Week One Intake

Good afternoon all!

I am in Louisiana and have just finished my FIRST WEEK of Intake at Family Missions Company. This week has been stocked full of information, work, and prayer and I cannot wait to begin sharing only SOME of the information with you all. As many of you know, as a first time missionary we are limited to Internet/phone access to 2 hours a week/one day a week. This day will be Sunday.

The first 3 days (Monday-Wednesday) were spend as an opening retreat which included several talks on Prayer, Community Living, Total Commitment, and Perseverance. We were also blessed with the opportunity to have a “Cajun Fun Day.” Cajun Fun day begun with breakfast and morning prayer, then we left to go to Palmetto state park to the splash pad where we got to run around in the fountains and I had the chance to put up my hammock and rest! Once we returned back to Big Woods we had a break then prepared for a delicious dinner of some sort of Alligator Stew type dish (I do not recall the exact name) and a local Cajun band came and performed for us all night while we danced. It was such a joy.

On Monday we had our first talk on Prayer by Eric, who is a long-term missionary with FMC, where we learned the importance of prayer in our lives as missionaries. In prayer we receive God’s love for us, THEN we are able to share Jesus with the nations. It was reiterated that the poor deserve the Love of Jesus, so we must be filled in prayer by HIM, so that we can share It with all. As Pope Francis has said, “The soul of all missionary Activity is Love.” Furthermore, we need prayer to persevere through trials and tribulations, but we must also persevere through our prayer. We must show up and call upon the Holy Spirit! We should strive to be praying constantly! Finally we must have hope and know of the intimate communion found in the heart of prayer.

Following our talk on prayer, we were given the opportunity for a break and personal prayer time prior to our second talk. Our next talk was by Brook and it was about Community Living. In community we are called to Love whole-heartily and know that “things said in private will be brought to the light”. It was also brought to my attention that God himself is community in the Trinity. Brook put together some amazing words to represent community:

C-COMMITMENT

O-OPEN MINDED

M- MINDFUL

M-MERCY

U-UNITY

N-safety NET

I-INSEPARABLE

T-TEAMWORK & TIME

Y-“YES LORD”

            Jumping ahead to Wednesday, our first talk was by Joseph in regards to commitment.

“The chicken and the cow contribute to breakfast, but the Pig has a
TOTAL COMMITENT”

The explanation of this example is that the chicken contributes the eggs and the cow contributes the milk, but the pig totally commits his life to give the bacon. In missions we are called to “BE THE BACON,” to be totally committed to the call.

Joseph spoke to us in regards to the Lord calling us, and that for missions, not only is God calling us away from the bad things (Repenting), but also, the good things (Renouncing). With a total commitment there is ONLY PLAN A. Somebody with a Plan B is not totally committed. With our commitments we are accountable to the church, to FMC leadership, and to our heritage. Total commitment is lived out in fidelity and we must be obedient to Jesus, for it is not MY mission, but JESUS’ mission. As King Theoden from Lord of the Rings says, “I go to the Halls of my Fathers where I will not be ashamed to stand amongst them.” By living out my commitment to the church and to God’s mission I hope to one-day stand among the saints who have gone before me in Heaven.

Moving forward with our Wednesday, we received an amazing talk by Sarah Granger in regards to perseverance. Perseverance is “steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.” And “Continuance in a state of grace leading finally to a state of glory.” These definitions really set the tone for the talk and is key to our commitment that we are making as missionaries of Christ. Perseverance was separated into 3 key factors:

1.     Prayer

2.     Work

§  Home, study, & ministry

3.     Suffering

Prayer must be CONSTANT. We must be committed to personal and community prayer with prayers of praise, thanksgiving and petition. To continue on the Lords mission we require the strength that comes from prayer and our JOYFUL perseverance can only happen if we are rooted in prayer. We must be faithful and trustworthy in our work for it is a gift exhausting yourself for the kingdom of Heaven. God makes our perseverance fruitful. Furthermore, in suffering we can preserver joyfully for the only way to perfect the faith is through trials & to consider it all joy.

            Thursday, Friday, and Saturday many more joyful and learning experiences have happened including a study on Acts of the Apostles and the church document Mission of the Redeemer, praise and worship, service workday, and a pool party hosted by one of our board members. We have had many opportunities to go to confession and have had mass over 3 days this week. So many blessings have come from only 7 days of being at Big Woods, and I am very eager to see the plans that the Lord has in store for me, and all participating in Intake, moving forward in the future months. I haven’t taken many photos yet, but next week I hope to be posting some more! 

            In addition to emailing me, 1tim412missionary@gmail.com, or contacting me on Facebook, www.facebook.com/katharine.mudgett, I can accept mail at the following address:

Family Missions Company
Attn: Kate Mudgett

12636 Everglade Rd.
Abbeville, LA. 70510

I would love to hear from many of you. Thank you for spending your time following my mission story. I am continuing to keep you all in my prayers and ask that you please keep me in yours. God bless and Peace.

Kate Mudgett

www.katemudgett.familymissionscompany.com

“Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12

Missionary Talk

Good evening!

I want to thank everybody who was able to come to my talk on Sunday at my home parish of Saint Martin de Porres in Jensen Beach! But for those who were not able to make it, I had my uncle record the talk for me on my phone and I have uploaded it to Youtube! Below is the link to the video and please feel free to share it!
https://youtu.be/TFWtF8w-tQw

On Thursday I plan on leaving for Louisiana and will arrive at Big Woods on Saturday the 12th. Please keep me in your prayers and email me with any prayer requests you would like me to pray for while I’m on missions [1tim412missionary@gmail.com]. If you would like to donate to my mission fund please go to My FMC Bio Page and donate there.

Thank you all for your support and prayers. God bless!
Kate Mudgett

Quick Updates

Good evening all!

Peace be with you! Lots have been happening this weekend and this last week in preparation of leaving THIS THURSDAY September 10th! I’ve been getting my books that I need for Intake, planning a talk, and have managed to be about 90% packed as of today. Everything certainly seems to be happening very quick, but I am very excited that is for sure!

Tomorrow night (Sunday), I will be hosting a Liturgy of the Word, giving a talk, and having a small reception at my church at 5pm. If you’re local I invite you to email me with any questions if you would like to come. My email is 1tim412missionary@gmail.com. For those of you who are not able to make it I will be trying to get my talk recorded and I will post it here before I leave for Louisiana.

I want to include several links again for those of you who will want to follow me on my missions. Most important is my blog, but you all are already here so all is well with that! :D Second off would be where I am posting my pictures and that will be to my public Facebook page, facebook.com/katharine.mudgett. Finally is the link to my bio on FMC’s website which is katemudgett.familymisionscompany.com. There you can also find more information about Family Missions Company and others who will be joining Intake 2015.

Thank you all for reading and supporting me with your prayers. Have a blessed week!

[Folding Brochures for Sunday]

1 Timothy 4:12

Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in Purity.