Nashville, TN 2015

SEEK 2015! Check out how things went in Nashville, TN.

(Please note that all pictures are either my own personal photos from the event, or downloaded from seek2015.com. Enjoy!)

SEEK 2015: total attendees 9,578

96 students, 12 hours, and
2 charter buses later...

...and team Omaha arrived in Nashville!

Speakers: 

There were over 65 talks given at SEEK. A few of the titles are listed below, if you are interested you can purchase all of the talks at shopfocus.org. Also, check seek2015.com as a few of the talks are on the site for free. I highly recommend them all!

Jill, Colleen, Rachel, and I after one of the talks.

Just a few of the 65+ talks given at SEEK 2015: 

-The Evidence for God from Contemporary Science - Fr. Robert Spitzer

-Suffering and the Love of God - Fr. Robert Spitzer

-People are Souls: What Moves You in Your Relationships - Lisa Cotter

-Mary & the Bible: What Catholics Really Believe About Mary...and Why - Dr. Edward Sri

-Getting Hammered vs. Hilarity: How to Enjoy Alcohol - John Leyendecker

-Four Levels of Happiness and Purpose in Life - Fr. Robert Spitzer

-Abortion and Sidewalk Counseling 101 - Abby Johnson

At one of the Women's only talks with Samantha!

Each missionary has particular duties and tasks while at SEEK, and I was honored to be given the opportunity to serve on the hospitality committee! So I guess I am putting my degree in hospitality to good use after all! ;) In all seriousness, it was such a joy to serve the students and my fellow missionaries in a different way that I get to on campus, and it was something I am passionate about! (4 years of Hotel management put to great use!)

As a member of the hospitality committee my tasks included taking care of the guest speakers, and introducing them at the break out sessions. (Might I mention that I had to introduce them in from of 500-1,000 people!) Below is a picture of one of the speakers I had the privilege of introducing.

As a member of the hospitality committee,
I introduced Jeff Runyan, and Paul George (2 guest speakers)
in front of this crowd.
(4 talks in total with 500-1,000 students at each)

Praise and Worship (Adoration):

This was a time for prayer, and many of the students had very personal experiences with God. There was praise and worship music, a procession of Jesus in the Eucharist, confession, and prayer teams available if anyone wanted to be prayed with. This was a time last year at SLS that God chose to speak to me. Hear from our students how God spoke to them this year. 

Adoration of the Jesus in the blessed sacrament. 

What the Students have to say:

"Adoration night was what really impacted me. God spoke to me; I heard his word and what he had planned for me. God told me that we go through bad things, as this world is not perfect, and that there is a better place in the afterworld with Him."- Johnny, sophomore at UNO 

"Adoration was the most memorable night for me. I had never experienced something so powerful or moving. For the first time in my life, I had actually felt God's presence in my life." -Rachel, Senior at UNO

If you have ever had questions or want to hear more about the Eucharist follow this link to a talk by Fr. Mike Schmitz. He gave this talk at SEEK just before adoration began.

(The Emcee Chris Stefanick gives a brief talk that is awesome, but if you want to skip this Fr. Mike's talk begins at 12:20min.)

https://www.shalomworld.org/tv/videos/shalom-world/382

Thousands of College Students waited over
and hour to receive the sacrament of Confession. 

Prayer was available for those who desired it.
Ali and Colleen both expressed to me how
 much they enjoyed being prayed with! 

Mass: 

Each day mass was held at 8:30 am. Surprising or not, most of the students sacrificed their sleep to be there. Students who, after talking to them, do not even make it out of bed for their 8:30 am classes everyday. 

Watching the 215 Priests process in to celebrate
 mass each day was  an experience unlike anything
 I had experienced before. 

14 Bishops and 215 Priests. And the stage did not collapse!

Fr. Taphorn (above) and Fr. Hoesing were both able to
 join us and out students for the conference!

Entertainment:

Each night there was a particular form of entertainment provided for the students. Matt Maher performed, along with Jim Gaffigan (a comedian that is often featured on Comedy Central.) In true country style, FOCUS threw a country party for all the students, complete with live country music, two stepping lessons, line dancing, and a mechanical bull! 

Matt Maher Concert 

Country night: Complete with Two stepping,
 a mechanical bull, live music and line dancing! 

There was live music at most events, John mark (center) is
 a FOCUS missionary serving as the team director at UNL. 

Conclusion

It is clear to see the transformation that the students have had since returning from SEEK. New bible studies have been started, I have been seeing some new faces at our events, there is greater commitment from the students, and overall their prioritization of where they place God in their life has completely changed! We have also had 4 new applicants for staff, with another 3 considering submitting an application! To be honest, now is when being a missionary is really becoming fun because I get to work with young people (like myself) who are on fire for Christ, His Church and the mission. Continue to pray for us here in Omaha, as I pray for you! Thank you. <3

My goofy friends, and fellow missionaries!

It was so great to see them in Nashville.

Fall 2014 Semester Wrap up

Thanksgiving in Omaha: 

This year was my first Thanksgiving away form home, and I decided that it would be fun to host the big dinner at me apartment for some of the other students/missionaries that were not able to make it home! Since most students are from Omaha, there were only 2 that came, along with my missionary friend Jackie who helped me cook and clean. 

It also was very important that I held the dinner party, because Stephanie, who is from Colorado, said she could only go to SEEK if she stayed in town to work during Thanksgiving... and she was not wanting to miss out on an opportunity for a home cooked meal. I made a deal with her that if she registered for SEEK that I would cook a bird and all the fixings. I would say it was well worth the effort so that she could come to SEEK!! (Even if I had to buy a second turkey because I didn't understand that it could only sit in the fridge a few days before cooking it, not a week... better safe than sorry!) 

Decorated the table for the feast! 

Thanksgiving at my apartment, with Jackie, Stephanie, and Thomas.
It was so fun to host, and cook...less fun to clean. 

My good friend and fellow missionary Jackie Fischer, who
helped me to host the dinner. 

All in all, it was worth it and very fun to cook my first Thanksgiving dinner. My only complaint: with only 4 people you would have thought that there would be more leftovers!

Fireside Chat: 

About six times each semester a "fireside chat" is hosted on campus by Father Hoesing or Father Taphorn. They take on popular and relevant topics and answer any questions that the students may have. At the last fireside chat of the semester Father Hoesing did a Q&A about the Catholic faith and students did not shy away from asking questions on topics such as underage drinking, marijuana, sex before marriage, confession, family life and divorce. About 20 students were in attendance, along with 3 who just happened to be passing by and stopped to see what was going on.

Fireside Chat with Fr. Hoesing

Discipleship:

When I am not hosting dinner at my house, Bible Study or going to events put on by the Mav Catholic group what do I do? Well simply put I spend as much time with the students as I can. I first build the foundations of friendship so that, once grounded in friendship they feel comfortable coming me with the bigger questions in life such as faith, and everyday struggles that they are having. I love doing this, especially when I get to go out and experience what it is that the students have passion for. Below is a picture of Ali, whom is in discipleship. I am currently building up our friendship in hopes that after SEEK I can begin equipping her to share her faith with others. 

Tagging along with Ali as she works on her final Photo Project. 

Surprise road trip on a Tuesday night to Lincoln
for a Focus Greek hosted event with speaker.
The talk was about how to have
 faith in the workforce.
(From Left: Laura, Ali, and Me)

Fall Retreat: Heart Speaks to Heart

UNO hosted a retreat at the Broom Tree retreat center in South Dakota. Wayne State co-hosted with us, and in total there were about 25 students in attendance. The emphasis of the retreat was on the Father's love. There was a lot of time for personal prayer, and through it the students learned how to allow for silence in one's daily prayer life.  Fr. Hoesing was the main retreat speaker.

Students as the arrived to the cabin in Broom Tree, South Dakota.

Fr. Barron helped out, he is the Priest from Wayne State.

When students had free time, they played pool, air hockey,
 foosball and cards. 

Fr. Hoesing also hosted a trivia night! 

First Thursday:

On each first Thursday of the month, following the night mass for students there is time for adoration of Jesus in the blessed sacrament. It goes for about 30-45 minutes and is a great opportunity for the students to pray.

Each 1st Thursday there is 30-45 min of
adoration/prayer following student mass at
8:15pm at the St. Margaret Mary Parish.

A Party hosted by Arch Bishop Lucas:

December 8 marks the celebration of the immaculate conception of Mary, the Mother of God. Briefly put, we believe that Mary had to be conceived without sin, through the divine intervention of God, so that she could later give birth to Jesus. 

Each year the Arch Bishop of Omaha hosts an event for the students at his home in celebration of this feast day. It is a cocktail party, and a fun night for students to get dressed up. In total there were about 50 people in attendance this year! I had the privilege of co-planning this event with my team director Adam and couldn't have been happier with the turnout.

ICParty at Arch Bishop Lucas's home with students.
 About 50 in total were in attendance.

One of my favorite grad students
who is nursing school right now! (Laura & Me)

Closing Remarks:

As the semester comes to a close I am reminded at how grateful I am for the opportunity to serve as a missionary. I never thought I would end up living in Omaha, Nebraska but for now it is exactly where I need to be and I can't imagine living anywhere else. Thank you to everyone who has supported me both financially and with their prayers. I am looking forward to SEEK 2015 in Nashville and I cannot wait to see the impact it is going to have on the 96 students who are going with us! Please continue to keep both me, my team, and all the students in Omaha in your prayers. Peace in Christ, Jamie.