Statesboro, GA and Jacksonville, FL

On Sunday, I arrived in Statesboro, Georgia, to stay with another set of the FOCUS missionaries. After we spent part of the afternoon getting to know each other, we met back up for 6:00p.m. Mass followed by a dinner for all of the students. After dinner, the FOCUS missionaries invited me to speak to some of the student missionaries that they have been working with. It was nice to be able to share my story with them and hear theirs as well!

The next day, after a morning of prayer and adoration, I went back to their house to give myself a haircut. Recently, I learned about a young man named Danny who was diagnosed with cancer. In addition to daily prayers, to show my support for him, I decided to shave my head! Please support him with your prayers as well, and if possible, please make a donation to help him and his family out: https://www.youcaring.com/danny-valerius-447436

After cleaning up the aftermath of my haircut, I joined the missionaries again for Mass. Following Mass, they invited me to be a part of their trip to one of the Georgia Southern dining halls to have lunch with the students. Afterwards, we all went our separate ways to continue working on our respective projects. Several hours later, a few of us met up at a coffee shop to continue working. Uncomfortable with sitting in a coffee shop and not getting anything, I ordered a chocolate milkshake, because when in doubt, just order something with ice cream in it. After receiving my strawberry milkshake (apparently the baristas felt strongly about me having strawberry rather than chocolate), I continued to work on my blog, and headed back to the house for a Bible study.

On Tuesday morning, I said goodbye to the missionaries and headed to Jacksonville, Florida. Once I arrived, I went looking for a new pair of pants at a thrift shop. After looking through the dress pants section, a woman came up to me and said, “We also sell men’s pants here”……………........... fantastic.

On Wednesday, I woke up early and trudged through the morning rush hour traffic to downtown Jacksonville where I spent the morning serving breakfast at the Clara White Mission. By the time it was over, we had served breakfast to 373 people in need!

After serving breakfast, I went to the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception where, once again, I got to venerate the relic of St. Maria Goretti! This being the third time that she and I have met up, at this point, it’s pretty much like I am traveling across the country with a saint… we just ride in separate vehicles. After I left the Basilica, I went searching for the fountain of youth and ended up finding the Cathedral of St. Augustine, which is even better! St. Augustine is the oldest city in the U.S. and the Cathedral is the oldest Catholic parish in the U.S. While I was there, I went to adoration, lit a couple of candles, and prayed for all of you!

Thank you to the FOCUS missionaries for hosting me and for the work that you do to bring college students closer to God. Thank you to Danny for being a warrior and an inspiration. Thank you to the woman at the thrift shop who informed me that I was looking for pants in the women’s section. Thank you to the Mileys for hosting me. Thank you to everyone at the Clara White mission who takes care of those in need. Thank you to St. Maria Goretti for meeting up with me again and for setting an amazing example for people of all ages. And thank you to all of you who continue to support me and pray for me!