I'm so grateful to share my story with you! Six years ago I was pregnant with our third (now middle) child, and was invited by my mom to attend a WWP coffee connect. At the time, I was a faith-filled Catholic, in love with my faith and practicing all the Commandments, following the rules like a good Catholic wife should. I attended the coffee connect looking for a social outlet with like-minded women. What I experienced rocked my world and transformed my prayer life! Suddenly the rules were not just acts of will - they began to flow from my heart, out of love. And following rules out of love is nothing like following them from a sense of duty. Just a few bullet points to skim the surface of the changes in my soul:
+ I began to fight for and fiercely protect a daily time of prayer. The ebb and flow changes with the seasons of life, but I've created a gold standard of prayer that has transformed my walk with Jesus.
+ I fell in LOVE with Scripture! Sometimes now I'll just hold my Bible the way I hold my Husband or one of our kiddos. This especially serves me in times of anxiety. Thank you so much for kindling this fire in my heart.
+ I came away with deep, lasting, Christ-centered friendships. The relationships that formed with my WWP sisters are like nothing I've ever experienced; we support each other, love each other unconditionally, and create sacred space for each other. There is no substitute for womanly sisterhood like this.
+ Slowly but surely, I've cultivated the ability to quote Scripture and use it practically every day, I could share so much more on this topic, suffice to say that my children are being raised with this habit. Really, is there anything more powerful than Word and Sacrament from such a tender age?
Next year I hope to bring WWP to my own parish. May God bless the work done by the amazing Walking With Purpose team.
- Tara S. Independent Study