All it takes is Faith and Trust… oh and a little bit of pixie dust! by Caitlin, Lima Life Teen Core Team Member

The title of my blog was adapted from a line in Disney’s Peter Pan and I feel that it appropriately describes my experience with God and Life Teen. I took a big leap of faith when one of my teammates on my soccer team convinced me to go to a Teens Encountering Christ retreat (TEC), where she was going to be a group leader. I respected her very much and have to say this was one time I was glad I gave into peer pressure. It was there that I met a group of fabulous girls from Lima Life Teen and bonded during the three-day weekend. At that retreat I also became reacquainted with my faith. From there I was further invited to go to Life Teen and decided to delve further into my spiritual life by attending their Prayer Nights on Tuesdays. Going to prayer that first night I felt super awkward, like I was an imposter in this group. My self-confidence was very fragile, I knew no one except two or three people, and I was afraid. Afraid of not being accepted, or being made fun of because I wasn’t extremely religious at that time. I soon found out that I had nothing to fear. I quickly became fast friends with many in the group and began looking at faith not as something to be annoyed with or to be ignored, but something that needs nourishment and strengthened if I truly wanted to be the person I knew I was meant to be. 

 Me (second from the left) with the group of girls that I became fast friends with. 

To say we were inseparable is slightly an understatement.

 Those first few weeks and months after joining Life Teen were a little rocky. Faith and trust, and pixie dust became paramount because I often felt like I was leading two lives sometimes. One with the group of friends I had before Life Teen and the one those newly made friends with Life Teen. 

Me (center) and my two best friends from the soccer team getting into mischief.

It was often hard to find a sense of balance. With a lot of hard work, love and faith put into my friendships I am happy to say that I still remain friends with most of those girls 7 years later. My faith and relationship with the big man upstairs has had its own ups and downs over the years, because lets face it, no one is perfect, definitely not me, but I have always put my trust in Him to lead me in the right direction. 

Caitlin Gorman graduated from Shawnee High School in 2007 and went on to get her Bachelors from Saint Mary’s College and a Masters in Art History from Bowling Green State University. In the past year she has interned at the Art Institute of Chicago and taught at Defiance College.

Current Favorite Quote: “ Your profession is not what brings home your weekly paycheck, your profession is what you’re put here on earth to do, with such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling.”

 – Vincent Van Gogh