Just Shine On

This post is the third out of three in a series I call, ‘Come Holy Spirit!’ The title reflects my personal experiences from this past July, which focuses on receiving my Sacrament of Confirmation, and also my experience at CatholicTV as a co-host providing live television coverage of World Youth Day 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  I have 2 hopeful purposes for sharing this piece of my life with you. 

•  To express how much it meant to me, to celebrate the beautiful Sacrament of Confirmation, in the hope that those of you who are preparing to make your own Confirmation will appreciate it as much as I do, and understand why it’s such a big step in your journey as a young Catholic!

• To show you that with the help of the Holy Spirit, you can do anything!!!

To read Part 1, click HERE.

To read Part 2, click HERE.

I hope you enjoy this personal witness series!

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The next three days passed quickly. To make a long story short, I spent them loading content onto my new iPod, taking tennis lessons, going to Pizza & Prayer, and doing some summer-schoolwork. Of course, packing was on the agenda too!

On Thursday, it was finally time to leave for the CatholicTV studios! That morning was a rush of excitement as we ate breakfast, finished packing, and threw everything into the van. As we began our journey into the Boston area, I hooked my new iTouch up to our van’s stereo system, so we could all listen to ‘Jesus Music’. This of course, only added to the excitement and made the ride more enjoyable. Once we arrived, I changed into my ‘TV clothes’, and entered four days of non-stop fun. Seriously.

I got nervous on the first day, and that was it. Everything came so much easier after that, and I was thankful for it. Father Reed was great too. We talked about so many things that were related to WYD, our faith, the Catholic Church, and of course, some sillier topics. (Only when we were off camera though!!!) I wish I could describe each day in detail, but it would make this series even longer. (If you want to see some behind-the-scenes extras though, you can check my Instagram: @alexisgrace_jso and my Twitter: @_AlexisGrace) 

I also learned a lot of lessons.

For one, I have a new sense of appreciation for television, and all the preparations that goes into each broadcast. Being able to watch it all happen, right in front of me, and be a part of it, was so eye-opening. 

Secondly, I learned that if you throw your hands in the air, ask God for His help, and ride along with Him, everything will turn out fine. He will take care of you, as long as you rely fully on Him.

Third, when you are speaking about your faith, and sincerely believe in what you are saying, the Holy Spirit enables you to talk with more confidence and ease.

Fourth, with faith, it’s not so hard to tackle big things head on. In the end, you will be glad you did; like I am. It was a blessing to have that whole experience, and I can’t wait to see what else God has in store for my future.

Come Holy Spirit!  

P.S. If you would like to watch some of the event coverage from WYD Rio, just click on this link: http://www.catholictv.com/WYD.aspx

~Alexis Grace

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