Meet Mikayla. She is a junior at the University of St. Thomas studying Business and Catholic Studies. Mikayla currently lives in one of three Catholic womens’ houses lead by Saint Paul’s Outreach – St. Thomas. Read her testimonial below to learn more about how SPO inspired her to seek a personal relationship with the Lord.
“I encountered Saint Paul’s Outreach when I was a freshman at the University of St. Thomas. One night second semester, one of the girls that lived in the women’s house just off campus invited me over for dinner and it was there where I first experienced the community that SPO fosters. The women in the house spent their time serving the Lord and each other. T
his was something I was attracted to and I knew this was a community I wanted to be a part of. After that night, I made and effort to attend other events that SPO had, such as prayer meetings and women’s nights.
After becoming more involved, I truly realized the importance of a personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. Through this, I started attending daily mass and was building the foundation of my personal prayer life. I also was introduced to expressive prayer, especially through praise and worship music. Hand raising and clapping—praising the Lord was something that I was not accustomed to, but I came to realize there is so much beauty in this way of worship, and this is one of the many ways that the Lord is delighted. During my sophomore year, I was asked to lead a small group for first-year students at St. Thomas, helping them make the transition into college and to come to know the Lord more deeply. This small group helped me grow tremendously, and I am very happy to say that these women that I shared dinner with every Monday night are some of my closest friends and even housemates. Sharing what the Lord was doing in our lives was so amazing to witness.
All of my experiences with SPO came to a head last February when I attended a retreat entitled “Fan into Flame.” This retreat is an opportunity to choose Jesus Christ as Lord and to ask the Holy Spirit to come more fully into our lives. And let me tell you, He did. I have never experienced the Holy Spirit’s power quite like I did that night. Many of the participants asked the Lord to reign over their lives for the first time and were baptized in the Holy Spirit. Some even experienced charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit such as tongues and prophecy; I myself received the gift of tongues.
This year, I am now a junior, living in one of the women’s households at the University of St. Thomas where I could not be more excited for what the Lord has in store for us. Waking up before the sun to pray Morning Prayer, have dinner together twice a week with my housemates, being involved with the SPO formation program and helping to lead women’s nights are just some of the things that my daily life entails through SPO. Even just one month in, I have seen the Lord work significantly in my life. I am so thankful for my experiences with Saint Paul’s Outreach—because of this ministry, my Catholic faith life has grown and I am on fire for the Lord.”
