Operation: Get Joseph a Habit!
Donation protected
That's right! I am entering religious life! In August 2021, I will be entering with the Capuchin Franciscans and begin a whole new chapter of my life!
If you're not familiar with who I am or what my story is and you happen to prefer reading as opposed to watching the video I made, here is a short synopsis of my story and the video...
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So, my name is Joseph Liu. I'm 29 years old, from New York City. Ever since I was a child I had such a strong desire to be a part of an epic story, an adventure where the entire fate of the world was hanging in the balance and I loved stories that spoke of the same. It wasn't until I encountered Jesus that I realized that the Christian life is just that – it's being a part of Christ's salvific story.
Growing up, my family was your typical Catholic family going to mass every Sunday, going through all the sacraments, and going to Catholic school. However, when I was 11 years old my father passed away and coming from an immigrant family where my Dad was the only one who was working, shortly after I had to start working to help make ends meet. Because of this I had to grow up really fast and under the pressure of it all I saw all of the darkness that existed in the world and all the brokenness in the human condition and in essence, I lost hope. On the other hand, my mother being the faithful woman that she is, gave her grief to the Lord and went to church more and prayed more, but for me, the Christian faith was something that I never thought was practical. I would often get into arguments with my mother and ask if she prayed, would God just magically rain money down from the sky? In fact, I hated Christians and called them "Jesus freaks".
However, when I was 18 years old, I found myself at a retreat that completely changed my life. It was at this retreat where I encountered the love that God had for me personally and it changed the trajectory of my life. After the retreat I just felt such an overwhelming desire to tell everyone about God, about the person that I had encountered that loved me deeper than anything I had ever experienced before and I found myself with such a desire to pour my life out for the other...so that's exactly what I did. I began becoming more active in my church, praying more, going to mass again, and even helping with the youth group. Shortly after that initial moment of encounter, I went on another retreat about vocations where I first heard the Lord speak to me in such a powerful way. I was in prayer and had my eyes closed and it was an experience where I was so certain that it was another person's voice within my heart and very gently he beckoned me saying, "Come, follow me." I completely freaked out because I didn't know what this could mean and the last thing I wanted was to give up my life and my future family to be a priest.
After a few years of serving at my parish and growing in relationship with the Lord, I went out to become a missionary with a group called NET ministries... and from there went to study theology at Franciscan University... and for the past two years I've been serving as a missionary with Damascus out in Columbus, OH. Throughout my multiple years as a missionary and serving the Church, I've really come to recognize a desire in myself to pour out my life for the Church in a unique and radical way to the point where now, I am finally at a place where I am excited to answer God's call to follow him and be set apart for him.
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Thank you so much for your time and your attention. Nowadays, attention is what every marketing agency is vying for and I thank you for giving me yours. Like I said in the video, we are all called to be involved in the mission of the Church here on Earth. Some of us are called to give by going, by giving our lives and our efforts, whether its a few years as a missionary or its your whole life as a religious brother/priest. However, others are called to go by giving, by supporting those who can go, those who feel that the Lord is calling them to give of their lives in a radical way. And so I ask that you prayerfully consider supporting me in my endeavor to get a habit and continue to give my entire life to the Lord.
Thank you again! Please know that regardless of if you give or how much you give, I will be praying for you. Please continue to pray for revival in our Church and for more and more people to fall in love with Love himself.
Thank you and God bless,
Joseph
If you're not familiar with who I am or what my story is and you happen to prefer reading as opposed to watching the video I made, here is a short synopsis of my story and the video...
---------------------------------------
So, my name is Joseph Liu. I'm 29 years old, from New York City. Ever since I was a child I had such a strong desire to be a part of an epic story, an adventure where the entire fate of the world was hanging in the balance and I loved stories that spoke of the same. It wasn't until I encountered Jesus that I realized that the Christian life is just that – it's being a part of Christ's salvific story.
Growing up, my family was your typical Catholic family going to mass every Sunday, going through all the sacraments, and going to Catholic school. However, when I was 11 years old my father passed away and coming from an immigrant family where my Dad was the only one who was working, shortly after I had to start working to help make ends meet. Because of this I had to grow up really fast and under the pressure of it all I saw all of the darkness that existed in the world and all the brokenness in the human condition and in essence, I lost hope. On the other hand, my mother being the faithful woman that she is, gave her grief to the Lord and went to church more and prayed more, but for me, the Christian faith was something that I never thought was practical. I would often get into arguments with my mother and ask if she prayed, would God just magically rain money down from the sky? In fact, I hated Christians and called them "Jesus freaks".
However, when I was 18 years old, I found myself at a retreat that completely changed my life. It was at this retreat where I encountered the love that God had for me personally and it changed the trajectory of my life. After the retreat I just felt such an overwhelming desire to tell everyone about God, about the person that I had encountered that loved me deeper than anything I had ever experienced before and I found myself with such a desire to pour my life out for the other...so that's exactly what I did. I began becoming more active in my church, praying more, going to mass again, and even helping with the youth group. Shortly after that initial moment of encounter, I went on another retreat about vocations where I first heard the Lord speak to me in such a powerful way. I was in prayer and had my eyes closed and it was an experience where I was so certain that it was another person's voice within my heart and very gently he beckoned me saying, "Come, follow me." I completely freaked out because I didn't know what this could mean and the last thing I wanted was to give up my life and my future family to be a priest.
After a few years of serving at my parish and growing in relationship with the Lord, I went out to become a missionary with a group called NET ministries... and from there went to study theology at Franciscan University... and for the past two years I've been serving as a missionary with Damascus out in Columbus, OH. Throughout my multiple years as a missionary and serving the Church, I've really come to recognize a desire in myself to pour out my life for the Church in a unique and radical way to the point where now, I am finally at a place where I am excited to answer God's call to follow him and be set apart for him.
---------------------------------------
Thank you so much for your time and your attention. Nowadays, attention is what every marketing agency is vying for and I thank you for giving me yours. Like I said in the video, we are all called to be involved in the mission of the Church here on Earth. Some of us are called to give by going, by giving our lives and our efforts, whether its a few years as a missionary or its your whole life as a religious brother/priest. However, others are called to go by giving, by supporting those who can go, those who feel that the Lord is calling them to give of their lives in a radical way. And so I ask that you prayerfully consider supporting me in my endeavor to get a habit and continue to give my entire life to the Lord.
Thank you again! Please know that regardless of if you give or how much you give, I will be praying for you. Please continue to pray for revival in our Church and for more and more people to fall in love with Love himself.
Thank you and God bless,
Joseph
Organizer
Joseph Liu
Organizer
Centerburg, OH