My family and I recently had the special opportunity to participate in a Community Day with friends from all across the state of Texas. We weren’t new to the experience of gathering for a community day, as we had done it many times before in Colorado. However, this community day was different as it was our first time gathering and meeting new friends from the Texas (and beyond) community. Through participating in the community day, our family got to experience a beautiful sense of belonging. While many members of the community have been involved in the Movement for decades in Houston, we also met Juanita who was experiencing CL for the very first time. She joyfully shared that her friend encouraged her to get connected to the Movement and this was her first such opportunity to do so. We quickly formed connections with many on the hike as friendship was held with an open hand and heart, welcoming us.

While the trail we walked was unfamiliar, the sense of belonging in community was very much consonant with what we have so valued and cherished in our time in Communion and Liberation. What was unfamiliar quickly became familiar and what was curious quickly became confirmation that our family was with the same Movement towards Christ. We came to love and cherish this community through this community day, similar to the Communion and Liberation community in Colorado. I had the opportunity to experience new friendships and deepen my own understanding of how the Lord has been working through the Movement in Texas for decades before our arrival. The experience of Community Day became another sign confirming for our family that we are right where the Lord intended us to be.

Brandon, Houston, TX