Two young adults—Brett Baeverstad and Summer Swisher—who are working as teachers in the youth summer program Totus Tuus being offered at parishes across the Denver Archdiocese, are writing a weekly blog about their experiences for the Denver Catholic Register. The final column by Swisher is below.
What a blessed summer is has been! I cannot believe that the Totus Tuus program has come to an end. The Lord has been so good to me and I am so grateful.
We ended our last week of Totus Tuus, July 21-25, in Rifle. The Holy Spirit was working in so many of the kids’ and teens’ hearts; it was encouraging and beautiful.
My love for teaching, for the children and for my team intensified this week. Christ was present in the suffering and the tiredness as well as the in the joy of each day.
This summer I wanted to serve and love Christ completely. All summer I desired to do great things for Christ. But as pointed out by my dear teammate Thomas, Christ does not long for us to do great things, he longs for us to be great people.
St. Francis de Sales said: “It is not always in your power to do important things: sufficient are the small things that offer themselves every hour of the day. So do them with devotion and love.” How beautifully this summer has exemplified this. The Lord longs for us to give to him every hour and every moment of our day. This summer God gave me the opportunity to see how I can serve and love him at every instance of my day. It is in being little and doing small things with great love that we can become great people.
I have made lifelong friends and met amazing people. Although I may not be able to name everything The Lord has taught me this summer, he has transformed my heart and many other hearts. What a gift this life is! Jesus abundantly blessed me with the gift of Totus Tuus!
Summer Swisher is a recent graduate of the University of Colorado in Boulder. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in dance and a minor in religious studies. She loves Jesus, people and dance. This is her first year teaching Totus Tuus, for which she feels honored and blessed.