Plenty of footprints in our faith journeys

The Lord replied, “I love you and would never leave you.  In your times of trial and suffering when you only see one set of footprints, that was when I carried you.”
From Footprints in the Sand
-Author Unknown 

In the summer of 2012, I ran my first youth conference in the Diocese of Beaumont.  I had helped with youth conferences in the Diocese of Savannah and was even the lead for one, but this was the first one as a diocesan director.  During the planning, I was encouraged to bring in a specific speaker that one of the youth ministers had heard and thought would be perfect for our conference.  I reached out to the person responsible for booking her and fortunately she was available!  Jackie Francois spoke to the youth and had a huge impact on the people in attendance.
For ACYC 2023, I again reached out to the person in charge of booking Jackie Francois-Angel. She was available for the dates of the conference and was able to come speak.  In addition, the person in charge of booking her is a youth minister that I worked with in the Diocese of Beaumont, so it was great to reconnect with her as well. I was also able to book Out of Darkness to lead music for the conference.  I have worked a few times with this band so it was nice to reunite for the conference and also listen to their beautiful music.
As I expected, Jackie was excellent and challenged the youth to go deeper in their faith.  Throughout the weekend, I would see her speaking to youth outside of her talks and being present to adults as well.  Her message is so strong that people wanted to hear more.  The band delivered strong music throughout the weekend which helped the participants in their prayer and worship with each other.
Our theme for ACYC this year was “Walk On.” One of the stories I associated with the theme is “Footprints in the Sand.” When I reflect back on previous conferences I have attended and coordinated, I sometimes have a tendency to think of myself walking alone with God so there would be two sets of footprints.  The reality does come to me that there are actually a lot of footprints during these times and others but you cannot actually see my footprints because others are carrying me.  This includes speakers such as Jackie, musicians such as Out of Darkness, youth ministers such as Tammy in Beaumont.  During big events such as ACYC, it is easier to see all the people that are walking with me such as the priests, seminarians, youth ministers, co-workers, youth, adult volunteers and everyone in attendance.  But when I take a look at the rest of my life, I see all the moments that people were walking with me and even carrying me on my faith journey in addition to God and I feel truly blessed.      
During this Lent, I encourage you to reflect on all of the people in your life that have walked with you and carried you in your faith and always remember that God is always with you.
— Tex Phelps is the Director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Archdiocese of Mobile. He may be emailed at [email protected]
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