Toastmasters

About 6 or 7 weeks ago a friend of mine invited me to a Toastmasters open house. (For those of you who don’t know it, Toastmasters is an international organization that helps people to develop public speaking and leadership skills.) My friend had joined Toastmasters years ago to help her speak up for life issues. Although no longer active in the organization, she has kept in contact with her former club, the Texas Stars.

I liked what I saw and heard at the club meeting, so I came back the following week. Since I feel that God is calling me to speak up for those with mental illness, I thought it behooved me to learn to speak in a coherent manner, so I decided at the end of June to join the club.

The idea behind Toastmasters is that you learn by doing, so members are given the opportunity to perform various club roles and to give prepared speeches during meetings. The first “assignment” for new members is a 4-6 minute speech called the Ice Breaker, from the training manual, Competent Communication.

The goal for the Ice Breaker speech is to introduce yourself to the other members. I didn’t want to just do a laundry list of where I was born, how many children I have, etc., so I ended up talking about my lifelong battle with fear and anxiety.

After at least 12 revisions and much practice, I was finally ready to give my speech this past Wednesday night. Although I was nervous, I felt pretty confident and was able to push my way through the 4 ½ minute presentation without any major errors.

I got many compliments on my speech and even tied with the other, more experienced speaker, for best speech of the night. Most miraculous of all, everyone said they could hear me clearly, even in the back of the room (with no microphone).

Stepping out of my Comfort Zone

Since my move to Texas, God has been leading me more and more to step out of my comfort zone and do things I never thought I’d have the courage to do. Back in May one of my friends from church asked me to participate in a brainstorming session for the pro-life ministry in our parish. For the past several years the ministry has been very inactive, and she was hoping to get it going again.

The meeting went very well, and we came up with some ideas for the future. We also decided on a new name: The Sanctity of Life Ministry.

While preparing for the meeting, I felt God calling me once again to do something for those with mental illness. I did some research and came up with a plan for a ministry which emphasizes prayer, support, and education and awareness. I presented some of my ideas at the brainstorming session and got a very positive response, so I’m hoping we can incorporate a mental illness ministry within the Sanctity of Life Ministry.

Shortly after the meeting, our former pro-life coordinator, who is 73, decided to retire, and I agreed to be the interim coordinator until our pastor appoints me or someone else to replace her. On August 20 I will be attending the annual pro-life gathering for the diocese, where the diocesan coordinators will lay out their plan for the coming year. The theme of the gathering is “A Ministry of Mercy.”

Last Saturday I accompanied five other women from our parish to an 8 hour training session in Llano, Texas (about 2 hours from here). We are all being trained to be Gabriel Angels, as part of a new Gabriel Project ministry at our church. The Gabriel Angels minister to women in crisis pregnancies, meeting with the women twice a month, throughout the pregnancy and for the first year after birth.

The training session was pretty overwhelming, but the material the diocese is using for the ministry is really exciting. We figure it will take us at least 6 months to digest all the material before we can start taking referrals. In the meantime, we’re hoping to recruit more members.

Living in Texas, we are blessed to have no abortion centers in our immediate area, but there is still a great need for this ministry. Being pro-life means more than just ending abortion. It also involves promoting a culture of life, and our ministry hopes to do this through prayer, education, outreach, and advocacy. As I undertake these new responsibilities, I would appreciate your prayers for me and for our Sanctity of Life ministry. Thanks.