The Mission
to Magadan According to Katalyn, The Catholic Parish of the Nativity of Jesus, Magadan , Russia
My name is Katalyn Miller and I am a senior at Franciscan University
of Steubenville
I am studying Theology and Catechetics, with a
minor in History with the hopes to one day teach high school aged kids.
My faith has always been extremely
important to me and has played a pivotal role in how I have become the woman
that God intended for me to be.
Through my faith the Lord has instilled a
deep sense of trust to Him and His will in my life.
Over the past few years the Lord has
strengthened this trust through many trials.
A little
over eighteen months ago the Lord put that trust to the test by calling me to do a
mission trip to Russia
His first call came quietly through personal
prayer and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Then, during a mission trip to Lourdes , France Russia
I firmly replied, “Absolutely not!” and ignored the call.
I was afraid to travel to and serve in Russia
It was too far from home and would demand a
lot from me in terms of planning and fundraising.
However, the Lord continued to call me to this
mission and I finally decided to trust him and agreed to serve in Russia
After
about a year of planning and trusting in the Lord to give me
information on where to serve him, the Lord opened the door to come to Magadan.
It all happened so quickly.
One moment I had no idea where to serve God in Russia
There is no other way to explain how it all
came together other than by the Lord’s anointing.
After a
few quick months, I found myself at the doorstep of a mission that I had been
called to for well over a year.
Never had I felt the Lord’s calling so
strongly in my life.
The trust that the Lord had rooted deep
within me was seeing fruits with the “Mission
During the long eight-hour flight from Moscow
Upon arriving in Magadan, I immediately felt like it had become home.
Upon arriving in Magadan, I immediately felt like it had become home.
Fr. Michael has played such a fatherly role for
me here in Magadan and you can clearly see the Lord working through him.
The sisters from the order of the
“Daughter’s of Charity” are unbelievably joyful and it is evident that they are deeply in love with the
Lord.
They have been an example of how to have a
joyful and loving relationship with the Lord and because of that I have been able
to grow in my personal relationship with God.
The parishioners have been so welcoming
that I can clearly see the Lord radiating out of their love for me.
In a place like Magadan that is so dark and
gloomy, you would not expect to see so much light and hope in the eyes of the
people here.
The Lord has continuously shown me why he
brought me here.
He is bringing love to the people in
Magadan and I am merely the instrument the Lord has chosen to love these
people.
In the same way, the Lord has also revealed
His own love for me through the joy and hope of the people I meet.
They radiate Christ in every moment and show
me the Lord’s love for me.
In a town that was built for the persecution
and suffering of people, you would never expect such a strong witness of faith.
I am reminded constantly of a scripture
passage in the Gospel of John;
“The light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness does not overcome it.” (John 1:5)
If there is one thing I have learned from
my time in Magadan it is that there is no amount of darkness that can overcome
the light of Christ.
The light of Christ is stronger than death,
and can overcome any trial that I am faced with.
Magadan has taught me to trust in the Lord
and that if I cling to the Him, no evil can overcome me.
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