GOD HAD IT GOING ON
by Jayne Pickett

In my two years serving as Campus Minister at Mother Cabrini High School in New York City, the power of God’s love never ceases to amaze me. Many times God is working miraculous transformations without our knowledge of what is truly going on.

Such was my experience ministering to one of the students at the high school named Diane. When I arrived, she was one of the first young women to introduce herself to me. She was a junior at the time, somewhat chubby and less than positive in her attitude. She lacked self-confidence and was prone to depression. I remember thinking “WOW, this is a young woman who needs God’s love.” For six months I watched Diane slip deeper into these traits. She would often come to Campus Ministry and share the negative aspects of her life: her friends were two-faced, school was unpleasant, guys were not interested in her, and things were unfair. Diane was a troubled young woman and was referred to our school social worker. I prayed she would experience God’s merciful love…and soon!

During this time I tried, each day, to give Diane a compliment. I challenged her to look at her friends to see if she chose them for the same values she believed in or because they were popular. I encouraged her, gently, to be more optimistic so others would desire to be in her presence. I asked her to get involved in clubs in Campus Ministry. When I invited her on some of our Christian community service events, I learned she loved to serve others. The most important thing I did, though, was give her a hug every day. Being present to Diane was not easy. I remember asking God for the grace to persevere in patience and compassion because it was difficult loving Diane’s negativity.

As I got to know her more, I learned she liked to write prayers and to journal. She was a great prayer writer, so we asked her to be the student leader of our prayer club. I found an unused journal and gave it to her and encouraged her to share her feelings, her ups and downs with God. I emphasized that God would not backstab her as she believed her friends had. After seven months of expressing my love for her and helping Diane find God’s love in herself, I began to notice a glow that did not exist before. Her moods started to improve. She smiled more often and laughed more when she came to Campus Ministry. I noticed she began to hang out with friends who shared more of her values. She started to become more involved in her own church. And she started to lose weight! Instead of asking God for perseverance and patience, I found myself praising God for the transformation He created in this young woman. Diane graduated last spring and received the Campus Ministry Leadership award. She walked across the stage thirty pounds lighter, with a huge smile on her face, diploma in hand, on her way to college. She is now a wonderful, young, spirit-filled woman.

What I did for Diane, I try to do for many of the girls who pass through the doors of Campus Ministry. To me it seemed like everyday stuff, no big deal. Before Diane graduated, she gave me a card that read, “Dear Miss Pickett, you don’t know how much I love you. Words cannot describe the gratitude and place you hold in my heart. You have been a great friend, teacher, companion, and Campus Minister. You don’t know how much the work you do for me affects my life. You helped me out of my depression so that I was able to bring back the old me again. I am so glad you quit being an accountant and am grateful to God that you are in my life. Thank you for sharing your journey with me; I’d rather have no one else.”

I didn’t know these “everyday things” were so important to her. God had it going on, and I didn’t even know it! When I arrived at the high school, I remember saying to God, “I know nothing about youth ministry. What am I doing here?” But Mother Cabrini often said to her daughters “All things can be accomplished through God who strengthens me.” And it was Diane who showed me, that through God’s love, ANYTHING is possible. GOD HAD IT GOING ONContinued from page 1Jayne Pickett with two of her students in Mother Cabrini High School Campus Ministry.