Evan and Bonnie Collins
Missionary
I encountered Jesus Christ, personally, in the still small voice of my studies as a student. I honestly wanted to know what was true in college no matter where the truth led me. Through philosophy and a deep study of religion, I came to the conclusion (both in my mind and my heart) that the Lord became incarnate, was crucified, rose again, and established a Church to give everyone in the world the opportunity for a flourishing life in the Spirit and eternal life in the Trinity.
As I fell in love with Jesus, the call to serve Him with my entire life grew deeply in my heart. I said yes to being a FOCUS missionary where I served for two years in Atchison, Kansas. It was there that I met my wife Bonnie, whose life was also the Lord's. She had been serving in Family Missions Company for two years living in Ecuador and Haiti. The Lord had deeply touched her heart and mine with His poverty on the Cross and the preferential option for the poor He has given the Church. She was the first person I met who saw and wanted to live the intimate connection between the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.
Since then I have been blessed to have served Him in parish ministry where the Lord has given us His Pierced Heart in a more radical way than we could ever imagine. He truly desires that all shall be saved, that, even in suffering, we all can have abundant life and joy! Immersed in His mercy, in prayer, and in study, our family has grown in understanding of what Christ's plan for service, evangelization, and community fully are. We know we have only scratched the surface and that our hearts will be constantly undergoing conversion as we fall more deeply in love with the Lord, but we cannot help but follow Him toward a radically apostolic life as a family. After discerning for almost a year, my wife and I accepted the call to Lafayette to be a missionary family at St. Leo's Catholic Church.
