Building His Kingdom Together

Jessica, Ramón, Enrique, and Isabel Ayala

Four years ago, after getting into a big argument with my husband, I felt so desperate and hopeless, that I went into my garage with my face soaked with tears and got on my knees, begging God to find a solution to keep my family together and help us keep the peace in times when our differences pull us apart. Later that night, my husband Ramón told me that he thought it would be a good idea if we started to go back to church. That Sunday we were running late to get to a different church so we decided to go to Christ the King because it was closer. We felt comfortable and really enjoyed the Mass. During that Mass, Father Schalk’s homily spoke to both of our hearts. Afterward, they announced there would be a guest speaker and a retreat in the basement. We looked at each other and knew this was what we needed and God had put us there for a reason, so we went. After the guest speaker preached on the family, someone prayed with us. I looked to my side and found Ramón sobbing. He said he felt the Holy Spirit touch his heart and had never felt anything like that before. We hugged our children and each other and promised to give each other a fresh start and to put God first. As we started attending Mass regularly and becoming more involved in activities like Bible Studies with the Sisters, we started to see a difference in our relationship and our kids. They were happier.
 
Having received so many blessings from God, we feel called to help build the Kingdom of God by sharing our lives and our faith with others. Over the years, we have been grateful to be involved with many different opportunities at Christ the King. We are part of the CERS group that works with the Sisters. We also assist with the rosary ministry, the Hispanic Marriage ministry, and men’s and women’s retreats when possible. I belong to the Parish Council and enjoy serving on the Alpha leadership team as well.
 
Ramón says he feels called to lead and serve in whatever way he can within the parish and to share his faith with others outside of the parish. My son Enrique is on the new youth ministry leadership team and has experienced renewal in his own faith. He said, “I feel called to help build God’s Kingdom by reaching out to other kids at school I see struggling with family problems and other major things going on in their lives. In today's world there are so many teenagers struggling like I did. My faith gives me the strength and desire to reach out and offer my friendship and just be there to listen.”
 
There are so many opportunities at Christ the King to get involved with and to work towards building a better community and creating healthier, happier relationships. If we want to build the kingdom of God we must start with our families first with God at the heart and center of everything. I love being a member of Christ the King! I really enjoy the fellowship and friends we have made along the way. Those friends we now call family.