Isaiah Fleck of Cumming, Georgia graduated from Pinecrest Academy in 2015 and decided to spend a year as a missionary in the Regnum Christi Mission Corps (RCMC) program. He is now a sophomore studying Business at the University of North Georgia, and a cadet in the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC).
He is just a couple years out of high school, but already has a good deal of experience serving church and country. He shares some of how the past couple years have help him grow as a man.
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My name is Isaiah Fleck and I am a sophomore in the Army ROTC program at the University of North Georgia.
It has been two years since my time in the Regnum Christi Mission Corps, where I worked in the Washington D.C. area. That missionary year enabled me to grow into more of a well-rounded person, especially in my relationship with Christ.
So much of what I have accomplished during college can be attributed to the habits that I developed as a member of the RCMC. When I joined the ROTC program at the University of North Georgia, I was able to take the change of pace in stride. While my classmates were coming in from high school used to being able to sleep in and binge watch Netflix, I came in with an attitude of service and discipline. This attitude came from the people and the community that I was surrounded with during my year as a Regnum Christi Missionary.
I entered college after spending an entire year with some of the most selfless men and women I have ever met. My fellow missionaries, along with the brothers, priests, and consecrated women, enabled me to envision who I wanted to be; these men and women strived each and every day to grow closer to Christ and to bring Him to others. There was never a day that they didn’t bring a smile and a simple example of Christ’s joy. This joy was contagious during apostolate and something that I had the privilege of participating in as a missionary.
Being able to minister to the youth of D.C. was an amazing experience — to see boys and young men encounter Christ. Whether it was out in the woods on a campout, playing football after school, or bringing donuts to the homeless downtown, I had a difference experience than a typical kid in today’s world.
The Christian love and service I saw in others was very refreshing and rewarding. The testimony of a second-grade boy giving out donuts to a homeless man, or letting his friend get a treat before him may seem small, but it is powerful. These virtues are in every boy and young man, and something that can change the lives of many. All it takes is an invitation, a call, and a challenge. A challenge to go outside yourself and put the needs of others before your own. This is the invitation that I received from the Regnum Christi Mission Corps and one that I gratefully accepted. I am extremely thankful for my experience with the RCMC, and for all of the blessings that helped me, along with many other people, to grow as individuals and to become better Catholics. I will always remember my mission year as the time that I was able to serve others and where God became the foundation of my life.
