hi! I'm Dana Bizal

I am so excited and blessed that the Lord has called me to serve Him in my own community this upcoming year by being a Mission Youth Apostle. Please join me in prayer for my fellow missionaries and all those we will encounter throughout the course of this experience, that we are able to be vessels of Christ’s love for others. I would really appreciate if you would take a minute to read my story below and consider donating if you think God has put that calling on your heart! 

 Right before I entered high school, I was incredibly blessed to experience Christ’s love and begin the journey of living for Someone bigger than myself. I was raised Catholic, but that was the first time my faith became personal and I chose to live it out. Ever since I first began to have that personal relationship with Jesus, I’ve felt a call on my heart to spread His love to others, especially to those spiritually and physically impoverished, even before I really understood what that meant or how I could fulfill that calling. When I realized how much Christ loved me, I wanted to tell everyone else how much He loved them as well, especially those most vulnerable and in need of Him. Christ placed within me that undeniable spark that He speaks of in Mark 15:16 when He says “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” I can remember going to a Christian concert when I was 14 and hearing about child sponsorship for the first time. My heart was so moved by the idea that I could give only $30 a month and God could use that to make such a difference in a child’s life. My sister and I then decided to sponsor a young boy named Simon, who lives in Uganda. This was a little spark that began to grow into a flame to go out and serve others for Christ. During high school, a friend invited me to go for a day mission with Mission Youth Philly one weekend. I was hesitant at first, not really knowing what we would be doing or how safe a mission would be in Kensington, Philadelphia, but I agreed to go. That day, I found myself giving out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to the homeless and asking strangers in the street if I could pray for them. It placed me completely out of my comfort zone, yet I felt an incredible amount of peace. It made no sense, that I would feel peace in such a broken place, filled with used syringes, high crime rates, and people who had no place left to go but the streets. There was only one explanation for this peace: that Jesus was present. That day I encountered so many souls that carried so much light despite having no material possessions. I was in awe of how I saw Christ move that day, how He was working in the hearts of not only those I encountered but also in my own. I’ve found myself at countless day missions, weekends, and week long missions in Kensington since then. Despite many ups and downs in my faith over the past few years, the desire and call to do mission work has remained constant in my heart.  

 Towards the end of high school I realized Christ was calling me to more than just going on a mission every month or so, that He placed a call in my heart to dedicate myself more fully to serving Him through long term mission work. After many prayers and much consideration, I had the opportunity to live in Mexico from January to May of this year doing mission work. It was an absolutely incredible experience to give my heart and time to God to use however He wanted. He changed my heart and my life in so many ways when I gave myself to Him through serving others. I would love to tell you more about my experience in Mexico if you would like to hear about it! About halfway through my time in Mexico, as I was getting ready to apply to colleges, I realized I still had such a strong desire to continue mission work. Since then I’ve prayed and discerned whether to begin college or give more time to Christ through missions. Through prayer and spiritual direction, I realized that despite the norm in America and pressure from family/friends to begin college, God is calling me to continue serving Him through mission work, specifically in Kensington, Philadelphia. When I am connecting with others through mission work I feel completely fulfilled and at peace. I have learned so much from the people I’ve encountered in missions, like the beauty of a simple life. But most of all the joy that I have seen through people with essentially no material goods is proof to me that when we have nothing left, God is enough. My heart overflows with gratitude when I think about how Jesus has not only outpoured His love to me, but He’s also given me the opportunity to share that love with others. God’s timing and calling is different for each person, and I am so thankful He has given me the grace so far to be open to His will for this chapter in my life.

 Towards the end of high school I realized Christ was calling me to more than just going on a mission every month or so, that He placed a call in my heart to dedicate myself more fully to serving Him through long term mission work. After many prayers and much consideration, I had the opportunity to live in Mexico from January to May of this year doing mission work. It was an absolutely incredible experience to give my heart and time to God to use however He wanted. He changed my heart and my life in so many ways when I gave myself to Him through serving others. I would love to tell you more about my experience in Mexico if you would like to hear about it! About halfway through my time in Mexico, as I was getting ready to apply to colleges, I realized I still had such a strong desire to continue mission work. Since then I’ve prayed and discerned whether to begin college or give more time to Christ through missions. Through prayer and spiritual direction, I realized that despite the norm in America and pressure from family/friends to begin college, God is calling me to continue serving Him through mission work, specifically in Kensington, Philadelphia. When I am connecting with others through mission work I feel completely fulfilled and at peace. I have learned so much from the people I’ve encountered in missions, like the beauty of a simple life. But most of all the joy that I have seen through people with essentially no material goods is proof to me that when we have nothing left, God is enough. My heart overflows with gratitude when I think about how Jesus has not only outpoured His love to me, but He’s also given me the opportunity to share that love with others. God’s timing and calling is different for each person, and I am so thankful He has given me the grace so far to be open to His will for this chapter in my life.

 Although every mission varies, a typical day with Mission Youth Philly is based on encounter. For example, we could start the day by making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Then we would walk through Kensington and give lunches out to those in need, making it a point to ask the name of every person we encounter, shake their hand, ask them how they’re doing, and ask if we could pray for them in any way. We usually carry around a large wooden Cross and sticky notes, and we nail the sticky notes with people’s prayers written on them onto the Cross. This has started so many Christ centered conversations and opened the door to let Christ shine to others. Because while the people in the streets of Kensington are physically hungry, their greatest need is a deeper spiritual need for love. By saying their names and treating them with kindness, it can help them realize that someone really cares for them, and that there’s more to life than the hopelessness they feel. Another example would be missions where we sit in on an AA meeting, listening to the stories of others and then talking or eating lunch with them. We don’t just hand people a sandwich and tell them to have a nice day, we focus on the conversation, where we can meet people where they are and start to plant a spark for something more within them. I have had countless beautiful experiences of encountering others where I have gained so much wisdom from someone living on the streets, or embraced a complete stranger after they opened up about the hardest struggle of their life. I’ve witnessed so many smiles, tears, and laughter coming from the beautiful people I have encountered and I’ve seen God working so clearly in them. This year we have the opportunity to go even deeper than that. Not only will we be encountering people, talking with them, and then praying for them, but we will be able to build relationships with the people living in Kensington. Three days out of the week we will be based out of a parish, soup kitchen, or shelter. This will create an environment of accountability and a safe space for people to grow in relationship with Grace, Callie, and myself, where they know we care and that we will follow up in conversation. The other two days we will be going on Cross walk missions, giving out food and carrying the Cross through the streets. Whether we are spending the day serving food to the homeless, leading a youth group on their first mission in Kensington, or going on a retreat to strengthen our faith life, we are so excited to look for ways to share Christ in everything we do this year. Please consider being part of this mission alongside us, most importantly through prayer, but also financially. I would greatly appreciate if you considered making a one time donation or committing to a monthly donation to help me spread Christ’s love this year. Thank you so much for taking the time to read through this and learn more about why I am giving this time in my life to be a Mission Youth Apostle. If you have any questions, would like to talk, or have prayer intentions, feel free to email me at dfbizal@gmail.com or text/call at (484)-838-4092. God bless you :))