Part Two of Interview with Love Begins Here founder Lindsay Becher

Recently, Lindsay Becher of Love Begins Here sat down to answer some questions with us. If you missed part one, click here to catch up.

Share, if you would, your favorite story (or stories if you can't narrow it down) from LBH?

This is the hardest question of all. I could spend hours chatting about cleaning Dorothy’s windows, how we would rate the state parks of southwestern Wisconsin, and the great cookouts we have been to at Wayne and Janice’s home in Montello.  And, then I could talk for another few hours about finding ants in our Golden Grahams, how epic the live Stations of the Cross was, and what it is like to have our missionaries become our Core Team members.

If you’re interested in hearing just one story, literally among hundreds of good ones, I would suggest this one about our time with the Cistercians near Sauk City.

 Who is your favorite saint, and why?

Saint John Paul II. Hands down. His love for the youth, devotion to our Blessed Mother, serious prayer life and deep knowledge of the theological tradition of our Catholic faith inspire me daily.  (If the question, was who is my favorite Blessed, the answer would be Bl. Mother Teresa. Anyone reading along could have likely guessed that by now.)

What is your parish?

My parish is St. Bernard, in Middleton, WI.

Where are you from originally? Were you a practicing Catholic growing up?

I am originally from Janesville, WI. I was a practicing Catholic growing up, but I certainly didn’t understand the just how full and beautiful it is when one allows the Catholic faith to become more than what’s taught in religion class and experienced for an hour a week on Sundays. Over the past ten years, I have been on journey of becoming a joyful, alive Catholic, not only a “practicing” Catholic.

Are there any exciting developments or projects coming up with LBH?

At the start of this summer, it’s really exciting to share that we will have about 400 middle and high school missionaries joining us this summer. For those playing at home, that boils down to growth of about 800% since our founding summer. Come, Holy Spirit! 

I think it is safe to say that we’ll have to be more creative than ever in the coming year as we discern how we will accommodate this ever growing number of youth who want to invest in local service work. For now, we are going to embrace those who the Lord brings our way in the course of nearly 10,000 hours of service this summer.

How can we donate to LBH?

We are always looking for new folks to share in our mission, through financial support. Learn more at this link. When folks partner with us financially, we are inviting them in as shareholders, who really invest in the mission. This means that every donor is kept in touch with from the mission field and invited to a dinner at the end of the summer, where they can hear about what LBH has accomplished, all flowing from their generosity.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us, Lindsay. God bless you and your work!