Emily Lingvall

My name is Emily. I am 33 years old. I love Jesus and Our Blessed Mother with all of me, and I aim to share the love of God with every soul I meet by doing ordinary things with extraordinary love. I grew up in San Diego, California which is where I reside today. Avid surfer and coffee connoisseur, I currently work for Father Joe’s Villages; I am a housing specialist for persons experiencing homelessness. Our mission is to prevent and end homelessness one life at a time. I love counseling and guiding others to a better life. I love my family, and I love my friends so I aim to give and receive the most valuable gift possible with them: time.

I was raised Catholic and in 2009 I gave up Catholicism for Lent (not a joke). I hit a series of spiritual, emotional, mental and physical bottoms from the ages of 18 to 23. Insanity is not an event; it is a series of willful steps towards that breaking point. I know the steps to insanity and these are steps away from Jesus. I had a slow reversion back to the Faith at 23 when God gave me the gift of desperation. I was willing to do everything differently, and I surrendered to the unfailing Love of God. My prayerful aim each moment is to give all of me to Jesus so I may be an instrument of His Peace to every soul I meet, treating each person as though God has entrusted them to my care.

On October 9th, 2020, I will celebrate 10 years of continuous sobriety. I am in recovery from alcoholism. My favorite definition of recovery is having the courage to recover the woman God made me to be. That is what I do one day at a time, perfectly imperfect as I am, it is in my weaknesses that I find Christ’s strength to endure all things and share my experience with those who are suffering so that they too may receive the hopeful promise that the darkness does not last, that God’s Light can kick out any darkness, and all we need to do is surrender to God to gain real freedom, joy, security and love. I can speak to anyone and empathize with them with God’s love and grace prayerfully guiding me to meet the needs of those who need help.

I love Jesus. I aim to show my love for Jesus by loving my neighbor as myself, by doing small things with great love, helping one person at a time, all for the honor and glory of God throughout the world. Deo gratias. Ave Maria.