Every Wednesday we take the bus to a little village near Deva called Mintia. One of the people we visit in Mintia is a little girl named Vanessa. Vanessa is 8 years old and was born without kneecaps so she is only able to walk on her knees. Vanessa doesn’t have many friends because she...
Cienna is a friend that is characterized by the saying: “When our mission house was bought, she came with the house.” The first time I met Cienna, all I heard was banging on the window and a very loud yell, “LETIII”. I opened the door and before I could say hello, she was already inside...
At the turn of the new year, we welcomed 15 friends and Missionary Program Alumni for a Family Reunion. This Reunion gave us the opportunity to give thanks for the blessings received in 2022 and to entrust the unfolding of 2023 to our Lord. Here are some personal highlights...
My very first apostolate in Deva was at the Monastery, which is a home for children who do not have families to take care of them. The children are there either because their parents have died, their parents struggle with substance abuse, or simply because their families cannot afford to care for them. We try...
Every Friday morning, we do a deep cleaning of our house and this particular week was my turn to clean our Chapel (yay! I get to work with Jesus! Sometimes I feel like a Benedictine: Ora Et Labora!) After I took everything out, I started to look for a broom to sweep out the room....
It’s 6:30 on a Saturday evening and I’m sitting cross-legged on the couch of a dear friend in Chengalpet. Wearing my sari, I admire our friend Ammu as she prepares herself for the wedding that we will attend together. Ammu is decked in her favorite gold sari...
One of our friends that I have gotten to know from the past month and a half is Margareta. She comes from a Gypsie family, but she also has a disability, and so, some of the Gypsies discriminate against her. Thus, we are her family. She has been a close friend of our community for...
We really are so small and helpless when it comes to the great mystery, adventure and beauty that is the life of God’s love. I am reminded that the kingdom of God belongs to those who are childlike, to those who are small. One must become small in order to love greatly....
I am learning through my mission and through friends to embrace reality. One friend in particular is an inspiration to me on how to bear sufferings with hope. Janu is twenty years old and suffers from polio. Janu can’t walk, but she and her family have never lost the hope that she would gain her mobility....
This question has become very frequent as I have begun to redefine the words of compassion and presence as I am striving to live them out. Looking for an answer that cannot be found within myself but rather in those that are around me, I meet Christ in the friends I encounter....