For those of you who may have wondered where I went, since I haven't written each day, we've been SO MANY places and seen SO MANY things! We've been blessed with the wonderful curse of having days that have been incredibly full. Let me do a bit of catch up. First, this is a college …
Brave Women in the Hill Country
"In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country" (Luke 1:39) It is merely the beginning of our journey and that one verse is forever changed, for me! Mary went to the "hill country" to visit Elizabeth and Zechariah. Ein Karem or Ein Kerem...no matter how …
Walls, wailing, and walking
Over the centuries many walls have been built, torn down, rebuilt, torn down...ad infinitum. Some things can't be rebuilt. One of those things is the Temple. When we read the Old Testament, we hear that David will not get to build the Temple but that his son, Solomon, will (2 Samuel 7:1-17) and does (1 …
Beginnings: aka “What do geography and moms have in common?”
Every journey begins somewhere. Our class today was about understanding beginnings, and new beginnings, and even newer beginnings. You see, no matter the journey, it starts somewhere. With this journey, it was first important for us to understand the geography of the area before learning the history and stories. We had an amazing first glance …
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January 7th – aka “The Day that Wasn’t”
It seems that the only time I'm not nearly as bothered by the shorter amount of daylight is when I'm flying. There is something that thrills me when I get to see the Capital Mall all lit up and waiting for people to come see the monuments at night. This was my view as I …
What Next?
("Postulant's Path" article for Grace Sheboygan's August Angelus newsletter) Two months. Six countries. Three thousand photos. Countless memories. Now I am back in Virginia. I arrived less than a week ago and am attempting to adjust back to Eastern Standard Time living. There is a lot to process regarding what occurred over the past two …
Freedom: what does it mean to you?
This morning, I came across a Facebook discussion that stated that our freedom was bought by Christ and therefore we, as Christians, might want to consider not celebrating Independance Day. In light of being in this place, I nearly came unglued! One of the reasons this summer's journey was so important to me is that …
Give us each day our daily bread
Daily bread. Whether it's the Matthew version ("this day") or the Luke version ("each day"), my time here has taught me to appreciate that each day's food provisions are a gift! A gift from God. There is no room for "likes" and "dislikes" in this place; there is food provided and we can choose to …
New Life in the Heat
There are so many stories in this one photo. It is a statement of new life and of the oppressive heat that exists in this place. Look closely and you will see three roosters who have found relief from the heat in the shade. With daytime highs in the 110's, we are all seeking shade. …
Cha(i)nge is a brewin’
It is the eve of Eid (pronounced "eed"). In a few hours, the sun will go down for the proposed last night of Ramadan. At 4 AM, the minaret will call the faithful to the mosque for prayer and the celebrations will begin. By 5 AM, the streets should be filled with people! Last year, over …