Another Friendship Post

"Friendship is nourished by sacrifice for the sake of serving one's friends and truly love thim. And without such sacrifice there can be no real friendship..."

-Bl. John Paul II

I sat on my deck last night. The warm winds of summer are beginning to blow into Peoria. I watched it fill the trees with life, the gentle sounds of its movement filling the air and mixing with the laughter of my friends. Light from inside my apartment and the lights draped about the railing of my deck cast warm glows on the faces that surounded me. It was a delightful evening.

The easy comraderie of the group, as the conversation ebbed in flowed from epic tales, to scientific fun facts, to movie analysis, filled the night. All of us united by bowls of ice cream. It was from my perch amidst my friends that joy spilled forth to fill my heart. These beautiful people who surruonded me will be gone soon, all moving toward the next stage in their lives. Yet, we will always be united in the moments we shared during their year with the Eagle Eye Institute.

This family of people, who come from all walks of life, all kinds of backgrounds, have let their hearts find solace in the rhythm of life with the Community of St. John. This shared experience of our time with the Community is not enough to forge a friendship though. The difference this year, with these people, is that I let myself be vulnerable and open to them. It's not always easy, I know that at the end of their year, they will all leave, but what a joy to build a friendship now.

I may not know what form these freindships will take in the future, but I find that I am not worried. When united through a shared desire, I know our paths will cross again.

Faith

Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things unseen.

Hebrews 11:1

The theme of faith has been following me this week! First I had that great encounter through confession, then last night I went to a talk my spiritual director was giving in preparation for the Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary. The topic last night was Adoration and I was, yet again, thrown into the mystery of Faith.

Since these talks were given in preparation for the consecration, speaking of Mary's Faith was a fundamental part of the talk. Because Mary was chosen by God to be the mother of His Son, she possessed all virtue perfectly. I often think that this means that Mary didn't have a care in the world, that because she possessed all virtue and grace, that she was above those little trials and sufferings I find so painful in daily life.

Yet, in Luke 1, Mary was troubled by what the Angel said to her. Father spoke of the poverty of God's plan. Mary had complete faith that God's will would be done in her life even though she did not understand "how can this be as I do not know man." (Luke 1:34)

"How can this be as I do not know man." This difinitive statement made by Our Lady reveals the secret of her heart kept in a covenant made in her body. A vow of virginity. Aquinas writes of this verse as her revelation of that vow. In all the other covenants God makes with man of conceiving to bear a son the promised child is conceived through the bond of the flesh. However, Christ is conceived through "The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." (Luke 1:34) [I could probably do a whole post just on Mary's virginity, but will maybe save that for later.]

Mary trusted, even though she had made a vow to God through her body, that what He declared to her through the Angel Gabriel would come to be. The blind faith of Our Lady, without the understanding as the world sees it, but with eyes that trust in the Word of a loving God. Even more paradoxical than the birth of Christ is His death on the Cross.

Christ came to die, "and a sword shall pierce your heart." (Luke 2:35) She trusted through the 30 years of Christ's hidden life that His timing was perfect. She lived her life with the knowledge that her Son was the Son of God and that He chose to remain silent for those years. Then a mere three years after beginning his ministry, to be put to death on a cross, deserted by His friends save for John.

She was the mother of a dead Son and her Son gave her another. "Woman, behold, your son." (John 19: 26) The poverty of Mary's faith in God's plan allowed her to accept the gift of John and subsequently to be mother to us all. To trust entirely in God's plan is to live life without fear. To walk steadily forward trusting that even though you do not know the way, that God's light will lead you to truth.

There is a rediscovery of faith in the eyes of God. The realization that looking with eyes of this world will not get you closer to knowing His plan for your life. Looking at our Lady's faith, we can rediscover how we ought to pray. To offer our very selves as the sacrifice burnt before the Throne of God and to choose to love even when we do not have all the answers as to why trials and sacrifices have come. To embrace these trials as a standard of vicotory, holding to the cross as the cry of hope.

Saint John Summer Conference

Saint John Summer Conference 2010
"It was not you who chose me but I who chose you."
John 15:16

After months of meetings, planning, and working toward the Saint John Summer Conference, it finally all came together. After one week of intense preparation, decoration and logistical planning, the doors opened and 150 young people walked in.

Above you'll see some of the many pictures taken during the conference. Everything was beautiful. The time we took planning details out paid off through the final product.

It was a beautiful experience. Each part of the conference was due to the work and foresight of someone else. It was a unique experience to be behind the scenes, and to know just how much had been put into each moment.

I'm still reflecting on the fact that no matter how tired I was, or how little sleep any of us got, there was a unity to what we did. The driving purpose that gave us energy and the strength to love each other even though all our bad qualities came to surface in our stressful moments was the salvation of souls.

We put on a conference for 150 young people. Each of them came from a different place, each had their own experiences, struggles, and reasons for being there. They all experienced the same schedule, talks, processions as a group and each of them met Christ in their way.

I know that for me, it was worth all the bruises and struggles if only one of those 150 people took something with them. I hope to be among the 150 fed next year.

New Summer Conference Promotional Video

St. John Summer Conference Video Contest

Part of my work during the Eagle Eye Institute is toward our St. John Summer Conference: June 17-20, 2010. The Eaglets thought it would be fun to have a video contest, that we would kick off with our own ridiculous video. The winner of the contest gets a free pass to the Summer Conference.

I've also been working on Podcasts that are featured on the St. John Summer Conference Website:

www.saintjohnsummerconference.com

Who Am I?

This is a 2:00 ad I worked up for the St. John Summer Conference. If you'd like to forward it on to any young people who might be interested in attending the Conference, I'd appreciate it.

The st. John Summer Conference is: June 17-20, 2010 for young people ages 16-30, and the cost is $100.

Scarface Pometto??

I’ve had a lot of strange nick-names in my time, some of them endearing, some of them just plain funny. Most of them are pretty normal, “Mar Bear”, “Mar” some of them are entire sentences, “Mary Mary Quite Contrary…” and so far one stands out as my favorite: “Bloody Mary.” “Bloody Mary” was given to me by a softball coach, derived from the fact that every time I slid (I slid a lot during a game) I would re-open the wounds that never seemed to heal on my knees, which would call for band-aids. It became sort of a scare tactic when I was on third heading home, “Get the band-aids ready girls, Bloody Mary’s coming in.” It still brings me joy to think of it.

Well, recently, I went on a trip with Fr. Nathan, a few of the Eaglets and Br. Gabriel Maria to a Youth 2000 in Owensboro, Kentucky, where I picked up yet another remarkable nick-name: “Scarface Pometto.”

Need I say more? Oh, I suppose you’d like to know how I acquired such a strange nick-name. I mean, to look at me, it’d be the last thing you’d expect to go along with my Scottish red-hair and feisty Italian ways.

It all began as part of what could be called the “normal routine” of retreat mode. Since this trip came up in the last minute due to a date mix-up at the priory (they occasionally happen) the Eaglets were the guests of Ann Brawly, who runs Youth 2000 in the US. If any of you have met Ann (I’m not sure if that’s how she spells her name) you are aware of how loved you feel when you’re in her presence and how effortlessly it comes to her. Ann is a woman who knows how to get things done. She does it with a smile and in a way that even the most cross and arrogant of people are pleased to do anything she asks. She’s exactly the kind of woman I pray that the Lord gives me the grace to become.

As Anne Brawly’s guests, we stayed at the Hampton Inn. The Hampton Inn is my Dad’s favorite place to stay while we’re on vacation because they serve hot breakfast in the morning and it changes every day. The first morning of our stay, there were these amazing egg and sausage patties. Add a little hot sauce and you might as well be in heaven. While Becca and I were finishing our breakfast, a family with three little boys came in to eat. The husband was sporting a Youth 2000 name tag, so we of course introduced ourselves. We came to find out that Matt was leading the music for the weekend.

My retreat routine was broken and the box I’d slid into shattered when Br. Gabriel Maria beckoned me into the hall during the first talk of the morning. Praise the Lord, because it was getting stuffy inside that box. I followed the impish monk to the cafeteria, where he produced two McDonald’s sandwiches from his pocket and offered me my favorite one. Now I know I just told you that about the breakfast I’d eaten at the Hampton Inn, but when a monk pulls McDonald’s out of his habit pocket, you don’t just say, “No thank you.”

In any case, I spent the rest of the day wandering in and out of the talks, and helping where necessary. I helped lead a small group with some lovely nuns from Cincinnati and had several good conversations with Becca outside in the gorgeous Kentucky weather.

During one of these chats right before lunch, the Gill family, whom we met at the Hampton Inn, came parading into the yard toward a picnic table. I watched them chatter and eat their Chick-Fil-A, all the while missing my nephews so much that it was hard to look away. Noticing my distress, Br. Gabriel Maria suggested I play with them. So after they were done eating, they meandered toward us with their mom. Having heard the names of the two older boys, Sebastian and Maximilian we asked about the one-year-old. Angela Gill told us that they’d all been named after martyrs and so I guessed Ignatius, which was correct. I then shamelessly asked if I could run around with her boys.

It started as a version of peek-a-boo. Maximilian was the first to giggle, which sparked Sebastian’s curiosity and too soon the games were afoot. Running recklessly around trees and through the grass, they chased me. Shortly after the games began, Maximilian, the three-year-old, was pretending to be a cat or maybe a lion and in his excitement at getting so close to catching me, accidently scratched me on the cheek. Being so young and having baby-claws, I chose to ignore the wound and continued playing. We played all sorts of games, they stole my sweat shirt and threw it into the empty fountain, we threw dirt clods at the ground, swung on a bench-swing, picked up sticks and played guns, and then ended with spinning in circles recklessly until we were too dizzy to stand. During that time, Angela had taken the opportunity to go to Confession, so I was glad to have been able to help out as well as fulfill my desire to run and play with the boys.

I finally came in for lunch tired and thirsty and discovered my group had welcomed Br. Maximilian of the CFRs into our lunch table. Aside from being a joy to encounter and interact with, Br. Maximilian is also good at coming up with nicknames. With the scratch fresh on my face, bleeding a little and swelling it was quickly a point of conversation. The idea began as calling me “Czestochowa” in honor of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Poland seeing as the scratch was advantageously on my cheek. The spirit of New York came out soon enough and the final decision was on “Scarface Pometto.”

My new nick-name means so much more to me knowing that it came as a result of stepping outside my comfort zone a little. A retreat I thought I knew everything about became a new and exciting means of encountering Christ in the way He had in mind for my weekend.

Mary Magdalene: "Woman, why are you crying?"

Easter Morning we had a Mary Magdalene Eucharistic Procession. It was beautiful.





<sup>John 20:10-17

"Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look in the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head adn the other at the foot. They asked her, "Woman why are you crying?"

"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't knwo where they have laid him."

At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. "Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."

Jesus said to her. "Mary."

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).

Jesus said to her, "Do not hold onto me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"</sup>

Easter Vigil

The Easter Vigil is a time of Celebration. The Victory of the Cross is given to us through the words of the angels to those who came early in the morning to anoint his body "He is not here." The gospel account was read in 4 different languages during the Easter Vigil Mass with the Brothers. Words of hope drilled into our souls and reaffirmed in the sacrifice of the Mass.

After lighting the Easter Candle from a column of fire in a safe location, we processed into the darkness of the chapel with our own candles to illuminate the darkness, as Christ's light illuminates the world.

I can't really explain the exuberance and joy I felt after the Easter Vigil. This year's Triduum opened my eyes to my desperate need for a savior, and I couldn't be happier. For too long I've swallowed the lie that I'm not sufficient and stopped with the lie. Now I know that I'm made whole by Christ who has taken all of my sins upon Himself and carried them up a hill to die.

Christ's resurrection is the light that sends all the shadows running.

Ephesians 5:8-10 "For once you were in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of the light for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true, and try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord."

Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday is a day of anticipation of the Easter Vigil. Christ has been laid in the tomb, and as such has been removed from the tabernacle. If you've never done this, I encourage you to spend some time in your Church on Holy Saturday, when the tabernacle stands open. To put yourself in the tomb with Christ and spend some time in silent anticipation.

Living with the Community of St. John afforded me the gift of spending two hours in the Chapel, living the mystery of Christ's entombment. Throughout the Triduum, Christ called me into the deep. I had become achingly aware that Christ didn't want part of me, he wants all of me, and he died for all of me.

To spend time waiting with him, I was caught up in my own anticipation and an inexplicable hope. I know Christ will wash me clean and heal me of all those things I've been holding onto. Those things that are "too big" to hand to him. I was given the desire to allow him to carry those things to the Father and be free once more. For the first time in years I was able to look at the new day in hope.

My hope is found in the victory of the Cross. Lord carry me.

Good Friday

"Behold the wood of the cross, on which your savior died."

Many of you are familiar with venerating the cross on Good Friday. We begin Lent with the words "Repent and believe in the Gospel." At the end of Lent, we're given an opportunity to kiss the wounds that brought us our salvation, offering our sins and allowing him to cleanse us as a libation to his wounded heart. He was pierced with a lance, so that we could receive his mercy.

In the morning on Friday, the Community of St. John journeys the Stations of the Cross together, carrying a life-size cross through the woods of the priory. It's a trek that takes 3 hours, the priests are available for confession throughout the stations, and the monks take turns leading the pilgrims in meditations.

I've walked the stations with the brothers every summer since I was 16, as living the Stations of the Cross is part of the Eagle Eye Summer Institute (the camp which introduced me to the Community of St. John.) This time, I didn't worry about keeping everyone together, didn't have to sing the songs as we walked, I could just pray.

My soul wanted to pray the Consecration to Our Lady, the prayer that has been my heart-song for several months. Even though I've been praying it a lot lately, I still don't have it memorized, so I asked Fr. Nathan, my spiritual director, to pray me through it. I noticed a line I feel like I've never heard before and it took me so much more deeply into the Way of the Cross. So I'd like to share the prayer with you.

If Mary is someone you struggle with, let me know what you're questions are, I'd love to chat with you.

I, Mary Ann Pometto, a faithless sinner, renew and ratify today through you my baptismal promises I renounce forever Satan, his empty promises and his evil designs, and I give myself completely to Jesus Christ, the incarnate Wisdom, to carry my cross after him for the rest of my life, and to be more faithful to him than I have been until now. This day, with the whole court of heaven as witness I choose you, Mary, as my Mother and Queen. I surrender and consecrate myself to you, body and soul, with all that I possess, both spiritual and material, and even including the spiritual value of all my actions, past, present and to come. I give you the full right to dispose of me and all that belongs to me, without any reservations; in whatever way you please, for the greater glory of God in time and throughout eternity.

Accept, gracious Virgin, this little offering of my slavery to honor and imitate that obedience which the eternal Wisdom willingly chose to have towards you, his Mother. I wish to acknowledge the authority which both of you have over this little worm and pitiful sinner. By it I wish also to thank God for the privileges bestowed on you by the Blessed Trinity. I solemnly declare that for the future I will try to honor and obey you in all things as your true slave of love. O admirable Mother, present me to your dear Son as his slave now and for always, so that he who redeemed me through you, will now receive me through you. Mother of mercy, grant me the favor of obtaining the true Wisdom of God, and so make me one of those whom you love, teach and guide, whom you nourish and protect as your children and slaves. Virgin most faithful, make me in everything so committed a disciple, imitator, and slave of Jesus, your Son, the Incarnate Wisdom, that I may become, through your intercession and example, fully mature with the fullness which Jesus possessed on earth, and with the fullness of his glory in heaven. Amen.

Holy Thursday

There is an anticipation that settles on the air with the beginning of the Easter Triduum. Every day of the Triduum allows you to enter into the mysteries of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. In Princeville, with the Brothers of St. John, you don't just enter the mysteries of the Triduum, you live them.

Holy Thursday offers the mystery of Christ's Last Supper with his Apostles and the Agony in the Garden (John 13:1-17:26.)

During the Last Supper Jesus knelt at the feet of his apostles and washed them. When I listen to Peter's reaction, I often think "Peter, why not? Why wouldn't you just let Jesus wash your feet? And then you go overboard... 'Wash my hands and head as well.'"

This Triduum, instead of looking at Peter from the outside, I truly discovered the man through identifying with his struggles. Peter was loved by Christ, even through his faults, through his pig-headed stubbornness and pride. It's just that Peter wasn't always willing to give those things to Him.

Too often, I keep the worst parts of myself: those faults that stand out and mark me as something less than worthy, as a shield against Christ. "Don't wash my feet Lord, there's too much I can't let you have." Jesus didn't wash Peter's feet because they were clean, he washed them because they weren't. This Holy Thursday, I was confronted with the question I had so long asked Peter, "Why won't you just let Jesus wash your feet?"

Jesus died on a cross, taking on a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8.) Not only did he take the little sins, I'm okay with giving him, but the ones I'd like to hold onto.


The fact of the matter is, that he can't take what I don't give him.

Jesus doesn't force anybody to love him. The real question behind what I've been asking Peter for years is, "How much do I love him?" The foot washing of Holy Thursday, threw me into the Triduum with the force of the Mercy of Christ as blood and water gushed out for the sins of his children.

"Wash not only my feet, but my hands and head as well."

Natural Surroundings

For Holy Thursday's evening of Adoration, the Contemplative Sisters enlisted the ladies of the Eagle Eye Institute to help them create the Garden of Gethsemene in our conference center. We spent the morning traipsing through the woods near the priory for moss and grass to use to make it more authentic. And then when we were finished we placed candles throughout. Sr. Theresa Marie and I ran over to the Conference Center at the end of Mass when they were processing over with the Eucharist to light the candles and then they had all-night adoration.

Cleaning up

Arranging the moss

Finished product

Close up of the finished product

Entrance of the procession

Lit up for adoration

Lent

Before Lent began, the Eagle Eye Institute was given a silent retreat. For those who have never experienced or maybe even heard of silent retreats, it is in fact like it sounds. We live our days in silence, passing notes only when necessary and then once or twice a day we gather for a Spiritual Conference. This silent retreat’s conferences were led by Br. Gabriel Maria.

In beginning the conferences, Br. Gabriel Maria wasn’t shy about telling us that maybe part of Lent is for us to set our obligations and fail. The point of Lent is Jesus, who, even though he knows how weak we are, also knows how strong we can be in him. He encouraged us not to go into Lent looking for a result, but to look at our life in Christ. Something I see as a fitting reminder as the end of Lent draws near.

Br. Gabriel Maria also led us through the Scripture and the different ways the Desert is portrayed in the Word of God. I found it particularly insightful. Since the Word of God is a living word, I know that it will hit you differently than it hit me, so I’ll simply share the verses we talked about and not my own reflections. It’s good to re-read now that Lent is almost done to rediscover our fervor to meet Christ within our sacrifices and allow him to carry us through the final days into Holy Week.

Exodus 5:1-3—The Desert, a place of adoration of God

After that, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Let my people go, that they may celebrate a feast to me in the desert.” Pharaoh answered, “Who is the Lord, that I should heed his plea to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord; even if I did, I would not let Israel go.” They replied, “The God of the Hebrews has sent us word. Let us go a thre days’ journey in the desert, that we may offer sacrifice to the Lord, our God, otherwise he will punish us with pestilence or the sword.”

Hosea 2:16-17—The Desert, a place of rebirth

So I will allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak to her heart. From there I will give her the vineyards she had, and the valley of Achor as a door of hope. She shall respond there as in the days of her youth, when she came up from the land of Egypt.

Luke 4:1-13—The Desert, a place of spiritual battle and victory

Filled with the holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry. The devil said to hem “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’’ Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to him, “I shall give to you all this power and their glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours, if you worship me.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord, your God and him alone shall you serve.’” Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and: ‘With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’” When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.

Side note from Luke: “When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed...” this is said because the three temptations represent the three roots for sin as exemplified in: 1 John 2:15-17

Do not love the world of the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world. Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever.

Revelation 12:13-14—The Desert, a place of escape from the dragon

When the dragon saw that it had been thrown down to the earth, it pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly to her place in the desert, where, far from the serpent, she was taken care of for a year, two years and a half-year.

Plunging into the heart of Charity

After spending 10 days in a 10 passenger van traveling across the country with the Eagle Eye Institute, stopping at various churches and shrines, shows a person a lot about themselves. Through all the moments of still silence in the midst of the long trek, God continually strummed one word into my heart: charity.

Living in community has taught me a lot about what it takes to live charity. To truly live Christ’s call to “Love neighbor as self,” is an extraordinary virtue. Because when you analyze it, you find that you actually have to put your neighbor before yourself in order to even come close to living charity.

The hardest part of that for me while living in community is that I know these women. I see them day in and day out, I know their strengths and I know their weaknesses. Unfortunately, the weaknesses often shine more brightly than all the beautiful strengths. I know that my weaknesses tend to stand out more when I examine my life. The challenge is to love them through their weaknesses. Allowing their weaknesses to be a source of light and love is something foreign and difficult.

It’s amazing that it’s taken me 23 years to discover that I can’t do it. I’m not a sufficient source of love in those difficult moments. But before the walls of hopelessness could close in around me, I realized that Christ loves them because of their weaknesses, as he loves me.

Tackling every relationship with renewed vigor is also too much for me. In discovering a little more about what it means to live charity in a community, I have had to lean more heavily on Christ. Those split seconds where too much can be said in a situation have become a moment to remember how much Christ loves the beautiful women I’m surrounded by.

It’s encouraging to find the victory of the Cross in these small moments. I, more often than not, fail my sisters, but Christ never fails them. Through his unquenched desire for them, He’s given me new life, offering me opportunities to place them before my own wants and desires. In relying on Him for my strength I’ve witnessed, through Christ’s victories over my weaknesses, His love for them. In teaching me humility He’s showing me how beautifully my sisters in community sparkle, and how much it delights Him.

Steubenville (End of the January 10-day trip posts)

For those who suffered through my mass-post-mania and followed the flight-path of the Eagle Eye Institute to this point, you’ll be happy to learn that this is the last post about the ten-day trip to New York and DC. It I haven’t apologized via post already, I’m sorry that I post so many things at a time and wait so long in between posts. It’s a sign that my life here is so busy and fruitful that organizing my thoughts into a post that’s easy to read and a joy to share gets pushed down the list. Be assured that I’m praying for all of you each day, and to that I’m happily more faithful.

On our way back from the tri p to New York and DC, we made a stop in Steubenville, OH. Coming back to my alma mater is always a joy, spending time with my household sisters is even better. After giving the Eagle Eye girls a tour of the campus I was able to spend most of the afternoon catching up with some of my household sisters and brothers that are still there.

Being a part of Madonna of the Streets household was really my first experience in living community life. It’s not quite the same in light of the intensity of the Eagle Eye Institute, but to have a group of women who you admire and share the same desire to serve Christ with, is an invaluable part of my life.

There was so much peace and joy that came from simply spending quality time with a few of my sisters. Pictures tend to say more than I ever could with words, so maybe I’ll keep this post short as a gift for persevering through these long-overdue stories.