Answering God's Call

Greetings from Hogar Ninos Dios: The Home of the Child God. The nuns chose this name because in each of the 35 special needs children (and adults) that they serve are faces of the child Jesus. As many of you know I spent 4 months over Christmas and Easter in Bethlehem working with these children and now I am back! I was never able to fully put into words my time here because I experienced a love that was indescribable. It is a love that is keeps me here despite what is going on between Gaza and Israel.  A little backstory of where I am. I am in Bethlehem The current war is in Gaza but we do not know if it will spill into our part of the country. There have been a few stray missiles (without casualties) but the main bloodshed is on the border of Gaza. Hopefully the bloodshed will end and both sides will work towards a peaceful coexistence.  I appreciate all the love and support I have received over the past weeks. God has sent his angels to guard our home and I am for...

June 25  Even with the early departure I got up to have an hour alone with God. I was able to take in a little more of the events of yesterday but also prepare myself for walking the Via Dolorosa. This is the route that Jesus took up Golgotha or Calvary, while carrying the cross. In the Catholic Church we have a tradition called the Stations of the Cross which we pray during the season of Lent. This reminds us of the different steps he had to take on his journey up Calvary where he was crucified and then died. I bought a bible with medallion depictions of the stations a few days ago, so I brought it along to further immerse myself in his passion during quiet prayer time.  We started the stations before the sun started rising. Out of reverence some of us took off our shoes and many of our women veiled their heads. I was barefoot to walk in solidarity with Christ. I know the stones weren't the rocky paths he walked but the cold stones grounded me in prayer. We had a light c...

June 22     Today I cherished my last sunrise swim in the Sea of Galilee. I thanked God for the little big things of this trip. I know it is a contradiction, but swimming for sunrise was a little thing in and of itself but swimming for sunrise in the Sea of Galilee is quite a big thing. What I experience or do may be considered small but in the context of where I am, it is quite the opposite- hence, the little big things. It was also my roommates birthday! She celebrates today and I celebrate tomorrow. We figured this out after they paired us as roommates. It is nice to be able to share the experience with someone else on the trip. I didn't want to say goodbye to the sea but in that moment I made it my resolve that I would be back to the Holy Lands, no matter what the cost.      Our first stop of the day was Cana. At a wedding feast in Cana Jesus performed His first miracle. He changed water into wine at the request of His mother (Jn 2:1-11). Growing up I did no...

Today I started my pilgrimage to the Holy Lands. It is lead by Jason Evert, a huge Catholic chastity speaker and Fr Augustino Torres, a Franciscan friar who is also a popular Catholic speaker. I have been listening to Jason's podcast Lust is Boring for the better part of the last two years. It really changed the way I not only saw myself but also opened my eyes to the true beauty of chastity and womanhood. If you need a new podcast, I highly recommend it. Now back to the pilgrimage. It has been a journey to get to the point of actually starting the pilgrimage but I have made it. I know that the struggle will all be worth it. Surprisingly I am not bouncing out of my shoes with excitement. I feel at peace, like I am going home. My mom jokes that I am going to come back with the calling to be a nun, but I know that's not what He has planned for me. God has a sense of humor though because my first flight had a group of nuns. I pray that its His humor and not a sign for what is to...