After 9 months...

Well many people have been asking me how’s life at the Finca. Well my best answer after some thought and prayer is I have never been challenged so much spiritually, mentally, and physically in my life, but it is good. I am growing as a women, as a catholic, overall as a person. I am thankful for these opportunities though in my humanity I may not always express this. I am most grateful for my the blessing of beautiful relationships I have made there. I can truly give myself fully to these relationships in a different way then I was able to in the U.S. because of schedule and technology, and because of the openess of others. No matter how dificult the day can be you have that one smile, or that one child comes and grabs your hand to play and it makes the whole day worth it. It’s amazing the amount of love that our Lord has placed in my heart for this community and the kids of the Finca in less than a year and for my fellow missionaries that knew the community before even more so than myself. I imagine this is how you feel when you become a parent ;p

I think one of the most valuable things I’ve learned at the Finca is life is all about relationships. Relationships are hard work. Sometimes I desire to live in a cave on a random mountain and be a hermit ;p just kidding...no but seriously. I have thought, prayed, and discussed this theme with friends. How can you be in relationships and keep a safe distant but still give of yourself? What we concluded was that you can’t. You can’t give of yourself truly and wholly and not be hurt. People will disappoint you. We are all human. A friend posed a question for me to ponder...Who will you disappoint? Wow...I never thought about it like that. Maybe if I wasn’t so focused on how far a distance I need to keep from being hurt, I could focus on how to be the best person I can in relationship and anticipate the needs of the other...Gotta love friends that push you to think deep...

I want to thank you all as well for you prayers because I have truly felt them. Days that I fall weak in my prayer but still recieve all the graces I need to carry out the day can only be credited to all your petitions and I truly thank you all.

Just want to say as well I thank you for all your kind words of encouragement and all your praise, as long as it goes back to God. This is not my mission, it is HIS. I am just an instrument and I don’t always play the greatest tune. Our Lord placed a vocation to serve in Honduras on my heart at this time, and only by His grace was I able to listen and obey. But remember we are all missionaries and have our own unique mission to which our Lord is calling us. My prayer for you all is that you can embrace with your whole being do it with joy and grace. Please pray this for me too!