Final Entry (at least for now....)

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THE END. 

[ Just kidding. :-) ]

Though there is much that could be said about my time with the Little Sisters of the Poor (lsp), it was certainly a time of learning, growing, helping, loving, laughing, and listening to God speaking in the many experiences I was privileged to be a part of.

Working with the elderly is complex... many times they feel forgotten, lonely, useless, and struggle with losing their independence as well as their health, in addition to losing family and friends who pass on. Many have had very rough backgrounds, and sometimes the past can be hard to let go of and haunts the mind. All of this has to be taken into account, as well as the special needs of each individual. And the elderly deserve a special respect from those who serve them..they are our elders, and they also have an inherent dignity that God bestows upon us all.

And yet, despite everything, as much as I was serving them, they often were the ones who helped and taught me. A kind word, a story that inspires, hearing someone singing a song down the hall and making me grin, watching the serenity that comes in prayer despite all the struggles, all of these were both a blessing and inspiration.

The lsp, too, were a blessing to work with. Though I didn't get to spend as much time getting a glimpse of their community life, I was still able to work with them a bit each day. Even if I hadn't been able to see them, I would know how amazing they were just by how the Residents talked about them. They love the little sisters. The lsp give everything to help the elderly poor that they serve. Their spirit is truly "little," and I have seen, in action, their charism carried out.

I also was blessed to serve with two other wonderful volunteers, Sam and Michelle. I'm so glad they were there to relate the experiences we all went through, and we had some fun times hanging out on our day off each week. I hope their time was treasured this summer too.

Well, I don't think there is much left to say. :-) I don't know if or when this blog might continue...God knows. I hope you've enjoyed reading about my time with the lsp, and I am so grateful for everyone's prayers.

Peace of Jesus to you all!
~Christina

P.S. I do blog regularly on here if you're interested: http://restinginthepalmofhishand.blogspot.com/

Giving Goodbyes

It's been such a blessed last few days!

Thursday evening we had a "Glamour Hour," and you'll never guess who showed up. :) Besides one lady who came to have her nails done, we also had Monsignor Bizan! I filed his nails while we talked. We did our best to convince him that he needed pink nail polish but he wouldn't budge lol. ;-) It was so neat to hear some of his story. He has done so much...he used to work as a chaplain for 4 years at the prison where Silence of the Lamb's was filmed, he's founded an organization to help alcoholics, and done many other amazing things. He also used to speak over 7 languages, but had a stroke a year or so ago, and was only able to re-learn English and Spanish (but that in itself is amazing!).

Also, apparently Monsignor Bizon knew Cardinal Hickey (who was from MI). There's a neat story he told us concerning him. One afternoon, Cardinal Hickey calls up Monsignor Bizan and says, "Come on over, we're going to have some tea." The Cardinal brings Monsignor in, sits down, and begins by saying, "Well, I want to thank you for volunteering to go to New Mexico..." Meanwhile Monsignor has absolutely no idea what the Cardinal is talking about. Come to find out, this is where the Cardinal was sending him! What a way to phrase it lol. :-) After we finished talking with him he took us to his room and showed us a photo of his mother, and gave us a picture of him to keep. It's such a blessing just to see the witness of these wonderful priests here.

Friday we were blessed to have one of the Sisters return after being ill for weeks. It was so good to see her. We also had a great Mass outside with Fr. Green, who had a bunch of friends and former parishioners of his come, and then had a bbq afterward. It was great to see him smile at having so many people come to visit with him. Here's a short video I took of a part in the Mass :). 

Then yesterday I was in for quite a surprise. I was told to come help in the cafe at 2:30 since the normal staff weren't there and they needed help. I walk in to a huge gathering of the residents, staff, and Sisters all waiting for me and yelling, "Surprise!!" They had thrown a goodbye party for me. :') I had no idea, and certainly didn't expect it. They started singing, "For she's a jolly good fellow..." lol. We had lots of treats, and I was able to talk with a lot of the residents. I was also very touched to see how much it really seemed that the residents (and sisters too) would miss me. Some of the residents looked like they had tears in their eyes...I think goodbyes are especially tough on them. The Sisters were so generous. I also got cards signed by all the residents. :-)

Sunday was filled with blessings as well. We had a Brother come and play the organ for us for Mass, and I got to say goodbye to Monsignor Rineri who says Sunday Mass for us. Apparently he comes to MI a lot and is going back in a couple weeks to a high school reunion in the U.P. Then for lunch Sam and I got to eat with the Sisters :-). After we got to play Pinochle. Sr. Mathilde (who is 98) won and apparently she wins most of the time. ;-) It was so much fun and we had a lot of laughs. I was also able to get a picture with them (the one in this post) which I'd been meaning to do before I left. Some of the sisters were missing but in the photo about half are there.

Today was pretty hectic in the morning...running around trying to get ready to leave while still helping out and saying goodbye to everyone. I'm now at the airport lol, finishing this post since my flight is delayed. Hopefully no more will happen on the way back to MI. Thanks again to everyone who's been praying for me. I'll likely put up one more post on here after a few days (giving me some time to rest and reflect). 

God's Peace to you!

The 4th and Other Shenanigans

Was a little slower last weekend, but nice to relax a bit more. We had a beautiful Saturday for the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our Lady is always pouring God's grace. Sunday I was able to have lunch with the little sisters. It was nice to chat with them and get to have a peek at their community life. Not much else happened that was very eventful over the weekend...

Monday was wonderful. Being the 4th, we had a big BBQ with the residents, and we had it outside! (It's rare that anything happens outdoors for them since the heat is usually too much). It was so nice to see the smiles on their faces and to serve them. Later in the afternoon the other volunteers and I were free for the day, so we went downtown. We looked in some shops, and then met Stephanie J. out on the mall to watch the fireworks. We had an awesome spot right in front of the Washington Monument. The smoke somewhat obsurcured seeing them better, but for the most part it was a good show. :-) (although I still don't think they can compare to the Bay City Fireworks ;-)) It was interesting getting home after with the throngs all heading for the metro, but surprisingly it didn't take us more than an hour to get back.

Yesterday was also our day off, so we slept in after the fireworks the night before (yay!), and then decided to go back downtown to where we were the day before. We saw some markets and got to try a sample of sushi with caviar in it (really good) and also went to the American Art History Museum where we spent a good two hours...such beautiful artwork. Then we went to Qdoba for supper and to Froyo (best ice cream I've ever had, really). Was a tiring but good day. :)

Today it was good to get back into the swing of things. This afternoon I helped in the cafe (as we do on Wednesdays). Got to have some good conversations and listened to Bingo going on in the next room (a game taken very seriously here ;-)). I also was privileged to go visit a resident's apartment with another resident I was helping. He had some beautiful statues, holy cards, artwork, and relics! (of the true cross, the 12 apostles, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Anthony of Padua, just to name a few!). Everything was given to him by friends or family.

God is good!!

P.S. I changed the pictures tab into a slideshow (much easier to view ;-))

What Matters is LOVE

Only 9 more days to go here at the lsp, but still lots of adventures awaiting. I know I wrote in here just a couple of days ago, but I wanted to mention a few things I left out of my last post. And there have also been a few things that have happened since then too.

It seemed that before coming here, my prayer life was deeper...or at least I had more time to pray. What I'm coming to realize now is that God has been using that time for "prayer in action" here. That's not to say that I don't take time to pray (because I do!) and be alone with God...but rather I am not only meeting God so much alone with Him, but in the faces of those I serve here. And I will say, it hasn't been easy at times, but Jesus is certainly helping me to persevere.

I've also come to see that when I am doing the little things (things to me that seem easy and really aren't helping much), that it really is about the love that I put into it that matters. I knew this before, but when you get into a schedule of sorts and things become routine and humdrum, it's when you realize that you can always put importance and meaning into what you do, when you do it with love for God. St. Therese has been helping me in living her little way here with the lsp. :-) It's also been helpful to me to remember that little things to me, might be something much more difficult for the elderly person I am doing it for, and so to them, it's a great help.

God has been so gracious. His blessings have just been overflowing even though there are still tough times and challenges. I have been witnessing a true miracle in one of the residents here lately. This person has always had a somewhat rude and mean attitude toward staff and volunteers (including me). I have been praying for this person as have others, and this past week this resident has been transformed in demeanor. This resident told one of our staff that, as a person, wanted to start over and begin anew in treatment of others. It's a joy to see how God works.

I also had a little miracle from the Lord recently. I have a real passion for working with children (and most of my previous jobs have been working with kids). So it's been such a change (in some ways, but not so much in others) in working with the elderly. I was thinking one morning, Lord, I would just love to see or hold a baby today. Then, guess what happened later that day? I was on the metro, and on comes this woman holding a very tiny baby (not more than a few weeks old), and she sits down in front of me. The baby was so adorable, and looked at Sam and I, and was smiling. God is so good! It made my day. :-)

So, last night we had a "Ladies' Night Pajama Party" with the residents. We all got in our PJ's, put on face masks with cucumbers, watched The Wiz, had banana splits and snacks, painted nails, and had tea. :-D It was a lot of fun. Also last night was a holy hour in honor of the first Friday of the month (I found out this goes way back in the order. There was once when the Mother General prayed to God asking for His help when the order was in dire straights,  and in return she promised that the lsp would always keep an hour vigil on the night before the first Friday of each month. This continues today, all over the world in each home of the lsp). The Holy Hour was also for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus which we celebrated today. The chapel was just gorgeous. (Pictures here).

All for now. :-)

Of Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax, of Cabbages and Kings...

Ok, not quite what I've encountered this week, but it's a fun line. :-D (Comes from the song in Alice in Wonderland by the Walrus and the Carpenter).

So. Lots to report. Last weekend was filled with preparations for the arrival of the Crown Princess of Belgium. This included a lot of flower arranging and making sure the Jeanne Jugan Residence was all spiffed up and ready. We also had practice every day with the residents to rehearse for a song we would sing in the auditorium for her.

Princess Mathilde came Monday morning. She was here less than an hour. (click to see pictures) The residents presented her with flowers and a necklace (made by the residents), and also sweaters knitted by the residents for her four children. She was very nice and gracious, going around to a lot of the residents individually and talking with them. I got to shake her hand too. :) Apparently she has also visited the lsp in Belgium, and she and her family are Catholic. Neat fact: she speaks four languages (French, Dutch, English, Italian). There were a lot of press that came too (mostly Belgian press). So if you happened to be in Belgium, you may have seen us on TV.

Tuesday Michelle, Sam, and I had our day off, and we went ventured out to find some good seafood. We ended up down at Captain White's Seafood, where there was a whole bunch of fish markets. I've never been to one before. Rows upon rows of fish, crabs, oysters, shrimp and more. We even got a free sample. One of the guys took a crab, broke it in half somehow and handed it to Michelle. (Be sure to check out some of the pictures I got). I ended up getting a crabcake sandwhich, and it was really good. While we ate our dinner by the pier we witnessed some really amazing ducks in the water. They made my day. :) The were so funny to watch, especially when we threw bread to them. It was a mad rush in the water! (See the video below).



After that we went to visit the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. I had visited a holocaust museum once before back in MI, but a long time ago. It was certainly not an easy thing to witness this time. Seeing the piles of shoes and other belongings of the victims....reading the stories of those who survived, and those who didn't...walking through the railway cars they had to ride in, seeing the bunks they slept in, and the uniforms they wore...watching video footage of the prisoners, and witnessing the absolute madness of hatred and horror that humanity is capable of... Something else that struck me too was the Torah. Seeing fragments of the scrolls that had been taken from the temples, trampled upon....the Word of God... The Torah is so central to the Jewish faith in any Temple...and then seeing footage of the burning temples... At the end of the exhibit there was a room talking about the genocide happening right now in Darfur. We need to pray for our brothers and sisters over there. One thing that also came to mind was, I just hope someday there will be something like this that will witness to the genocide also happening right now in our own country, and around the world: Abortion. One day. I hope soon.

I had planned to attend Theology on Tap that night too, as Msgr. Charles Pope was speaking. However, I was so exhausted (as most of our days off have been lol) and with being in 90 degree heat all day I just couldn't do it. But the talks are recorded, and it should be put up on their website soon. You can hear it here.

Today was a pretty normal day, although we've been running around getting ready for a big activity we're having tomorrow (I'll post about this next time).

I hope you've all had a good week! Be sure to check out the pictures. :)
Peace!
~Christina

Love's Teaching

I feel like this post is going to take a bit of a different direction than my previous ones. Apart from being very tired while writing this, I don't know as though I've really "put out there" more of what I'm experiencing personally, aside from all the events that are happening here. So...I will attempt to do this while also giving you a run down of what's happened this past week or so.

It's so tough to try and remember what's happened since the days run together and so do the weeks lol. Anyways, really, each day is an adventure. You never know what you'll be asked to do or help out with. I think the variety is great, but at the same time you really begin to realize what trusting in God's Providence means when it comes to not knowing what will happen day to day.

The residents themselves are teaching me a lot. Some of them are very much a challenge to work with (many are ill, some have infirmities that are very disabling, and some have attitudes that can be harsh and unkind at times). It's really a grace of God to be able to serve them. I could never do it without Jesus's help. But I see Jesus in them too. In every one of them who suffers, Jesus is there. I'm learning what it means to "not pass the Lord by." And I also see more and more the struggle of fear and selfishness that lies within me when it comes to having true charity towards others. But God loves me, and is working on my heart in this way.

There are some real Saints in the making here. I am inspired and daily see the goodness of God in this woman I work with in the Sacristy. Her name is Anne, and she amazes me. At 90 years old, she gets up every morning to prepare the Chapel for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. And not only that, but sometimes there are two Masses in one day here. Then there are all the preparations for Evening Prayer and the laundry...among other things.

She and I both share a great love for St. Terese of Lisieux, and when I told her I was going to Spain and to Avila before World Youth Day she couldn't stop telling me how wonderful it would be. :-) I had such a wonderful conversation with her the other day. Anne has a beautiful story. She worked as a lay extern for an order of Carmelite Nuns. She was a sacristan for them for many years, was never married, and is also a third order Carmelite. What's so cool is that there are three other women here who also worked with her in the convent and they all got together and decided they wanted to come live with the lsp. So one after another, as they retired, they left and came here.

Tuesday I was able to attend Mass and go to Confession at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land (just a mile or so away). It was beautiful to see again. The first time I went was back in January when I was in DC for the March for Life. This time I got to not only view the inside and took the tour for the 2nd time (of which I have posted lots of pictures), but I also got to view the grounds outside. At the end of Mass I was blessed (I think?) by a relic of St. Anthony. Apparently we attended the St. Anthony Mass that day.

Yesterday Sr. Constance (the one who initially placed me in DC and organizes the summer service program for the lsp) invited us summer volunteers to come to a talk she was giving in Baltimore. Apparently she and some other people decided to start something up for young adults in the in-between years of having graduated from college but not yet gotten married or found perhaps a different vocation. The group meets regularly, and it's so neat because local religious sisters also attend. There were a few lsp of course, two sisters from an order that were Anglicans who just came into the Catholic Church a couple of years ago, there were two other sisters from different orders present, and apparently the Nashville Dominicans usually come too (but are back at the Motherhouse for the summer). It was such a tremendous blessing to go. The topic for the night was "Redemptive Suffering in the life of Bl. John Paul II." Besides being a fascinating discussion and talk, it was great just to get out with the sisters, get to know one of them a bit during the drive there, and to see how applicable JPII's witness was to the elderly and the work I'm engaging in during this experience.

Today we got to practice a song we (the residents and other staff and volunteers) will be singing for the Crown Princess of Belgium who is coming to visit us next Monday. (Did I mention she was coming? ;)). Apparently the she's going to be with us for a couple of hours in the morning while her husband (the crown prince of Belgium) has meetings and other things going on. It's going to be interesting with all the press and security that will be here too.

Thanks much to all of you who have been praying for me. Please keep doing so. Also keep in your prayers a sister here who has been sick for the past two weeks, and one of our resident priest's who was admitted to the hospital a couple of days ago.

God Bless,
~Christina

Recent Events - Link to Relevant Post From My Other Blog

Not sure if any of you have visited my other blog (the one I normally write out of when not designating other blogs like this one to specific trips or experiences). But if you follow the link below, the post I put up recently very much connects to issues I've encountered already in my only 3rd week with the Little Sisters.

http://restinginthepalmofhishand.blogspot.com/2011/06/who-is-poorer-than-poor-old-person.html