Waiting for Patience

--- 1 --- Well, there's a new host in town for Seven Quick Takes ... it's been a few weeks since I shared in on the link-up fun and I've got lots to say, well, if you know me, that's not really a unique statement ... to be entirely truthful.  Super excited to link up over at Kelly's - she's hilarious, inspiring, and just seems like super fun!  So here we go... --- 2 --- Life has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster the last week or so.  Wrote a little about that on Sunday and my need for Validation .  The button that Satan uses ALL. OF. THE. TIME. for me ... trying to push him away before the doubt creeps in. --- 3 --- Thanksgiving was last week as well - and the recipes we chose for dinner were all a great success ... planning a holiday dinner for your family or friends, these would be great additions to your table! --- 4 --- MG and I tried our hand at making sushi last weekend too ... not as bad as you'd like for the first time!  C...

Have you ever tried to learn another language?  The answer is probably yes since most American High Schools and Colleges require students to have at least 2 years of a language.  I've tried to learn the following languages: Spanish, Italian, Greek, Latin, Portuguese, and French.  A few more serious than others - the first three in formal classroom settings: 3 years of Spanish in High School, 14 credits of Italian in College, and a Master's Level Seminary Class one semester for Greek.  Latin is sort of a side hobby as I learned more and more religious prayers, songs, and Mass parts throughout my faith journey.  Portuguese was a side business when I was going to WYD in Brazil last summer - basics like hello, goodbye, and thank you were mastered, only thank you was remembered - obrigada.  Regarding French, this was for my trip to the DR Congo in Africa .  I took it more seriously upon my return actually, but have since stopped doing my DuoLingo Lessons. ...

School starts this week for those ages 3 to 23 (and beyond).  When I was in the Village in the Congo, I went to many a school.  They welcomed me with a parade, told me how happy they were to have me, and then I visited their classrooms to answer any questions they wanted to ask. Each school was set up the same.  Elementary schools were grades 1 to 6, High Schools were grades 7 to 12, and they had a local college that operated a little differently (mostly since there were so few people enrolled).  The schools had two buildings with three rooms for the 6 classes.  All of the 1st graders were in one room, 2nd graders in another, 3rd, 4th, etc, etc...  Between the two buildings was a large area with the principal's building in the middle (much smaller than the other two). Depending on the size of the school, there were anywhere from 25 to 48 children in each classroom.  Pictures tend to be a better explanation, so see below: What the average school...

While I was in the Congo, I asked Father Emmanuel if the sisters and Bea could teach me how to cook.  The date was set for Tuesday of the second week where I was told I'd be cooking a chicken from alive to table ... thankfully when I was called to the plate to start cooking - the chicken was dead and even de-feathered.  I was only about 3% disappointed since, um, that would have be the craziest I have ever done - and um, I had just flown to a village in the middle of a war-torn country on my own to village where about 2 1/2 people spoke English ... all by myself.  Yeah, and killing a chicken would have been crazy!  Anyway - I learned to make chicken, cassava, mashed plantains, rice, and preparing cocoa pods for eating.  Here are some pics of the adventure! Boiling, Frying, and Steaming chicken on the 'stove' ... yup that's a camp fire! Mashing plantains in the biggest mortar and pestle I've ever seen ... this is much more difficult than I had imagined. ...

St. Clare of Assisi Parish, Mukumari, Diocese of Kole, Democratic Republic of the Congo When I was in the Congo, this was my parish - Saint Clare of Assisi in Mukumary!  They have recently painting the exterior.  My pictures below are from my trip back in March of 2014. These children spent a few days moving bricks and dirt to ready everything for the installation of the concrete floor. The brick laying / floor prepping master! St. Clare full of people for Mass on Sunday! The parish as you come down the hill (before the new paint job)! The altar The Divine Mercy Grotto (future) Beautiful Architecture! My first experience in the parish - where I stood on a table so they could give me a proper welcome! This parish is unconventional according to US standards.  The center of the parish is in Mukumary and goes in three directions for approximately 80km in each direction.  There are 32 mission stations for this parish that ...

It's been a few months since I've read this book, but one thing has stayed at the forefront of my mind. Every once in a while I peruse her blog , but not often enough. Gretchen spends a lot of time (a year in fact - and she finds out she's not the only one who's done this) focusing on her happiness.  She thinks it might be selfish to focus on one's own happiness rather than focusing on other people's happiness.  She finds though that while you are focusing on your own happiness, you will in turn, naturally, help other people be happy. Her adventures include: vitality, marriage, work, parenthood, leisure, friendship, money, eternity, books, mindfulness, and attitude.  The twelfth money is "happiness boot camp perfect" where she tries to work on all of her resolutions for the entire month.  I read this book twice while I was on my trip to to Congo.  Why? It was pretty good and I ran out of books and staring at the ceiling of a plane is not my fa...

Two weeks ago I had the great opportunity to spend a few evenings with this great priest from the Congo!  Father Emmanuel Luhumbu was here from Mukumary to visit myself and the Castillo's (his host family from last summer) during his time here in the States this week. It was great to spend time with the Castillo's, their friends who are moving here from Las Vegas, their children, Father, and one night, MG.  We had some great food (thanks to Nancy and Marilyn), good wine, great discussion.  I was able to share my pictures when him and all at the house, which was great for reliving. We went to the store one night to get some supplies for Sr. Christine, Fr. Charles, and Sr. Mado (I hope y'all like the chocolate, drink powder, and backpack we sent along). MG and I are going to go back and visit them - but when ... maybe 2017!  Seems so far away, but yet not soon enough! Read more about my trip to Africa here. Father Emmanuel is now on his way back to the ...

The 'story of my life' this past year has been pretty crazy.  Stepping foot on four continents: Rio de Janiero, Brazil, South America: World Youth Day with our Diocese and the Holy Father last July. Mukumary, DR Congo, Africa: 3 weeks in Africa with my friend, Father Emmanuel, and so many new friends that I made in the journey. Rome, Italy, Europe: On my way home from Africa I made a quick 72 hour trip to Rome to see the Eternal City. Finally - the United States, North America:  So many cities, but the notables are Denver, New York City, Atlanta, Savannah (see below), Latrobe (yeah for friends being ordained), and, of course, Charlotte (where I am most of the time). There are so many adventures I could recap from all of these trips (seriously, I cannot believe how the Lord has blessed me with these trips this year) but this post is dedicated to the NASavannah trip I went on two weekends ago. About a year ago I found Jen and Morgan and their fantastic Not Alone...

As I was listening to the first Gospel at Mass this evening (yes, this the one time during the year we hear two Gospel readings), all I could think about what my experience as I entered Mukumary on Monday, March 10th. The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road,  while others cut branches from the trees  and strewed them on the road. The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is the he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.” Matthew 21:1-11 We had to drive there from Lodja (small city in the middle of the DRC we flew into) which is 145km south of Mukumary. Lodja is on the bottom right, Mukumary is the top of the map The car stopped in sort of the middle of nowhere (but seriously, it was the middle of nowhere)!  Father Emmanuel said, "It's time to get out, they want to welcome you." Some of the people gathered to walk me to the Church. They e...

This is a note I sent from my trip in the Congo after being there for 1 week. I have been in the DR Congo for a week now and am excited to share some of my experiences with you all.  Everything has been new since I got off the plane out on the  tarmac  at FIH airport in Kinshasa.  Fr.  Emmanuel  was there to greet me and we began our adventure.  Meeting family and friends of his in Kinshasa, taking the Historic City tour of Kinshasa, the Capital City, and experiencing the first evening without our 'modern conveniences' of electricity and running water.  In spite of, or maybe because of, these hardships I have been having the time of my life! On Saturday we flew via CAA airlines from FIH Airport to Lodja.  'Getting checked in and through security' (if you can call it all of that) took a few hours and then we were 'off'.'   After two stops in other villages (one on a dirt runway) we were finally in Lodja where Fr. ...

Dear Family and Friends, Happy 2014!  I am excited to share with you all an endeavor I'm undertaking in March (2 weeks from today).   It all began about 6 months ago when we had a visiting priest, Fr. Emmanuel, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.   He is in the Diocese of Kole at St. Clare of Assisi Parish in the middle of the jungle in the DRC with 22,000 parishioners in 32 villages.  He and his two assistants say Mass in each village about every 2 or 3 months, which means that his parishioners experience the Sacraments approximately 4 times per year!  They live without electricity or running water nor any of the  modern conveniences  we take for granted each day.  Yet, they are filled with joy.  I've been discerning a visit to the DRC ever since I met Father Emmanuel.  It was just something that I felt like the Lord was calling me to do.  Take a risk, leap into the Love and the joy of the African people in thi...