Do Small Things with Great Love

It seems that every month, every day, every moment of Crossroads brings new challenges, new sacrifices. I went into the summer with the knowledge that I was sacrificing working for the summer. But there are so many little sacrifices that make up our day to day life out here on the road.

Hiking mountains, trekking through the heat, homesickness, real sickness, blisters, shin splints, little sleep, early mornings, late nights, little variety in food…they each hold a small suffering that He can use for souls. Lately, I’ve been noticing the monotony more. The same lengths of corn fields, the same rumble strips and white highway lines, the same fwap-fwap-fwap of my feet on the pavement. But offering this up to God is such a grace, since I would love to complain otherwise. 😀

Some days we offer up the pain of powering through to get many miles. Others, we offer up the frustration and disappointment of not getting very far. Some days, we offer up rising at ungodly hours to head to Mass, and over a two week stretch in the desert, we offered not having a daily Mass to attend.

For Central Walk, we have been without our RV for over a month. The engine needed to be replaced, and it’s still back in Utah while we’re in Illinois. Without the RV, we are essentially homeless. We don’t know where we will stay the night until that same evening – usually a motel.

Fast food is standard since we have no kitchen to cook, and between shifts, we hang out in libraries or bookstores for a temporary refuge from the heat (with books and wifi of course). We’re blessed to have food, showers, beds, and shelter. But being homeless, living out of very packed cars, and eating out so much is its own sacrifice.

And I think that that is the point. When God called us to give up our summers, it wasn’t a half-way calling. We have received so many blessings along the way, including exceptional weather. But it’s not meant to be sunshine and roses. It’s meant to hurt.

In some ways, it’s easier to make a large sacrifice than a simple one. We all want to offer everything to God, but everything is summed up in the small ways. “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” ~Blessed Mother Teresa

Our country has suffered the scourge of abortion for so long. And while many of our sufferings are very small in scope, we are blessed by them. If we are living in accord with God’s will, it’s not the size of the sacrifice that matters, but the gift our hearts make in offering them to God.

God’s Love Goes Out to Everyone

The amazing lake we got to swim in, complete with a pier and float

The day after we arrived in Nicaragua was our free day. We had the lovely opportunity to go to this gorgeous lake in a wildlife preserve.It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The restaurant/resort had a pier that jutted out over the lake that made a perfect jump for swimmers. Naturally, I jumped down instead of out and scraped up my entire leg. But it was still incredibly fun.

I’m in the pink, flying off the pier!

And of course God had a plan. If I had not scraped my leg, I would not have had the chance to talk with our amazing busdriver, Milton. I learned that he is very much a family man, has 3 children whom he loves dearly, and is deeply loyal to his country. His dream was to be a pro-baseball player, and his favorite team is the Red Sox.

Throughout mission, many of us got to know him, and we left him a parting gift of some candy, literature, and a t-shirt. He told us that no one he had driven before had ever treated him like he existed, like he was a human being, like he mattered. But he did. He does. That in itself was our mission.

Me on the left, my wonderful mission team, and Milton in the middle

Another amazing chance for us to share our faith by simply living it was one night, when we stopped at a grocery store while wearing our mission shirts. One of the workers asked if we were Catholic missionaries. He explained that he was an Evangelical Christian, and didn’t understand why Catholics pray to Mary since she’s not God.

Myself and a few of my fellow missionaries had a wonderful conversation with him about how she is certainly not God, but we revere her because she is the Queen of Heaven. His view of Catholics seemed a bit more at ease when we left. Praise God for Christian unity!

Even as mission progressed, I continuously met people that astounded me. Their love and courage were so strong in the face of severe poverty, homelessness, and so many other struggles.

At the Missionaries of Charity home, where I would spend the next three days working, we discovered that besides running a home for girls, the sisters also run a daycare and a soup kitchen. One day, I headed over to the daycare where the most adorable tiny pre-schoolers were playing and preparing for nap time. I was wearing my crucifix from my mission to El Salvador four years ago. The kids were fascinated by it, and kept asking about it. I repeated to them that it was Jesus on the cross, who died for them and loves them very much. They wanted to play with me and didn’t want to go to sleep. Goodness, they were precious.

My new little friends ❤

What a princess!

That same day, I worked in the soup kitchen, serving rice, beans, chicken, grilled plantains, and juice to about 100 homeless men and women. After serving, I sat down at a table to talk with one lady. It turns out she loves Arnold Schwarzenegger. We had a lively conversation about the “Governator,” her love of action movies especially Terminator, and how he was governor of my home state of California.

Later, as they were leaving, I got to say goodbye to the men. They were such beautiful people. So sweet, so authentic, and so kind. They were very excited to meet me and shake my hand (blue eyes and blond hair are a rarity in Nicaragua hehe). As I introduced myself to each man, he would clasp my hand in both his hands, tell me it was a pleasure, and remark on my “gorgeous eyes” or “beautiful face.” One man even took my hand and kissed it. I couldn’t help but blush at their genuine kindness.

They asked if I would be there the next day, and I told them I could not. So they said their goodbyes, and we each asked God to bless the other. It was so short – just an introduction and parting. But every one of us was touched by the humanity of the other. We each loved each other as brother and sister in Christ, and I for one will never forget that.

All the girls in da house!