Merry Christmas! May it be filled with many blessings.
To think, we celebrate a baby born over two thousand years ago. But it wasn't just any baby; it was God. I don't think we can wrap our minds around that. How many times have we heard the Christmas story? In my case, so many that I forget the earth-shattering significance of that night in Bethlehem. But if God became man, if Jesus is God, that demands a response. This has been a point of reflection for me over the past months. The video below could easily be set in Bethlehem and changed to say, "He is Jesus, the Son of God, you owe Him your allegiance." And like Boromir, we have the choice to say "I will follow you, my King, my God," or "I have no King; I need no King." Jesus, the Son of God, was born. What is our response?
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
Home for Christmas
I just wanted to give a quick update. I am home for Christmas now (and 35 degrees has never felt this cold). It is a blessing to be here with my family. Like always, it is strange to come back to the States. I am still trying to wrap my head around the American version of celebrating Christmas as compared to the life of relative simplicity that I have been living. But like I said, it is a blessing to be here. I wish you and your family a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
I also posted some more pictures. You can view them at this link:
Jamie's Facebook Pictures
Please note, that last time some people said they could not view the pictures on Firefox. It works for me, but if you are having problems, try using a different browser.
I also posted some more pictures. You can view them at this link:
Jamie's Facebook Pictures
Please note, that last time some people said they could not view the pictures on Firefox. It works for me, but if you are having problems, try using a different browser.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
A Special Request
Well, Advent has been going quickly which means Christmas is right around the corner. I am very excited to be home soon to visit with my family. While I am home, I would like to gather some things to bring back to the community. You can click here to see the list. If you can help donate anything, just give these things to me and I will take them down with me when I return in January. Thank you so much for your help! Have a blessed Advent.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Nuestra Señora
It has been a very Marian week to say the least (and not just my struggling to read and actually understand True Devotion by Montfort). But, since Our Lady simply leads us to Christ, it is a wonderful thing that she has been so present this week!
Last Saturday was the feast of the Immaculate Conception. It was a wonderful day and everyone was back from the mission to celebrate. A couple of the Friars decided to have a procession in honor of Our Lady. These are very common throughout Latin America and I had seen and participated in a large one while in Antigua. The Friars invited us to come along so a couple of us did. Our procession was rather small, but beautiful. Yes, walking around the neighborhood singing songs to Mary seems a little crazy (and I felt a little crazy at the time), but by the end, I had managed to move beyond my comfort zone in order to see the beauty of what was happening. A woman ending up joining us near the beginning, but it was only after the procession that she told us her story. Immediately before we stopped in front of her house, she had been praying to Mary for the health of a sick baby in the family and had been worried and crying. She told us that when we came, she knew that God had answered her prayers, through the intercession of Mary. It is amazing how God works!
Then we had the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe this Wednesday. Again, it was a joyful celebration. And for me, it was a reminder of why I am here and that this is where God has called me to be at this time in my life. It was exactly three years ago Wednesday that I began to seriously consider coming to Honduras for that first summer. The rest is history, but it has always been Mary, under the title Our Lady of Guadalupe, that has guided me to follow her Son here.
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!
Last Saturday was the feast of the Immaculate Conception. It was a wonderful day and everyone was back from the mission to celebrate. A couple of the Friars decided to have a procession in honor of Our Lady. These are very common throughout Latin America and I had seen and participated in a large one while in Antigua. The Friars invited us to come along so a couple of us did. Our procession was rather small, but beautiful. Yes, walking around the neighborhood singing songs to Mary seems a little crazy (and I felt a little crazy at the time), but by the end, I had managed to move beyond my comfort zone in order to see the beauty of what was happening. A woman ending up joining us near the beginning, but it was only after the procession that she told us her story. Immediately before we stopped in front of her house, she had been praying to Mary for the health of a sick baby in the family and had been worried and crying. She told us that when we came, she knew that God had answered her prayers, through the intercession of Mary. It is amazing how God works!
Then we had the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe this Wednesday. Again, it was a joyful celebration. And for me, it was a reminder of why I am here and that this is where God has called me to be at this time in my life. It was exactly three years ago Wednesday that I began to seriously consider coming to Honduras for that first summer. The rest is history, but it has always been Mary, under the title Our Lady of Guadalupe, that has guided me to follow her Son here.
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!
Friday, December 7, 2012
Disappointment
Sometimes, life doesn't work out quite like we planned. These last two weeks were one of those times. We had a week of intense faith formation for Honduran youth and then a mountain mission. I have been looking forward to them for quite a while, but I got sick and couldn't go. I have been trying to trust that God has some sort of bigger plan for these two weeks, but it hasn't been easy. Yet, just because I don't clearly see God working doesn't mean He isn't.
My poorly-timed health problems aside, these weeks have been very beautiful. The youth that came to training week were rock-solid in their faith. It gives me hope for this country and this world. I am starting to understand better what was discussed during the formation program: we might have a comfortable life, plenty of food, hot water, and whatever else we could want, but without God, we have nothing. Isn't to be human to be in relationship with God or at least to be searching?
My poorly-timed health problems aside, these weeks have been very beautiful. The youth that came to training week were rock-solid in their faith. It gives me hope for this country and this world. I am starting to understand better what was discussed during the formation program: we might have a comfortable life, plenty of food, hot water, and whatever else we could want, but without God, we have nothing. Isn't to be human to be in relationship with God or at least to be searching?
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