Blessings!

Usually when I have not posted for a long time, there is only one explanation these days...there is a PLENTIFUL harvest in the vineyard of the LORD. For the past 2 weeks I was in the U.S.A., but now I am back in Austria and off to Croatia tomorrow morning. Whew...my time-clock is full of grace if I am aloud to say so. There is so much grace in running this race for Jesus! It's great!

My time in the U.S. was full of mixed emotions. I arrived to the shining faces of my Mom and little bro. Andrew. Then I surprised my Brother Bill, sister-in-law Tammy, and niece Kelsi. And the best of all...Tammy and Kelsi were Baptized on Easter! What GLORY! I love to see the Body of Christ grow and become unified, but when it is your own flesh and blood...well, it is just glorious and full of tears of JOY! I also traveled to see my parish family in Fort Scott, Kansas and had a chance to share with them about what God is doing here in Europe. My friends Angela and Chris even came to visit me there, which was quite a treat.

After too short of a visit back home, I traveled to my home-away-from-home at Franciscan University of Steubenville. This was such a spirit-filled journey. I was so blessed to see how the past organization I worked with, Franciscan Missions of Peace, is still growing and making many good moves in the working of the Holy Spirit. The two people who took over my position are doing an AMAZING job at helping to lead their brothers and sisters to discover the life of serving our LORD in the missions. They are really faithful disciples of Christ. The core team for the mission organization and some professors from the University are now writing proposals to have a new missiology program started as a course of study. This program has been a dream of many people from the University and I think that God is leading the way as the plans continue to unfold and contacts are made.

Since the passing of our Holy Father John Paul II, it has become even more evident to me that I truly want to follow and dedicate my ministry to this man. He has inspired me in so many ways and his words of encouragement have formed me to be the woman of God I am today. JPII writes in the post-synodal letter to the Laity, that women are the 'civilizing force' and must assure the moral dimension of culture. I truly pray that I may be a disciple of Christ by bearing witness to the dignity of human life and promote a Civilization of LOVE in this world! Let us all continue to pray for the conclave meeting on Monday and the heart of the next shepherd of the Roman Catholic Church.