Winter ramblings

Sorry it has been so long since a decent update! Life has been crazy in NYC this Winter. We have gotten a lot of snow and bitter cold weather. All of my ministries take place outdoors, so I have become a pro at layering!! I, as I know we all are, look forward to spring with much anticipation! This week we have had a few days that were in the 60s. WOW! I cannot believe how amazing it felt. I cannot wait for things to start turning green and camping and fishing season to start.

Life in community is good. I love the women I live with. We all are very happy. With the normal little bumps in the road we all get along famously. You always have someone to talk or do something with. Although I have lived on my own for so long it has been an adjustment living with others and trying not to be so independent. But thanks be to God He has been giving me extra doses of grace to handle it all.

The ministry has been hard. I have had to confront the culture head on. The message we are preaching is so counter cultural. This work is simply not possible without the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of those with whom we serve. Sometimes when you look at how depressing NYC it can be overwhelming but it reminds me that much more of how dependant on the Lord I am. The main focus is always Jesus, but I have felt it pressed upon my hear to share more and more with people the grace of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It is overlooked so many times by Catholics. We must return to what we know and come running home to the Father’s house as in the prodigal son. My friends that are reading this blog, please remember this message is for you as well. During this Lent, make a trip to confession. I promise you will not be sorry. If it has been a long time or you have any questions, please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to speak with you about it.

This Lent I am trying to focus on the Passion of Our Lord and contemplate
His marvelous love for me. I cannot tell you how hard that is to grasp. God really loves me? I am uniquely and wonderfully made the way He wanted me to be? He would fight for me? He doesn’t just love me the way I am, he loves because of the way I am? He doesn’t just overlook my flaws, he wants to mend them? He doesn’t just want my heart, he wants to make it whole? Another WOW and an AMEN is due here!! I can’t believe how much He loves me. And He loves YOU in the same way!

Well on that note folks, I gotta run. Life is calling and I am ready to respond! “Speak Lord, for you servant is listening!”


Picture of me with the directors of LAMP they day I got my LAMP Crucifix



Father Groshel with other friars at the March for Life (I am such a groupie of the CFRs!!) They let me come with them to the March for life! It was such a great blessing. The Friars and the Sisters are such rockstars!!




This is a picture from a bank on the way to the lake with my parents. This is not been doctored! Hope it makes you giggle as much as it did me!

March for Life

On the anniversary of Roe Vs Wade (The law forcing states to legalize abortion) 200K-300K pro-lifers took to the streets of Washington DC and March from the Lawn to the Supreme Court in protest of the horrific slandering of unborn babies. It was so encouraging to see so many people affirming life in this culture of death. During the time of our nation elevating elected officials to the status of Messiah and equivocating the life of a human being to nothing more then a clump of cells, it is good to know that we do not stand alone!! No my friends, many people are fighting for the right for ALL human lives!

****for more than 30 years, federal law has allowed doctors and nurses to decline to provide abortion services as a matter of conscience, a protection that is not subject to rulemaking. The Obama administration will move to rescind a new but controversial rule that allows health-care workers to deny abortion counseling or other family-planning services if doing so would violate their moral beliefs. The move by the Department of Health and Human Services to throw out the "conscience rule" is being made quietly as the budget plan is made public. But the administration is looking for input from people across the ideological spectrum before it finalizes the rollback after the standard 30-day comment period.*****

Eddie

Thought you might like see a face of some of the people I have the joy of serving!

Above is a picture of Eddie. He is a man that comes to the LAMP Cafe.He came from a Catholic home. He was the whole nine, alter boy and everything. He is a former Marine who served our country in Vietnam.
When I first came out and meet Eddie it touched me how open he was with us. His love and joyful spirit always lifted me up. I am so grateful to him. when I first began on the Cafe I was pretty overwhelmed but it was people like Eddie that made me feel at home.
I just wanted to share a bit of his story, but in keep with the dignity of the person I don't want to reveal all that was said. But there was a incident with a person in the Church that turned Eddie off from the faith. It is just a constant reminder for us to be always cautious with our actions. The ramifications can be detrimental. It is also a call for us to remember forgive as Jesus has forgiven us.
I would like to ask my family and friends to please pray for my friend Eddie. Pray for hope, peace, and reconciliation.

PS Eddie gave me permission to post his picture and name

Getting caught up

Well I am afraid it has been awhile since my last post. I find myself pretty busy these days. My new schedule is Wed, Fri, & Sat I am out on the Cafe truck, Thursdays the Fellowship Bible study and working with a youth to prepare for the sacraments, Sunday I visit some homeless shelters and do a couple communion calls to the homebound, Monday we have a meeting, and Tuesday I am off.

I am finding the ministry very difficult. When I worked in payroll it was pretty cut and dry. I could learn and succeed at something. This is not about succeeding in a measurable manor. I will probably never know with 99.95% of the cases of any effect I had, if any, until I get to heaven. So I rely heavily on my directors for their guidance in helping me become the best missionary I can be.

There are two stories I wanted to share with you. First there is a lady I met on the Cafe, we will call her Sue. Sue and her friend we walking up to the truck and I greeting them. "You seem awfully happy today!" They replied to me the reason is she just found out Sue was pregnant. I congratulated her. She proceeded to tell me she had to tell her boyfriend. I was kind of concerned for her, because you never know how the man is going to react. I told her to come back and see me the next week and I would have some information for her. To my surprise she came back and I remembered her face and name. I gave her the information as promised for the local crisis pregnancy center (some of the other missionaries work there). I talked with her for a while and she told me how it had gone so well with her boyfriend and how excited she was. I again assured her of the support of LAMP during this time. Asked her to come back the next week. This was Saturday. This time she brought her parents. She was still glowing. It was so refreshing to see someone excited about being pregnant (which is not typical of what we normally see). I am excited to see her next week. Please continue to pray for Sue, her baby, her boyfriend, and her family.

The 2nd is also a story from the Cafe'. At the other site we serve at there is this other lady, we'll call her Jane, who comes over so full of joy every week. She is so devoted to her faith, it puts most people (especially myself) to shame. She is a gem and such a breath of fresh air for me. Her mother is going through radiation treatments in Guatemala and she is really upset she cannot be there for her. We got a nice hat set in and for some reason I really felt the need to give it to Jane. The next week I saw Jane with the same hat, and I was curious what happened to the one we gave her. Without me asking Jane told me she sent it to a friend that needed it more then her. Later that day she mentioned this person needed a scarf. I noticed she also didn't have one on. Thankfully we had a bunch of scarfs that we needed to get rid of. One of the other missionaries suggested I get them for her. I gave her a couple, and I saw a purple one "Oh look at this pretty purple one, this will look great on you" As if not hearing a word I said she looked lovingly at the purple scarf and said, oh this will be perfect for..." Her love and true charity is such a challenge to me to live like her. She live in the projects on this earth, but I believe she will have a place at the front of the table in heaven.

Well I know a couple of people have asked me about daily life in the prayer house. I will write another post about that soon. I have been typing for an awfully long time now. :)

I miss you all so much and you all remain in my prayers.

Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always,
Esther

Fall in NYC!

Dear Friends and Family,

Wow! What an adventure this has been. I can't believe I have only been here a week and a ½. Seems so strange how quickly time flies. I arrived Halloween night (sounds like the beginning of a horror story uh?). When I came in to NYC I ended up on the George Washington Bridge during rush hour, due to running an hour behind and getting a little lost in New Jersey looking for gas. Let me tell you, that was quite an adventure. I thought I was going to die!! I knew the Lord Jesus was protecting me that I made it without getting in an accident. But it does make me want to avoid driving here!

I currently have 6 other roommates, but one is leaving next week to pursue the religious life. I will miss her very much. We all live in a house in the north side of the Bronx. We are about 10 minutes outside of Westchester. We live about a block away from the last subway station on this side of the Bronx. So it is nice to not have to walk very far to get a train. It will be really nice when it starts to get cold. The house itself is pretty old, but cozy. We also have a chapel and adoration 24/7, which is so awesome. It is great to have Jesus as a roommate!!

They have begun to make my schedule but nothing is set in stone yet. Right now, Mondays we have a meeting, Tuesday I visit two homeless shelters in the Bronx, Wednesdays I go out on our canteen truck (called LAMP Café), Thursdays I co-lead a bible study for the homeless in Manhattan and give personal prep to a teenage girl preparing for Confirmation, Friday street evangelization, Saturday back out at LAMP Café, and Sunday is my day off. So that is a bit of a glimpse in to my day today life.

Yesterday I went out to Central Park. It was so beautiful. There was still some foliage left. I came upon this one tree that was the pretty gold I have ever seen. It was so remarkable. Before I entered the park, I was in some posh neighbor hood wear a hand back or a pair of shoes costs more then two years wage for me and then on the way home their was construction on the subway track so I ended up having to take a shuttle bus through Harlem. Only 30 minutes away from each other and yet worlds apart. It was so remarkable. But the funny thing is, the eyes were all the same.

Well folks, I hope you haven't fallen asleep yet! I am wrapping up this rambling now. But I do miss you very much. More then you know. I never thought I would long to see the wheat fields of Kansas so badly or my home parish with familiar faces. Please keep my in your prayers. You remain in mine.

Lots of love,
Esther

First bit of information on NYC

Dear family and friends,

Some of you know but most of you do not, I am moving to New York City to be a missionary with LAMP Ministries. It is a Catholic Ministry that has been around for 25 plus years. Hopefully this email will answer most of the questions, but if you have any questions I will be happy to answer them.

I have wanted to be a missionary since I was a little girl. I remember reading about Amy Carmichael (missionary in China) when I was 6 or so and specifically praying by my bed at that tender age, asking God to let me do the same thing. Well He has answered my prayer 19 years later :) I have researched and visited with LAMP for well over a year, and know beyond a doubt this is where God is calling me. Please don't mistake me, this decision has been hard. I am leaving so much here in KC and will miss you all very much.

I will be leaving October 30th or 31st and arriving November 1st on All Saints Day. I will be making a minimum 2 year commitment, but many of their missionaries renew their commitment. LAMP provides their missionaries with room and board, a small stipend, insurance, and much encouragement and support. LAMP Ministries primary ministries are with the poor. They visit homeless shelters, lead after school programs, visit the sick, feed the hungry, work with Pro-Life ministries, and many more. I do not know where I will be working, but trust in God to guide the directors to lead them to a great placement for me. I will be living in a house with other women missionaries. The greatest part there is an Adoration chapel in the house!! I have not met the roommates yet, but am excited to do so. I'll come home on vacations and will look forward to visiting with you. Check out their website at www.LAMPministries.org.

I will be sending out periodic emails and starting a blog. It will just be basic updates of what is going on with the ministry and so on. I will also post this information on myspace. Please let me know if you would like to be on the email list to receive and email about once a month. If you do not tell you want to be one it, I will not add you (don't worry!)

Folks, I will depend on your prayers and please be assured you are in mine. You will never be far from my heart. Thank you so much for all the love and support you have shown me.

Always,
Esther

And here we go!

OK first let me say I am not a blogger, but I thought I would give this a go. This is a blog primarily for family and friends to have an idea of what my life is all about when I go to NYC. As most of you know I have decided to take a position with LAMP Ministries in NYC as a missionary. I will work on keeping this updated and current as possible. God bless you all!

Love you all!!
Esther