Picota, Peru

Picota Peru is a territory diocese of Moyobamba. The territorial diocese of Picota is currently served by Padre Leopoldo and Padre Paco. Both are missionary priests from Cordoba Spain. This is simply amazing to me that they cover this whole area by themselves. They are such amazing priests.

The city of Picota has a population of roughly 8,000 people. Can you imagine having one parish in a town that size? The things that these priests have done in this city alone is a miracle. The picture above was taken during the weekly Thursday Holy Hour. Yes the parish is packed and yes everyone is on their knees. The church is filled every weekend and throughout the week for weekly mass. It is so amazing to hear the whole parish singing. Every person sings which brings tears to my eyes. The Sisters have also started a children's choir. This choir sings so beautifully. It is so amazing to see five rows of children praising Jesus every night for mass!

What is even more amazing is that these priests serve over 100 other pueblos. Yes you heard that right, these priests are also serving more areas as week. It is common to see one priest go out the door heading south while the other is heading north. We have been blessed to go with the priests to one of these pueblos. It was an hour drive on a very bumpy road. Praise the Lord that Taylor knows how to drive stick shift. 

Some of the pueblos the priests are only able to go to once or twice a year due to the distance. Other pueblos are visited monthly. 

Padre Leopoldo and Padre Paco have been very welcoming to us. They are excited that we are able to help them with this enormous task. 

The task before them is great but that doesn't bother them. They know they are building the kingdom and that is all that they need. 

The love the people have for the priests is wonderful. They are so happy to have them hear bringing them Jesus!!!!

Missionaries and McDonalds

By our baptism we are all called to be missionary. This is not just a light suggestion given to us by Christ but a mandate. Set forth for all Christians through all generations. "Go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" Matthew 28:19.  

Many have said to us that "it is good that you are following God's call to be missionaries because I could never do that." To the extent that we are foreign missionaries where we leave our families and possessions they are correct because not all are called to this. But the challenge comes since we have not yet left our home as we wait to go to Peru and we try to figure out how to be missionaries here in the United States. We resolved to simply live out our faith in Jesus Christ and His church in a bold way in our everyday life. So that even here in McDonald's in the United States we stand out and make people ask out of curiosity what we do. In which time we share our faith and how we live out the gospels in our life each and everyday. Thus being missionaries right here in our own country in our own homes. Showing that it is possible for every Christian to be missionary if we truly live out the Gospel message each and every day and swim against the tide of the society around us by boldly deciding to be different. We boldly decide each and every day to be Christ to those around us. That is how we are missionary each and every day. By not being afraid to pray in public. By not being afraid to praise the Lord out loud in conversation. By not being afraid to show kindness to those in need by stepping out of our routine to help those around us. 

So you see friends that you too can be missionaries in McDonalds! You too can serve Christ right where you are!

Relevant Radio

On Tuesday we were blessed with an opportunity to share our call to missions on Relevant Radio. This was such an amazing experience since Relevant Radio was a pivotal aspect of our faith journey. Taylor and I had different experiences with them but both of us can say that our call to missions started with what we learned from their apostolate.

Taylor's finding of Relevant Radio was a miracle in itself. He was 17 cutting hay listening to the local rock station and as he would drive back and forth in the field the radio station would switch from FM to AM. Relevant Radio happened to be on the AM frequency. They were discussing discerning the priesthood which was something he was thinking about at the time. This continued for several passes of the field. He then stopped at the end of the field and changed the radio to 1050AM which was Relevant Radio. From that day forward he listened to Relevant Radio as much as he could when driving alone. Through them he learned the basics of the faith and all that the church had to offer. This is where he fell in love with Jesus Christ through the hosts and guests of Relevant Radio. They are the reason why he is still catholic today.

I, Katie, was introduced to Relevant Radio by Taylor. When I met Taylor I was Lutheran. As we dated and became engaged I had questions about the catholic church. Relevant Radio was where I was able to find answers to my questions. The diversity of topics discussed on Relevant Radio helped me see the beauty of the church. It was wonderful to hear people discussing the things I had questions about and struggles with. I loved being able to call in to voice my questions and believe me I called in with lots of questions. There were so many opportunities where I grew in my faith and love for Christ through them. I can honestly say that I am catholic today because of Relevant Radio. This Easter will mark my nine year anniversary as being catholic.

Below is the link to our Relevant Radio interview. Enjoy! ~Katie and Taylor


http://relevantradio.streamguys.us/MA%20Arc…/MA20150120c.mp3

Left on the dresser

Yesterday Taylor and I found a letter on our dresser. We were so touched by the letter that we thought we would share it on our blog. Thank you Monika for the touching words. 

Taylor and Katie,

This morning I had this bubble of energy and emotion inside of me. I took it as the Holy Spirit, but it very well could have been that I had too much coffee to drink. So I decided to write down all of this emotion, and here it is.

In a couple of weeks it will be time once again to say goodbye to my brother, sister (in-law), and their six beautiful children. This time around I feel much different. I feel this sense of peace within me. So I began to reflect on this feeling, and ask myself why the feeling was different in September when they left for the first time. For me, I think it all started when Mom and Anna came back from visiting Taylor and Katie in December. When they came back they were just awestruck at how joyful everyone was with the little that they had. The kids would play all day with little to no toys. They laughed, prayed, and were simply joyful, appreciating everything given to them. They didn’t have an overload of technology or things to crowd their mind. They had pure joyfulness of the Lord.

A couple of weeks after mom and Anna got home I started to realize that we have so much junk in our lives that is unneeded. I started going through our house and donating lots of clothes and toys.

The next realization was when Taylor and Katie came home to visit for the first time since they left in September. I was so excited to see everyone, but at the same time (sorry Taylor) was thinking “Oh great, here we go. They are going to make me feel guilty for not living a simple life. For having too much stuff and so on.” I can laugh about this now because it was the exact opposite. After seeing Taylor and Katie and talking with them my whole perspective has changed. They are still human beings don’t get me wrong, but I can see and feel the Holy Spirit moving within them. And after holding their newborn twins, reality hit me like a ton of bricks. What are we truly doing on this earth? Are we truly trying to be a better version of ourselves? Are we truly doing the will of God in our everyday lives? For most of us we would like to say that we are striving for Sainthood, but are we truly putting all that we have into life?

I used to think Taylor and Katie were crazy for taking six children (mind you two of them are newborn twins) into a foreign country and become missionaries. I no longer feel this way. God has opened my eyes to the real picture. They are not “crazy” or “nuts.” They are brave, unselfish, trusting, and completely 100% saying yes to the will of God! Which to be honest, how many of us can say we would do the same. I think that is why so many people are having a hard time with Taylor and Katie’s situation. They think to themselves, well if I can’t do that then Taylor and Katie can’t.

This situation reminds me of when the apostles, for the first time, started following Jesus. People couldn’t believe it. They thought the apostles were looney tunes. How could the apostles leave their jobs, families, and everything they have to follow this man, that claims to be the “Son of God.” Crazy, right? Well guess what? That man who claimed to be the Son of God, turns out He is the Son of God. And then the apostles turn out not to be so crazy anymore. They in turn inspire us to have more faith and trust in Jesus.

So instead of calling Taylor and Katie crazy, we should allow their journey to inspire us. We should pray for them. We are all called to be missionaries, whether it’s foreign missions, or being a missionary at home, work, or school. but just because some of us may not be called to foreign missions, does not mean that we need to condemn or judge the ones that are.

My prayer is that all of us could truly be open to God’s will. That we can stop being ashamed of loving the Lord publicly. Because in the end, when our time is up on this earth, it doesn’t matter how big our house is, or what car we drive. It doesn’t matter how successful we were in our career or how much money we have. It doesn’t matter if our kids are the most popular in school or if they have the most stylish clothes. It matters how we lived our life for God. Did we lead by example? Did we inspire people to be the most holy they could be? And how many people did we bring back to Jesus with the TRUTH!!!! Taylor and Katie, I love you so much. I am sorry it took all of this to tell you how much I love and support your decision. Thank you for trusting in the Lord!

Love,

 Monika

Merry Christmas

IS JESUS STILL THE REASON FOR THE SEASON?

With the fast pace Christmas day here, a house filled with wrapping paper and kids fighting over toys, and road rage on the highway as people head to grandmothers house is anyone still really thinking of Jesus?  Is this still His birthday?  Has Santa taken over, does he have victory over Jesus?

    I think to answer these questions we need to first think through what each of these situations look like.  First off I will admit that my kids are the first to go from saints to brats when given an abundance of presents on Christmas morning. It never seems to fail, receiving all those gifts at one time is a recipe for disaster.  I also think we have placed such a huge expectation on us and our loved ones as to what Christmas should look like. So that we are all running around with fake smiles while inside our stress is through the roof as we try to get to everyone's house on time and worry if they will like the gifts we have given.

    Is this what God intended for the birthday of His son Jesus?  Lets take a look, know the Holy Family did travel for the first Christmas but it wasn't to Florida and they didn't stay on a five star resort.  NO the resort was full so they stayed in a stable for animals, his bed was a manger and his new christmas outfit was some stylish bands of cloth!  WHAT?? that can't  be right. Where are the ribbons, bows and wrapping paper; big Ham, sweet potatoes and pie? Where are the mountains of toys, tree with lights, fake snow and little villages of winter wonder land? Where is Santa???    I looked in the book of Luke 2:6-7 none of it is in there so little, so simple,  just a baby lying in a manger. Yet there is such Joy such excitement,  suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom He favors!!! (Luke 2:13-14).  I don't know about you but to me that sounds better than anything I could think of for Christmas morning and then later on He did receive gifts from the three kings (Matt 2:1-12)

    Now that we have seen what the first Christmas looked like, lets take a look at Santa. Is he really trying to steal Christmas?  Again know the person of Santa Claus is no more than Saint Nicholas Bishop, his name was changed to Santa Claus for the Dutch Sinterklaas. For a while he stayed as the Bishop for Turkey whose love for Christ was expressed through giving to the needy.  He also strongly defended our Lord at the council of Nicaea against Arius and against Arius' belief that Jesus was not fully God.  The story goes that Nicholas was so enraged at what Arius was saying against Jesus that he got up, walked over and slapped Arius across the face. After that the other Bishops had him thrown into jail and removed his Bishop garments from him. Later on that night Jesus and Mary appeared to him and asked "Why are you in jail?" Nicholas answered "Because of my love for You!" Upon this reply Jesus gave him the books of the Gospel and Mary gave him his Bishop garments back.  In the morning when the guard returned his chains were loosened, he was quietly reading the gospel and dressed in the garments they had stripped from him the night before.  With amazement they took him to Pope Constantine who restored him as Bishop and the council decided to go with Nicholas' belief and not Arius.  So you can see Saint Nicholas is both joyful, giving and a fierce defender of Christ.

   You see if we want to truly celebrate the birth of our Lord it should be simple, little and with our family.  If you want to add on the spirit of Santa Claus AKA St Nicholas just defend Jesus at all cost and give the gifts you get to the poor.

     Merry Christmas Taylor

6 no longer!

We would like to announce the birth of our beautiful twin daughters. Faustina Florence and Adele Betty were born Monday. We were so blessed by their birth. God was truly with us through the whole day. 

God blessed us with an amazing doctor. Dr. Cudihy is a wonderful supportive doctor. His faith shines through. He encouraged us when Faustina was turned and rejoiced in the miracles God blessed us with when they happened. We just want to thank you Dr. Cudihy for all of your help, support, and prayers. 

God has blessed us with many opportunities to witness. It started 11 days ago when we went into labor the first time. When we went into labor on 12/13/14 we were so excited; however, God had different plans. My labor completely stopped after 11 hours. We were disappointed by this since we were expecting to go home with babies in car seats, but through this God gave us many opportunities to praise Him. We were able to share our testimony with multiple nurses. A few of the nurses admitted that they had a desire to go on a mission trip. We were more than happy to share that FMC has short term missions and that some are even medical missions. We pray that God will continue to stir in their hearts a desire to serve him.

 God has blessed us again with bringing people into our room to witness to. We have had many wonderful conversations with the nurses about Him. We were especially blessed in particular by one nurse who shared her testimony as well as heard ours. Her witness was so beautiful. You could see her love for Jesus radiate through her as she talked. I was especially blessed by her generosity. She bought me a pair of slipper socks to wear so my feet wouldn't get cold.

By the grace of God I was able to deliver both Faustina and Adele naturally without any medication. Without Him I would not have been able to deliver them. He strengthened me when I didn't think I could go on. 

Taylor and I would like to thank everyone who has been praying for our pregnancy and delivery. We know that God answered your prayers! ~Katie

With great power comes great responsibility

Hero - Spiderman, Superman, Thor, The Wolverine. What do all these individuals have that catches our imaginations and draws our attention to them? What makes them heroes? 

Villains - Dr. Octopus, Lex Luther, Loki, Magneto. All of these individuals are associated with negativity, evil, destruction, and death; and yet they are not so different from the heroes we like and idolize. They have super powers and extraordinary abilities. Some by natural birth and some by chance which is no different from the heroes we love. Indeed in some situations they are even raised in the same household by the same parents; such as Thor and Loki. What is the one single thing that makes one good and one bad, one a hero and one a villain? Whether they put themselves before others or others before themselves. 

Heroes are selfless. Using their strength and abilities, their intelligence, and power for others before themselves. Putting the needs of others before their own need. Villains are selfish. Using their strength, power, money, and everything at there disposal to serve their needs, their wants, and their desires. One is not stronger than the other. One is not more powerful than the other. One does not have more resources than the other. Simply that the hero chooses to sacrifice himself for others, and the villain chooses to sacrifice others for himself. And even as it is played out in the comic books and movies, It often seems unfair for the hero that he has to follow the rules, do what is right, and continually try to save the innocent. Even at the expense of the hero’s loved ones, assets, or personal wellbeing. While the villain can break all of the rules and use whatever means necessary to get to the desired end. Even if it means the lives of the innocent, because what really matters is the happiness, desires and wants of the villain. It is this simple thing that separates the two.

Now the time comes to ask ourselves “What are you? A hero or a villain? How do you use the gifts and talents that God has given you? Do you use them for the good of others or for the good of yourself?” 

So often we think as Christians that if we have talents, great abilities, or wealth that God has blessed us with that for our own use. We live a life of luxury, of fullness, If we have an abundance of food we are fat and happy, if we have wealth we are able to have anything. If we have a great home it for our own enjoyment and use. But then how is this any different from the villain who uses their gifts, resources, and talents to seek their own happiness.  Although to us they seem evil we assume they can’t be happy. They are only viewed as evil because they are self-serving. Then so are we villainous if we are self-serving. 

On the other hand if you are using your gifts and talents for God your life to the outside world may seem foolish as a life of a hero seems foolish to a villain. If a person has great wealth but chooses to live in a tiny house, drive a rusty car, and spend your vacation time to serve others; you then would be a hero in the eyes of God. If you have an abundance of food but yet you look scrawny and ill and spend all of your time feeding the poor; you would be a hero in they eyes of God. If you have been blessed with a large house and abundant lands but your house looks more like a hotel than a mansion because you welcome the homeless, impoverished, and those who are down on their luck; you would be a hero in the eyes of God. If you have an abundance of time and your friends think you foolish because you spend all of your time volunteering at nursing homes, food pantries, homeless shelters, and marching in front of abortion clinics; you too would be a hero in the eyes of God. 

It is not hard for one to see that my hero, Jesus, is the first Hero, the first X-men, and the first Avenger. "Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped." Philippians 2:6. See Jesus being fully God and fully man though in the person of a man had all of the power of God and instead of conquering the Roman Empire, taking over the world, inventing everything we would need in life, and giving the world great gifts of technology and medicine He used it to heal the sick, feed the hungry, free the oppressed, and guide us to His Father in Heaven. And then when He went about His passion, crucifixion, and death although He had the power to stop it at any point He chose not to. Instead He was beaten, scourged, crucified, and mocked. He was called a fool. What the villains of his day did not know is that through His sacrifice He would arise more powerful than ever and conquer death, opening the gates of Heaven for all who would follow Him. 

See a fool is one who wastes great power for no reason. A hero is one who sacrifices great power for the greater good of others. So I ask you again - “What are you, a hero or a villain?”