Hello all. I am writing you after a delightful weekend of relaxing in Gaming. These pictures are from the town we live in and I found out that there are only about 2000 residents. It is a very small city with only one small street, the parish church, and lots of beautiful local people who seem intrigued at the fact that there are lots of American students living in the Kartause. From my understanding of the situation they do not really understand the program as an international exchange program, probably due to the language barrier. When I go walking through the town most people know who the Americans are. The little boys especially are fun to talk to because I think they are learning English in school so they usually say "Hello" really excitedly and that is about the extent of it : ) The parish church isn't locked during the day so it is a joy to stop in and pray there.

This weekend I found myself a little bench next to a lake where I spent the afternoon in the sun watching the swan, ducks, frogs, and fishes. It was a beautiful afternoon of reading, praying, being, walking, and getting a taste of the people here in Gaming. I was supposed to go for a hike, but we got rained out. Today was the feast of Divine Mercy and we celebrated it with a holy hour at 3 pm. What is this Divine Mercy? Well, to be honest it is incomprehensible. The best illustration I have of my experience of the Lord's Divine Mercy for us is the ungranted and unconditional love of a father, who lovingly lets His gaze rest on his children. The father who holds his children close to his heart for no reason, nothing the chid has done, but rather, because the Father just loves. We are given the choice to accept the embrace or not. In the face of unconditional love we realize how hardened our hearts are. For someone who really knows of Divine Mercy turn to Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska : )

I send much love and I will see you all in a number of days. "Divine Mercy, lifting us out of every misery, I trust in You." - Notebook II (949)

Hello to everyone and HAPPY EASTER!!! Christ has truly risen : ) I spent Easter here in the Kartause and two students were brought into the Church, full immersion baptism, confirmation, and first eucharist. It was so beautiful and not to mention we have just increased to Catholic population of Turkmenistan by 2%!! After the Easter vigil there was a resurrection party which included good food and dancing with our three Cameroonian students initiating it. Afterwards there was a bon fire and socializing. The next morning included another beautiful morning mass, a student breakfast. I spent the day in the sun writing letters. For lunch there was another picnic in honor of the two entering the Church. The architect of the Kartause joined us and brought two different kinds of special wine for everyone!! It was an international feast with food recipes from all over, China, Georgia (the country), the USA, Cameroon, Austria, Belgium, Lituania, and Turkmenistan. After this feast I went to a professor's house for an open house where the kids were running around everywhere, two students were playing Irish jigs and the rest of us attempting to dance to them. It was great fun and a joy to celebrate the Lord's day.

I arrived from Madrid Friday afternoon after 40 hours of train travel. Both my companion and I actually fell asleep on the last train and to our surprise we did not wake up in Gaming. The conductor woke us up and said we had to get off. A bit confused and not sure what to do we stepped out into the beautiful sunny day. Not even a minute later this little old man drives up in a little bus, looks at us, and says "Kartause?" He was heaven sent and dropped us of at the door of the dorm, where as normally we would have had to walk 45 minutes : )

In Madrid there were ten of us students doing mission work with the Missionaries of Charity. Other Franciscan students were doing mission trips in other places, like France, Ireland, Rome, Portugal, Lourdes, and Medjugore. It was a joy to prepare for Holy week. In the mornings we worked with Aids patients and in the nursing home for men. The women of the group mostly cleaned, made beds, mopped, swept, dusted, cleaned the chapel (my favorite...hehe...), prepared food. The men dealt more with the residents and were able to bathe and dress the residents. One of the best things was meeting all of the other volunteers of the MCs. There were quite a few regulars so it was interesting just chatting with all of them and learning about their lives. In the afternoons the sisters run a soup kitchen for the poor, where again there were many other volunteers from all over.

Something interesting, but also sad about Madrid was all of the prostitution. I had never seen the reality of it like I did in Madrid. In many ways it was good preparation for Holy week, seeing what sin our hearts are capable of and how much we are in need of a Savior. One who can take our broken human nature and make us whole again, to be the men and women that God intends us to be. I didn't get to visit as many Churches as I would have liked, but the ones I did see were beautiful. One of the best things was being able to communicate well with everyone. It made all the difference being able to speak Spanish!!

At the beginning of the week I went to the March for life in Belgium, which was not the first in Europe, but the first in Belgium. For being the 1st, there was a really good turn out, over 1000. It started on the footsteps of a Church where there had been adoration before and during the March, then we marched to the House of Justice and the monument to justice. Belgium was an interesting place because it seems to be a mixture of cultures. Most of the people fluently speak English, French, German, and Flemish. It was interesting riding the train in Belgium because I think I heard every possible language.

Hopefully I'll have time to post some pictures later today, but I've got to go. A very Happy EASTER to all and welcome to the family CAROLINE LUCIA MONTANO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A very joyous and loving congratulations to the Montano-Bashbush family!!! : )

Hello all, sorry it’s been so long since I’ve written. This past weekend I went to Lourdes and there are not words to describe what a beautiful weekend it was. I traveled with 5 other women, took 3 overnight trains, and spent a few hours in Paris, just enough to see the Eiffel Tower. Lourdes is a small town and we went out of pilgrimage season so a lot of things were closed, but it was very quiet and peaceful.

Lourdes is a Marian apparition sight, where Mary appeared to St. Bernadette. Mary appeared to Bernadette 18 times and she did not know who the woman was that was appearing to her. At the request of Our Lady Bernadette dug with her hands and ate dirt, done out of love for God for the conversion of sinners. As Catholics we believe that a person can enter into the suffering of Our Lord and do reparation for the world in this way. The world may think this is crazy, but this is what we are called to do, die to ourselves so as to everyday be more and more conformed to Christ, which is love itself. From the place that Bernadette dug, water came out and people have been healed through these waters. Because of the grace available to all who come in faith, this place has become a great pilgrimage sight. I was able to be washed in these waters and I would love to tell you what this was like.

For the next ten days I will be traveling in Brussels, Belgium and Madrid, Spain. In Brussels I will be partaking in the 1st European March for Life and in Madrid I will be serving with the Missionaries of Charity. All for the greater glory of God do we do what we do!!

I’m sorry this is so short, but I’ve got a lot still to do before I leave tonight. I send much love, I hope all are well, and you remain in my heart as I travel here, there, and everywhere : )

Back from Rome

Hello, I am back from Rome and Assisi as of Sunday evening and just trying to get back into the flow of things, as well as get readjusted to the cold. Italy had beautiful weather with very little rain and a lot of sun. It was all so jam packed with activities, but some of the highlights include going to the park after buying fresh tomatoes and half a roasted chicken from the market. One of the sisters and two other classmates and I spent our first afternoon just enjoying the sun and each others company. Every evening in Rome we had a holy hour, which was time of prayer before Our Lord in the blessed sacrament. I found that these evenings were really refreshing and allowed me to recollect my thoughts and heart. Our holy hours took place in a little convent where the sisters were always so overjoyed to see us and tended to us very well. They didn't speak english so we would all just smile a lot and look at each other : ) Another highlight was seeing Papa Benedict on Sunday morning!! Upon hearing his voice on the loud speaker, my friend and I ran to the square where tons of other people were gathered to hear our spiritual father. He spoke a few words on the gospel and then in every language addressed every group that he knew was present. I was just struck by the reality that as Papa, he is truly the servant of all and works unceasingly for us.

Another highlight was all the beautiful churches and so much art work, too much to the point that I was unable to absorb 90% of what I saw. Probably one of the most impressive things to me were the mosaics from St. Clement's Church which is from the 4th century, the 4th century!! One of the amazing things about Rome is how many witnesses to the faith are buried in each church, especially the Church of St. Prudessa where she is known to have cleaned and saved the blood of many martyrs to point to the preciousness of each life and the sacrifice they made for Christ.

There is too much to tell and so many little highlights from each day. Some of the best moments are always those unexpected encounters such as just rejoicing in the sun or the rain, or a dash to the metro, or finding a shoe store, or buying postcards, the simple things in life. It is funny how going somewhere else makes me realize the importance of being present to the moment no matter where I'm at, whether it is here at the Kartause, on main campus, or in Arvada.

Assisi is a beautiful little Italian city on a hill where I got to run all over the streets that St. Francis, St. Clare, and the brotherhood of Francis called their home. One of the highlights was walking up to the hermitage of St. Francis where the brothers would take retreats out in nature, in little caves. It was raining all the way up (a steep hike of about an hour after which I was super sore for about 4 days) but once up there it was well worth it. I ended up staying in the chapel to pray and found myself included in the Stations of the Cross and evening prayer in Italians with the Capuchin friars who run the hermitage!! One other student stayed as well, walking back with her as the sun was setting was truly a delight.

There is much, much more to say, but I took all of you on my heart throughout Rome and Assisi. I hope all are doing well, I very much appreciate every person who has written me. All of my midterms have come back and so far so good ; ) This weekend I'm staying back so maybe I'll have the chance to write a bit more, but know that I'm looking forward to seeing you all again soon enough. Much love ~ Monica

Hello to everyone : ) It is thursday morning and my midterms are officially done. It is truly the grace of God at work through our hard work that we get all that studying done. I've been fighting off a cold so hopefully tonight I can get a lot of rest.

I don't have any grand stories to tell about this weekend because I stayed back to study. It was really refreshing to stay back this weekend and enjoy the Kartause. Spring is coming on because the layers are coming off, I can see the ground, and I can hear the birds : ) If this place is gorgeous in the snow it is even more beautiful in the spring. In 32 hours I will be loading a bus headed to Rome, where apparently it is even warmer. I will be spending five days in Rome and 5 days in Assisi, the area where St. Francis is from. I'm sure I'll have much more to say once we get back.

Since I don't have stories to share I will share a bit of what I'm learning through my experience in Austria for your own edification and reflection. A part of what I have come to realize while being here in Gaming is that my life is part of a much greater whole and that the meaning of my life only takes shape in reference to this greater whole and my cooperation with it, that is, the love of God. I often believe and act as if the fulfillment of my life is in seeking my own ends (what I think is best for myself) but I'm beginning to realize that we are only fully ourselves and fully human when we realize that our lives are part of a much greater plan of God. We will be happy only in so far as we see ourselves within this plan, which in the end is the true plan for our greatest happiness. So in losing myself in the heart of God I am finding myself and the more I surrender, the more of myself I am given. An amazing realization for me is that the more I surrender my plans to God, the more I realize the uniqueness of who I am in His sight, that He would make ME and YOU for a specific purpose within His plan. It isn't about every person getting the most or the best, but each person being the best ME according to God's divine plan of love for me.

It is hard to summarize or even share thoughts of the heart, but that is for you to get a sense of what this semester is and will continue to be for me. Further though, I think it is an awakening to recognize what my life is truly about, not just this semester.

I leave for Rome tomorrow night so please email me any intentions that you would like me to pray for OR if you want me to get you anything : ) I send much love and I take each of you with me. St. Francis, pray for us!!