We made it to yoga early on Friday. We wanted to convince our instructor that we weren’t the slackers we looked like on Wednesday when we missed our class. As we sat in the empty hospital wing waiting for him to arrive, we laughed at the idea of an empty hospital at 7AM in America. As soon as our instructor arrived we began our class, proceeding with the same exercises as the day before. It was so relaxing and such a good way to wake up. I had to laugh at myself because of how not flexible I am. Rachel was nearly putting her forehead on her knees, while I struggled to reach my toes! Hopefully that will change by the end of these classes. After our yoga class we thanked our instructor and made our way back home to get ready for the day.
Unfortunately, the monsoon that greeted us yesterday after work was back! We struggled home against the wind and pouring rain, trying to make ourselves as small underneath our umbrellas as possible. By the time we made it home we were cold and soaked through. I made hot oatmeal with bananas for breakfast and ate as I dried off and got dressed. Rachel skyped her parents for a bit, and then we were off to work.
That evening, since it was the first Friday of the month, I left work early to go to Adoration and Mass. I walked there from work and got there early enough to have some time praying before the Benediction. Then at six o’clock Mass began. It was so nice to spend the evening quietly and refocus. After Mass I went outside and talked with Father Francis for a bit. When I asked him what order the nuns here are, he invited me into his office. We talked about the church and the changes he had made when he arrived only two years ago. We also talked about the plans he has for the church. He hopes to build a perpetual adoration chapel, improve the school facilities, and increase the church’s size. I was very impressed with his plans, and he seemed very excited as well. As with most things though, a lot of money needs to be reaised before much can happen. Then he told me about the St. Joseph Sisters of Cluny who arrived on May 29, the same day Rachel and I arrived. He asked if I would like to go meet them. Of course I would! So he told me he had to take Communion to a homebound woman and then we would stop at the convent. Right after that, Rachel called to tell me that since I had the key, she was locked out of our apartment! Even though she told me she was fine waiting while I went visiting, I insisted that I would be home soon to let her in. About this time, two university students came into his office. They asked Father to hear their confessions, and while one was meeting with Father, I got to speak with the other.
Aditi is from Hyderabad. She had visited California and New Orleans. The other student, Myron, is from Goa but had lived in the Middle East for most of his life. Both were so friendly, and I was so glad to meet some “church friends.” I tried to tell Father that I had to get home, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer, insisting that it wouldn’t take long. He promised to drop me off afterwards. Father invited Aditi and Myron to come along, so the four of us hopped into Father’s car and were off. As we talked easily, I forgot that I had met them only minutes ago. The first woman we visited was so sweet and reminded me of my Great Grandma Rose. Father affectionately referred to her as his “girlfriend.” In her room was a Divine Mercy image draped with flowers. Watching as she received Communion, she looked so joyful. Father told us her birthday was coming up, so we all sang her happy birthday. She was so happy to have some visitors and invited us back anytime. The look of delight on her face when we visited her made me want to come back again soon. After saying goodbye, we headed off to visit the Sisters. I could hardly wait. Driving down a side road, we came upon the convent. The Mother Superior invited us in, looking happy but surprised to have visitors. Myron laughed at me when I whispered excitedly that this was my first time in a convent. We met three other sisters who came out to say hello. Mother showed us their chapel, a beautiful room with a large crucifix covering the entire wall surrounded by rows of bells, candles, and incense. They also told us that they have rooms for rent for girls. I wished I could spend a few days with them, but unfortunately work won’t allow for that. After thanking the Sisters and being invited back, we said goodbye and were off to our last stop. As we drove, Myron and I talked about the Scott Hahn books we had read. He was a big fan and had gotten recordings of some of his talks. He also shared with me a website called “Salvation History.” It is a great website with a free online Bible study, among many other things.
We arrived at the other woman’s apartment complex and rode the elevator to the top floor. After knocking, a younger man opened the door, and we saw a hunched-over old woman shuffling across the floor, pushing her walker in front of her. Her face lit up when she saw us and eagerly welcomed us in. We stepped into her home and saw a beautiful shrine with a large crucifix surrounded by candles and flowers. As she prayed before receiving Communion, I was struck by how beautiful she was in her weakness. She depended completely on those around her. The only time she really got to spend time with anyone was when they took the time to come visit her. I couldn’t imagine being that dependent on other people and still being as joyful as she. As we said goodbye, she took our hands one by one and held them against her face. It was as if she were trying to hold on to us longer. Finally we had to leave, and by this point I had decided that I would come visiting with Fr. Francis again soon.
Father dropped me off as promised. I thanked him for the wonderful time and told Aditi and Myron how glad I was to meet them before I raced inside to find Rachel. I was relieved when she wasn’t sitting in the hall, but confused when the door was still locked. I went inside to find no Rachel. I called her to see where she was and when she answered the phone, I was so confused because I could hear her talking and knew she was close by but couldn’t find her. She told me to go into the hall, and I saw her coming out of the apartment right beside us. A coworker, Prianka, lives in the apartment and had seen Rachel sitting in the hall and invited her in. I was so relieved when I found out that she didn’t just sit in the hall all night. I felt horrible for leaving her locked out so long, but Rachel had made the best of the situation and gotten to know Prianka a little better. After thanking Prianka profusely and deciding that we would all go out to dinner together sometime, I apologized to Rachel. She said it was no problem, and I was so glad she was so nice about it.
That night we made our potato salad for the upcoming Fourth of July celebration. After guessing and rough estimates for every part of the preparation, we were so proud when our final product was actually potato salad. After having a bit ourselves, we put it away to save for the next day. After that we were both ready for bed and decided to call it a day.
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