Missions

I spent the past week at the Maryknoll Sisters' Center attending their Mission Institute. Aside from the amazing content of our workshops, it was a pleasure to get to know many of the Maryknoll Sisters who were "home" for the summer and attending the Institute. I say "home" because when they introduce themselves, most of the Sisters will say they are "from Panama" or "from Kenya" or "from Hong Kong." You can tell that they mean it!

My time with them made me think of one of our own Sisters who has been in Rwanda the past year. I've blogged before about Sister Mindy's work in Rwanda training HIV/AIDS health care workers. It's funny that I was thinking about her, because then I saw on our community website that she's posted a new set of journal entries about her ministry! Here's a taste:

March 14: The health center we are visiting this week is even more rural: sitting in the clinic, we hear and smell the cows in the field close by! While sitting in on pre- and post- HIV test counseling sessions, I asked the nurse to request the patient’s permission for me to stay. When she translated the question, the woman got up and came over to embrace me. We are generally warmly welcomed; I think people are grateful for the attention of outsiders.

You can read more of Mindy's journal entries here. Mindy is an amazing woman and I'm so proud to call her Sister. We miss her, but know that she is making such a difference and bringing the Gospel of Peace to the people of Rwanda.