Mary and Nate Mortenson
2014: Year in Review
As 2014 draws to a close, we reflect with gratitude on the past year and those who make our ministries possible. Here are a few organizational highlights from another fruitful year of encouraging the laity to follow the Franciscan mission tradition of sharing in the lives with those on the margins. Thank you for supporting us as…
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Bringing Beauty to the World
Lay missioner Mary Mortenson reflects on her time with an artist cooperative in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Last year, when I was still stateside, I was exploring and working with clay almost everyday. I rented studio space from the University in Eau Claire and spent 20 to 30 hours there a week. A big part of my…
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Photoshoot: Goodbye to Cochabamba
Missioner Nate Mortenson shares some photos he shot in Bolivia. This weekend marks a special time for Mary and I. We are packing up our beloved room at the Franciscan Social Center in Cochabamba and moving to Carmen Pampa where we’ll begin working at the university in Carmen Pampa – UAC (Universidad Academica Catolica). Here’s…
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Mission Monday: Enneagram on Mission
In today’s post, current lay missioner Nate Mortenson reflects on the rich personal insights he gained from the Enneagram and how it relates to his spirituality while on mission. For those of you who know Mary well, you wouldn’t be surprised to find out that on our very first date she hashed out The Wisdom…
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Takeaway Wednesday: Recipe for Choclo Salad!
In today’s Takeaway Wednesday post, lay missioner Nate Mortenson presents a recipe for one of his new favorite Bolivian dishes: “Choclo Salad”! “Choclo Salad” prepared and photographed by Nate Mortenson It features a type of Andean corn with kernels much larger than traditional sweet corn in the United States: Read more about choclo here. It…
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Mission Monday: “Living Simplicity”
In today’s post, Nate Mortenson reflects on the freedom he has found in Bolivia to live simply by incorporating a mentality and lifestyle that values recycling. This intentional living has affected his own faith-life to draw closer to Franciscan spirituality. Photo of Cochabamba by Nate Mortenson Recycling came up in class the other day. It…
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Mission Monday: “Hospitality”
Since they arrived in January early this year, the missioners have been living with host families while engaging language study. In this post, missioner Mary Mortenson describes the joys and graces she has received while living with her host family in Cochabamba, the Mustafa family. Nate and I have been here for a little under…
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Marriage as Mission: “A Love that Hangs in the Balance”
Continuing our series Sacraments and Social Mission: Living the Gospel, Being Disciples, current missioner Mary Mortenson writes today about her faith’s relationship to the Sacrament of Marriage with her husband, Nate Mortenson, and her own call to mission. Marriage, one year and some months in, continues to be a perfect mystery to me. Each day, I…
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Mission Monday: Anointing of the Sick as Mission
Continuing our series Sacraments and Social Mission: Living the Gospel, Being Disciples, current missioner Nate Mortenson writes today about his faith’s relationship to the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick and his call to mission. Our calling to be present with those around us requires a lot more of me than I often realize. It’s a…
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The Light of One: What Our Friends Teach Us
Continuing our daily Advent reflection series, current missioner Nate Mortenson reflects on the simple gifts of friendship. A few years back, I was looking for a roommate so I could afford rent. Several of my friends kept telling me I should ask Colin, the guy who runs the tea shop in Eau Claire, because he…
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The Light of One: Franciscan Friendship
Continuing our daily Advent reflection series on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Franciscan Missioner Mary Mortenson writes about how a friendship provided her an inspiring model for the ministry of presence she will provide in Bolivia. I have a dear friend, named Briana, whom I met my first year at UW-Eau Claire. Almost immediately,…
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Sermon Junkie
Missioner-in-training Mary Mortenson reflects on the influence of sermons on her faith. Photo by ADG Lab I’m going to be honest. I am a sucker for a good sermon. I love going to church, sitting down in a pew, folding chair, or even on a couch, and hearing a man or a woman share their…
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Conversations on Faith
Missioner-in-training Nate Mortenson talks about journeying through mission formation together with his wife Mary. The couple is preparing to go to Bolivia in January. Mary Mortenson, as photographed by Nate Mortenson Mary and I got away for our weekly date-night on Tuesday. They’ve become pretty important for us living in the residential community with other…
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Midterm Retreat: Out of the City into the Country
Missioner-in-training Mary Mortenson shares about the midterm retreat she and her formation classmates took. We went on retreat this past week. Fr. Ed Shea, a Franciscan priest from Chicago, came to lead it. It was a blessing. A blessing to get out into the countryside and be surrounded by farmland. The farm girl in me…
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Photos from My Archives
Nate Mortenson, missioner-in-training, is excited to use his skills of photography to document the life experiences he and his wife Mary share here in D.C. and while on mission. These are some photos from years ago: my family, places, and moments. I’ve been drawn to shooting black and white film photos for their nostalgic qualities…
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Onward and Upward
Being continuously called back to the Creator. Photo by Nate Mortenson Through discussions, required readings, spiritual direction, and prayer, our mission training program has many opportunities to reflect on life, faith, and self. Here’s what been on missioner-in-training Mary Morrtenson’s mind these last few weeks. One concept that I’ve been mulling over since the beginning…
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On Two Wheels in DC
Missioner-in-training Nate Mortenson reflects on his journey to D.C. and where he is volunteering while in training here. As we packed up the car for our move to Washington, D.C. I thought it would be ridiculous for my wife Mary and me to take our bikes along. I mean life, would be too busy with…
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Life on Pause
Nate and Mary Mortenson Missioner-in-training Mary Mortenson shares her thoughts on the beginning of mission training. Nate and I arrived in Washington, D.C. the Monday of Labor Day, tired and emotional. We had spent our summer moving back home to help my parents on the strawberry farm, taking long bike trips, celebrating weddings and saying…
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