friendship
All Great and Precious Things
Editor’s note: Inspired by a quote from John Steinbeck, missioner Julia Pinto reflects on what loneliness is teaching her while serving on mission in the US-Mexico border region. She shows up and greets us in the crowded gathering, office cubicle, family home, jail cell, big city, small town. We often ignore her, distracting ourselves with…
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How COVID Affects Life in an Intentional Community
Editor’s Note: DCSC volunteer, Airianna Beitler, brings the reader into Casa community life during this time of pandemic through the personal lens of various photos taken thus far. As everyone is aware, we live in an intentional community. As with any community, it can be stressful at times, but it’s also different this year because…
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Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall Come to Thee!
Editor’s Note: FMS Programs Manager, Emily Norton reflects on the unexpected love that has bloomed from a friendship that emerged from an emergency response training. **Names have been changed to respect privacy** “See you Sunday! Safe travels. I love you!” I hung up the phone and reflected on how natural the words “I love you”…
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Joy Incarcerated
Editor’s note:Missioner Catherine Sullivan offers a photo essay that is a window into a special day in her prison ministry–her goddaughter Michelle’s baptismal presentation. [unitegallery CHS717] Reflection question: Often light shines the brightest through the darkness. Where can you find light in your hardships?
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Good Things, God Things
Editor’s Note: Missioner Maeve Gallagher shares how an incident with a friend caused her to reaffirm her decision to be a vessel of love and acceptance on mission. “True enough, the Reverend Billing, when they caught up with him, turned out to be a thief, an adulterer, a libertine, and a zoophilist, but that didn’t…
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Comfort and Joy: Anam Cara
Editor’s Note: As part of our “Comfort and Joy” Advent/Christmas blog series, former FMS community member Deanna Wolf shares how she draws comfort from the friends who sometimes know her better than she knows herself. They say when one falls in love, there is an inexplicable feeling that can be described as nothing less than coming…
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Comfort and Joy: Looking out for the Other
Editor’s Note: As part of our “Comfort and Joy” Advent/Christmas blog series, missioner Patrick Montine speaks to the power of companionship and shares how his time working in a food kitchen in Jamaica has led to a deeper realization of the importance of relationships. I spend some of my time each week helping out at the…
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Comfort and Joy: Peace in Understanding
Editor’s Note: As part of our “Comfort and Joy” Advent/Christmas blog series, current missioner Hady Mendez shares how she has drawn comfort through relationship during her time in Bolivia. It’s that time of year again. The time when we relish feelings of peace, love, comfort, and joy. Over the last two years of service, I have discovered that…
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Comfort and Joy: A Friend through Discernment
Editor’s Note: As part of our “Comfort and Joy” Advent/Christmas blog series, newly commissioned missioner Aubrey Kimble shares part of her discernment journey during her semester abroad in Seville, Spain. During my junior year at UNC, I had the incredible opportunity to study abroad in Seville, Spain. It was absolutely one of the most formative experiences…
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Prisoners doing Prison Ministry, Wait…What?
It was an interesting day at prison. I came as I usually do on Thursday morning to facilitate the faith-sharing group I helped to start last August. It’s been one full year since the day I decided to take the leap of faith. I saw the need for this group and there was a lot…
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My Bolivian Angel
I remember the moment well. It was April of last year. I was on a Skype call with Kim, the director of FMS. I was telling her about how, with language school behind me, I was just starting to settle into my new ministry sites. We had just moved into the Centro Social, so that…
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Friendly Support
“One day more means one day less.” This is something my girls at prison say. It’s sort of an inside joke. Once I understood what it meant, I got to thinking, “Shoot, sometimes I feel the same way when I’m homesick.” In the same way, I too have “time to complete” before I can go…
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God’s Surprises
Editor’s Note: The following is part of our daily holiday series celebrating “The Shared World.” I know now that the squeals were not the finish line. I recently brought flowers to a woman in a nursing home that I visit regularly, and they were received with squeals of delight. I’d met Gladys* the week before at…
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Takeaway Wednesday: Supporting Urban Chickens!
Today’s post is about a unique organization promoting active living, friendship, and charity: Urban Chicken Race! Spread the word: Urban Chicken races will be held in Tampa on June 7. The Urban Chicken Race was co-founded by current lay missioner Valerie Ellis. Franciscan Mission Service is considered an international charity partner and receive proceeds from…
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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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Friendship on the Street: Take Two
Missioner-in-training Valerie Ellis reflects on one of her experiences with those living on the streets of Washington, D.C. Yesterday, I met Brad.* When we first met, he thanked us for the food that we gave and asked if we would like to pray. He joined hands with us and we prayed the Our Father. Brad…
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Friends on the Street
Missioner-in-training Valerie Ellis reflects on the need of those around us. I was thinking back to a time when I really needed a friend of mine to be present in my life. Because I really needed her, I was spending more time with her. It struck me that at times when I didn’t need her…
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