Receive

 Thank you for the love and prayers you have sent forth.   I believe it is as important for us as a community to send our love to this place as it is for us to receive what this community sends back to us.   

Tonight, after talking and praying with some people from a local parish they said "please tell your community back home that we send our love.   They need to know that we love them and will pray for them."

This is the Bride........the more of her we see......the more Beautiful we recognize her to be.

By His Spirit

"They strengthened the spirits of disciples and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying, "It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God"  Acts 14: 22

This first few weeks have been an exercise of trust in the Father's providence to unfold this mission.  My days have been about waking, praying, and remaining available to Him to provide for every interaction and task of the day.   And, in the midst of these interactions, to trust He will reveal and move with the power of His love.

God has been faithful to this every day and it has strengthened my heart.    Each day has been filled with time to build relationship and encourage the work in the Kingdom.   Each day, His providence, from meetings with priests and ministers that has lead to invitations for ministry to having meals with families, to wandering upon a Catholic Church during a stroll, and ending up having tea and talking about trusting God amidst the challenges of the current culture.   

In the midst of all of this, there is a grace which is the missionary spirit of the Church.   It is the mission of Our Lord Jesus Christ, alive.  And in this, He is caring very individually about His people and comes with a message of hope, a message of good news to His people.   

Through this missionary life of the Church, we as a body of believers, are united in the bigger picture of His Church.... of the one mission of Salvation through Jesus Christ. 

Thank you for praying!

Love you,

Kristin 

The Church on site at SPEC.

SPEC Center :: Where I am staying.  This is the site where St. Alban was arrested and taken to be martyred for the faith.  It is holy ground.

What storm could possibly rage itself mightier than even a shadow of your power, oh Lord?

Stepping into England

I arrived in St Albans today...... fittingly, on the feast of St Alban.   

St Alban was the first Christian Martyr of England.   He was martyred for the faith only after having converted a few days before his death.  I will share more about his life later, as I believe it is a timely witness for us now.

Tonight, I spent with a large part of the Catholic Community that was gathering for a birthday party.  It was a beautiful way to begin my time here.   This community also has been praying for renewal in the Church... particularly in parish life and in outreach to young people.   They have been anticipating much blessing for the summer.   We will all pray and wait in the fulfillment of His promise.

Please send along any prayer requests this way as well. 

~Kristin 

Yes, there are still a few windmills left in the Netherlands.... this one was directly across the street from where I stayed at the Hussen Home.

Went for a walk and stumbled upon this beautiful little shrine to St. Joseph.  I spent quite a bit of time here... praying individually for all of you and lit a candle for you and your intentions.   Let's just say..... there was quite a flame coming from that place after I left :)

   This is a picture following a prayer group that meets in the home each week.  It was an amazing evening....... filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.   

Fruitfulness of Prayer

 "missionary fruitfulness is the result of the community's prayer"  Pope Benedict XVI

I love this statement from the Holy Father.   I have been experiencing this truth in a tangible way.  Thank you so much for all of your prayers...... they are truly yielding miracles.   As I have been meeting and praying with people, I have consistently heard the same comment... that somehow through my coming they have been encouraged that God cares about them and that He has heard their prayers.  Although I am the one who is physically present here, they feel the love and support of the entire community back home.   Such a sense of communion is a powerful revelation of God's love and fidelity.    

I am so grateful for my time here, I feel as though God has forever extended my spiritual family to include these beautiful people.   It has been as though we've known each other for our entire lives.... that is a great gift.

Thanks again for your prayers.... know that I love you and am praying for you.   

Kristin  

The Netherlands

Met Marlo in Shoenstatt, Germany for 2 VERY full days of prayer and planning.   We prepared for the ECYC Conference we will serve in August.   We then drove to meet the community in the Netherlands.   I have been abundantly blessed by the community here in the Netherlands.

The Church here is in a very difficult state.   Christianity has waned in this culture and Christian Churches have been closed everywhere.   When you speak to the young people who are practicing the faith they all share the same report, stating Christianity is thought of as 'old fashioned' and 'irrelevant' and that they are generally the only person in their class who would state they were a Christian.   

My days have been spent meeting and praying with the local priests and lay persons who have been praying for renewal in the Church.  

The Church here is in much need of missionaries to come short term and long term.  As I sat with Fr. Hans, the local priest, his eyes filled with tears, out of love for the Church and the people of this community, he said "this country once sent out thousands of missionaries to the rest of the world. Now, I pray those places would hear our cry... we are desperate and we are asking for missionaries to come to the Netherlands.... the Church will die without help."   

Please pray for renewal of the Church in the Netherlands and that God would send missionaries to help and support this beautiful community.  

Journey Begins ~ Corpus Christi

I begin my travels to Europe today, on the Feast of Corpus Christi.   The Lord orchestrates all things so beautifully when we abandon all to Him, and so I believe the gift of this outreach beginning on this day has been by His choosing and for a purpose.   Through this confidence, I offer these writings as a prayer in communion with each of you.   

 And,  I pray that through this journey God would bless us all with the grace of coming to know in a deeper way the truth of  unity in Him.    The unity that joins us all within the mystery of ONE precious body of our Savior.   

You are receiving this link because I hold you and your intentions in my heart as I go forth.   This has been a great source of joy for me.   Be assured of my prayers for you and that you all come with me on this journey.  I am learning more and more about this missionary grace..... that as God sends forth.... He truly does send forth the entire community.   

Much love.

Kristin