Mea culpa, mea culpa

I received two gentle nudges over the last couple of days reminding me to update this blog and let everyone know how things are going. I looked and realize that my last post was almost a month ago, I am so sorry! There has been a lot going on with me and within the community.   Sister Maria Magdalena who has been in Mexico for over a year trying to get her immigration paperwork sorted out has received her visa approval and will be home soon!

I entered the community as a candidate on May 1st, the feast of St. Joseph the worker and it so exciting! I have been working on getting things sorted out for the big day. I have submitted my insurance application for the plan that I chose and I am hoping to have it approved soon. I don’t’ foresee any problems but you never know so please keep me in your prayers.  Life as a candidate is not super different except I am in my jumper pretty much all of the time and I wear a little veil/mantilla when I am in chapel.

Fundraising is going very well, I received a generous donation from the women of St. Therese circle at Blessed Sacrament Parish that helped cover the cost of my home visit in August and a month of insurance.  As of today, I have three weeks left until my postulancy; I spoke with my boss on Wednesday to advise him that I will be leaving and right before signing off I made it official by sending him an email; it actually was not as bad as I feared it would be.  I am not anxiously awaiting the next three weeks and what comes next; with my upcoming 1 1/2 paycheck and the fundraising that the ladies will be doing on my behalf, I believe that I will have what I need to meet my insurance needs until God-willing I make first vows.

Please pray that I can complete my last three weeks with no issues, lately it has been slow at work and they have ended up sending folks home early on many occasions. The great thing about my job is that it has been a real grace to work there and to confront myself more and more and learn everyday to embrace opportunities to grow in patience, understanding and charity. I hope and pray that I continue to see these last three weeks at work as an opportunity to grow in virtue.

As I prepare for May 31st, I think about the things that I need to do to wrap things up. I have scheduled my dentist appointment and I am working on getting my physical scheduled. Please pray that I can get an appointment next week sometime so that I can finalize my new insurance. I realized that I still didn’t get an alarm clock I have been using my phone as an alarm and as of May 31st it will be going back to my sister, so I need to rush in getting an alarm clock because I will not be able to use my phone anymore. I also need to get used to falling asleep without sound as I have been using my phone and the recorded talks that I have saved to help me fall asleep. Perhaps I can make recordings of homilies and listen to them while I sleep, how could would that be??!!!

I am still working on a way to keep you guys updated as I begin formation as a postulant, stay tuned and I will be sure to let you know once I have figured out something with Mother and SrMC. Speaking of the sisters, please keep our community in your prayers as we prepare for the come and see that will be from May 31st – June 2nd; that the Holy Spirit gently guide the young ladies who will be coming to discern with us.

United in Our Lord,
Dyna

Oh My Jesus, it is for love of Thee

Yesterday morning was rather hard and I found myself yearning for the day after I enter postulancy and I can “sleep in” until 5:30a.m. (I know, that tells you how early I wake up) There are 45 more days until I enter postulancy and I am very much looking forward to May 31st.

As much as I am looking forward to entering the next stage in formation, I am mostly looking forward to meeting the young women who will be discerning with the sisters. Please keep them in your prayers, that they may be guided by the Holy Spirit and Our Lady.

Al-righty here goes the meat of the matter – fundraising news I received a donation of $21 from a generous supporter and $50 from someone who apparently likes my rosaries a lot Thanks PF! I have been unable to get some additional hours of overtime so right now I can’t earn more than my regular wages (outside of making rosaries that is) I did receive some documents from my new processor and thanks be to God, they are honoring the fact that my loans are paid ahead and I believe my payments have been reduced by about $45-$50/month, hooray for that.

According to my calculations (which we know can be faulty at times) I have about three full paychecks and 30 some hours left until I enter and at the very least that means I will have a little over $1,800 to put toward my insurance needs. I am hoping to be able to raise bout $1,000 until then.  It will mean that I will be short a small amount but I am trusting in God’s providence.  So the sisters had their annual benefit dinner last Thursday and they sang two songs and shared some videos that gave a glimpse into our daily life.  One of my favorite videos was the one of us chanting the Magnificat during Office.  I so love the magnificat and I find that it helps me remember to be humble and to strive to be more like our Lady.  I was hoping to post the youtube link to it here but SrMJ has not has the chance to upload it yet.  Rest assured that I will be sure to share it with you guys when it goes up/live.

Please, please keep those affected by the Boston bombing in your prayers, especially the Richard family.  I learned today that the young boy who died had made his first communion last year.  Additionally, his mother was gravely injured and his sister’s leg was severely injured in the blast.  Violence in our world is enough to sadden the heart, give up hope and question our good Lord’s existence.  However we must think of the violent way Our Lord died and remember that out of horrific and painful things come great beauty.

Entrusting you to Our Merciful Lord,
Dyna

Wishing you a Happy Divine Mercy Sunday (and giving you a little update)

Happy Divine Mercy Sunday!

I pray that your Sunday is going wonderfully and that you are enjoying this day in a very special way. The Junior sisters and SrE and I are heading to one of the parishes later today to listen to a talk on Divine mercy that will culminate with adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and a solemn benediction. I am very much looking forward to it.

I received some information from the new processor for my loans and I am still waiting to find out whethe ror not the fact that my loans are paid ahead will be honored. I did get a response that there should not be any issues with all of the information from DOE transferring but I’m still on pins and needles. Until then I am going to just give Mater Ecclesiae a heads up and give them the details later. I didn’t want to write them about the changes until I had more details but I am going on two and a half weeks and I don’t want to just spring the new inforamtion on them without any warning.

On the fundraising front thigns are going well. I received a donation last week that was enough to cover 8.5 days of insurance I got paid on Friday and adding in my earnings bring the amount that I need to raise to $2,930.00 wow! With you rcontinued help, I know that I will be able to reach my goal by the time I enter postulancy.

Please continue to keep my intentions and that of the sisters in your prayers.

In Christ’s Mercy,
Dyna

Tuesday update

Happy Easter!

This is one of the best things I love about being catholic. The fact that we get to celebrate Our Lord’s victory over death beyond Easter Sunday.

I looked on the Cenacle board this morning and the countdown to my postulancy hadn’t been updated yet so it was just a hanging 6. Oh how wonderful it would be to have only 6 days to postulancy. I am counting the days until then and doing my best not to focus on how long I have to wait but how little time I have to wait in comparison to the time I have waited since first meeting the sisters.

I googled the number of days until postulancy and could you believe it’s 59 days already? Officially under the two month mark. I cannot believe that it is April already and next month I enter postulancy. This past week I was very blessed to have had three wonderfully generous donors contribute to the funds needed for insurance during novitiate and postulancy.

• SB from Oakmont, PA – $20
• AG from Tacoma, WA – $250
• KE from Millinocket, ME – $10

I got the rest of my paycheck in the mail (finally) and was able to sell a couple of rosaries so in addition to the amount donated, I was able to put $300 more toward my insurance fund. I cannot believe things are moving along so fast! I don’t know if I mentioned but I go on my home visit in August (before God-willing I enter novitiate) and being the nerdy person that I am I have begun making up an itinerary. Now I know you’re thinking “she’s crazy” and you might be right on some level but try to understand that there are soooo many people to see (donors, friends, prayer warriors and let’s not forget family and especially my mother who is insisting that she takes off work so she can go visit donors in the NW Florida area with me) that I have to have some kind of plan or I will find myself exhausted and feeling like I am being pulled in 50,000 directions.

Right now I need to raise/earn $3,390. I get paid this week (yay) and will be making my first payment to the new company. Oh yeah did I mention my weird email from DOE telling me that they transferred my loan and that from this point on I need to make payments elsewhere? I am still waiting on the information that I was supposed to receive from the new processor yesterday. I called them today and I was told that it should all be finalized tomorrow so I am giving them until Friday. Until then, please keep praying that they honor the progress that I had made on my loans in paying it ahead until 2018. They say it should transfer over with no problem but we never know.

Prayers start in about half an hour and I need to begin working on this rosary that was requested of me. I am working on getting some more rosaries up there (hopefully this weekend will prove more productive) so if you are thinking of getting one, just be patient with me. If I have been corresponding with you about a rosary, I am working on it or have mailed it to you already.

United in Our risen Lord,
Dyna

Rosaries

I just finished making one of two rosaries for my friend H who needs them for two of her friends who will be coming home to Rome on Easter. If you would like one for someone special, drop me a line and we can work out the details. I can still make them and get them to you by Easter.

Check out the pics.

Birthdays and stuff

So today is my birthday and I didn’t even notice until about 5 minutes into mass when I looked at the misselette (by the way, according to the computer I’m spelling it incorrectly and my suggested corrections are mistletoe and misspelt) and saw the date and I realized that today is March 24th aka my birthday.

I went down to the cenacle and saw a beautifully decorated board would have reminded me of my birthday had I stopped in before going up to mass. I got to speak to my mother already (she was the first to call in a happy birthday) and in one scoop got a happy birthday from my cousin, my goddaughter and a long-time friend of my mother’s.

This is my second birthday in the convent but this one feels a bit different, I look forward to feast day celebration more than I look forward to the next birthday.

As I continue the countdown and the fundraising toward my insurance needs, I ask you to please continue to keep me in your prayers and know that you are always in mine.

United in Him,
Dyna

It’s officially official :)

Well, it’s official. I got the paperwork from Mater Ecclesiae earlier today and I am looking forward to contacting them and getting all of the little details of my grant award figured out.

On the insurance funding front, things are going as steady as can go. I received my first paycheck since learning that I was awarded the grant and unfortunately a little more than half of it is missing. It turns out the company that does the payroll messed something up and what the computer says I got paid is not what was deposited in my account. I pray that it gets figured out sometime soon. Now if I figure in the amount that I have been paid, I have earned just enough for a month’s insurance (well a little more than month – it’s $250.00) With that applied, the amount that I need to raise is now at $3,870. I am still trying to see if I can get insurance that has good enough coverage but less than $210/month so if you have any suggestions, feel free to drop me a line and let me know.

I’ve been counting the days until May 31st and I keep trying to think of what I can do to prepare, I think about the day after (June 1st) and what it is going to be like to take that step toward formation and a life totally devoted to Christ. The worries about whether or not I will mess up have subsided, what I find myself thinking about is whether or not I will be able to contain my happiness. I think about the fact that the Lord has not only seen fit to call me to this life but also the fact that he’s worked so many miracles to make my entrance a reality and I am floored. I know what He can do, I’ve always known he could move this mountain of student debt that I have but I still find myself amazed when I think about it.

May 31st couldn’t come fast enough, but at the same time I don’t want it to come too fast. I have waited over two years to enter, (2 years, 1 month and 21 days to be exact) and these 2 months and 8 days in waiting at times feel like decades. I want to enter today, actually I want to enter yesterday but I know God’s timing is the best and over the last three years He has been giving me the graces needed to trust in Him for my material needs. I remember going to dinner with my sister in law Joanna and my brother and when the bill came she wanted him to pay (not that it made a difference since they had the same account) he left his wallet in the car and so wanted her to use her card. Her reply was “you’re my husband, you’re supposed to provide for me” that struck me and has stuck with me since then. I have been trying really hard to rely on Our Lord like one relies on their spouse and it’s been a difficult road. I am not there yet but I am getting better.

It’s amazing to think of how much I trust The Lord to work miracles for others, to provide for others but yet I seem to not think of myself. I am still struggling to pray for myself and bring all my needs to Him, I need your prayers now more than ever because the more I life, the more I need to come to trust and depend on Him.

In Christ,
Dyna