A Tribute

We’re more than halfway through our formation, and it’s about time we told you about the people who are helping us on this journey.

Sister Ana Florinda is our Tetum teacher and is a Canossian Sister from East Timor. We meet with her for two hours on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons for our lessons. Right now she’s in Rome studying, and then she will go back to a mission in Indonesia (right next to Timor).

She is one of the most optimistic people that I know and her laugh is long, loud, and contagious : ) Just thinking about her makes me smile. She seems to be one of those magic people who can go through horrible things and suffer much, and just let it go. Sometimes she tells us about Timor and she’s not afraid to tell us the good and bad and lay it out where we can see it, but in a second or two she’s smiling her huge smile and laughing at our pronunciation : )

She has the true joy that knows even if there is some pain it is temporary, and knowing Jesus and living for Him is worth infinitely more. There is nothing we should fear. That’s something that’s always good to hear, but to see someone who lives in that reality is way better!

Sister Mel has to be included too, even though we don’t have a picture yet! We’ve been getting to know her only lately, but she’s been part of our recreation time so she gets a special tribute : ) Sister Mel (Melissa) is from Brisbane, Australia, like most of Brendan’s extended family. She was a VOICA volunteer in Malawi, Africa, for a month and she said that it stole her heart in that short time. From there her spiritual journey led her to join the Canossian Sisters.

She was a P.E. teacher! Our tribute to her is for her soccer skills! She said she hasn’t played much soccer, but she played field hockey in Australia which she described as “rugby with a stick” : ) You could tell too – she was tough! She and I took on Brendan and Chris, and even though they pulled off a win it was very close (and she was playing with a skirt and dress shoes on – I have no doubt when we play again we’ll put up even more of a fight ; )

Then there is Diggy, pictured here with Chris working on supper. A forty year old Filipina who looks like she’s in her late twenties and acts like she’s younger (in a good way). She’s a great cook and has a voice like an angel. She has an incredible story and has been all over the world, working as a missionary for two years in Papua New Guinea and for two years in Togo, Africa.

She wanted to be a Sister, but had too many health problems. She has had many operations on her spine, one that left her partially paralyzed. She is strong and optimistic and is now able to walk again with a lot of hard work on her part and the help of a many miracles from God.

Right now she is helping the Sisters in Rome with all the little details and assisting in our sessions. She led us on a week long Youth Encounter retreat. She has done these all over the world, but it doesn’t seem like it ever gets old to her. During the retreat we had a chance to get to know ourselves, each other, and God better. We all took it pretty seriously and were able to open up about deeper stuff. It was a chance to really think about spiritual side of life and apply it to your head and heart.

Next is Sister Lisa. She is from California and came to Rome to study Theology and was asked to stay with the Sisters here. Right now she is the person who keeps all the computers up to date and maintained, as well as doing sessions with us (she speaks English and Italian, which are the two main languages of the volunteers).

She’s very down to earth and good with people. It’s funny to hear her talking about updating her iTunes or referencing normal young people things. She is also very open and isn’t afraid to break through the teacher role and share personal stories that we can relate to.

She took us through sessions on the seven sacraments with a lot of information that we’ll be able to share with the kids in our classrooms in East Timor. It was something that most of us thought we knew pretty well, but I learned a lot more about the history and lots of scripture to back them up and great quotes from top spiritual thinkers. It was a good review.

She’s also led us in more informal sessions on personality types. For about a week we tried to find out what our dominant types are, our strengths and weaknesses, and how that effects our reactions with others. We also tried to apply how Jesus showed the strengths of each personality type, giving us an example.

Living in community (sharing everything) with different types of people with different cultural backgrounds, things can get strained if you expect the other person to be just like you. So it’s been good and Sister Lisa is a great teacher, who we’ve learned a lot from academically and at a deeper level.

And finally, Sister Pat, the genius who coordinates all the international missions and our daily lives in Rome. Here she’s pictured holding a heart made for her by the last group of volunteers with all of their handprints. Sister Pat is still a mystery to many of us, but she is loved and respected very much.

She is sooo much like my Dad! Sometimes Brendan jokes that Sister Pat is really my Dad in disguise and that he has followed us here to make sure we’re ok : ) Ok, it’s a joke, but sometimes we wonder…

Sister Pat is one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met in my life. She was in her first year of medical school when she decided to become a Canossian Sister. She explained her decision to us: she knew that Jesus would be able to find doctors if that’s who He needed, but the one thing that Jesus can’t and won’t do is force someone to love Him. She strongly desired to fill that need: to love Jesus passionately and offer her life and whole heart to Him. I have no doubt that Sister Pat would have finished medical school with flying colors and could now be a wealthy doctor, but what an adventure her life is now!

She is also one of the most perceptive people that I have ever met. She notices everything and she’s not afraid to give compliments or let you know if it would be better if you did things differently. She’s a valuable friend to have around because she’ll give it to you straight, and doesn’t waste time trying to give warm fuzzies first. You know that a compliment from her is one well earned.

Because we all respect her it is sometimes difficult to accept her constructive criticism. But we can tell that this has happened with past volunteers, but that when they got to the mission site they were so thankful for her! She tells us directly things we need to be doing to get ready, and stories of volunteers who haven’t and the have experienced the consequences (example: slacking in your cleaning = giant insects and rats!).

Dad, in case you’re wondering, the reasons that you and Sister Pat are similar are: you are incredibly intelligent, perceptive, and you are often the center of things socially. Your opinion is respected because you aren’t afraid to tell someone the uncomfortable truth that might help them grow. And the same as Sister Pat: a compliment from you is a compliment that means a lot. So it’s a good thing : )

So those are the key people responsible for our formation. The first month and a half has been such a blessing, and it is so perfect that I know Jesus must have had this in mind for us. We’ve have grown a lot already, and having this time to focus on faith before we go to East Timor will no doubt make us more effective in our mission.

Wishing you all the best!

Rachel and Brendan

Saint Peter's Basilica: Round Two

It’s been good day… Things have been fairly relaxed around here this week, much more so than past weeks. Today we didn’t have an afternoon session so Brendan and I were able to sneak away for a free tour of St. Peter’s Basilica.

The tour was great! Wow! It was so much better this time to learn more of the depth and history of the area. To me it was a symbol of Catholicism: the first time we just came away impressed by how it was big, beautiful, and pointed to God’s greatness! But there was so much more to be discovered! And with a little help whole layers of depth and history we’re unpacked before our eyes. Especially the depth of the design and the theological truths that went into all of the art – everything means something.

The first part of the tour we learned more about St. Peters Square. It was built in the shape of a key, because Christ gave Peter the keys to the Kingdom. Above a gorgeous colonnade are hundreds of statues, 99% of whom were martyrs for the faith. As the statues deteriorate they are replaced by more recent saints. The latest statue to go up is that of Saint Therese of Liseux, a French saint from this century, who was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II.

This was really cool to hear for many reasons:

1.) Saint Therese reminds me of my sister Laura. She read St. Therese’s memoir, Story of a Soul, and I know it had a big effect on her. For the past few years she has had a quote by St. Therese on our whiteboard in our room at home. It was something about asking Jesus to burn like a fire more and more within her. If you see her, ask Laura to tell you what it is because it was really good.

2.) Saint Therese’s example and writing were ones that inspired Mother Teresa of Calcutta to become the incredible woman that she was. Mother Teresa’s name was Agnes, but she chose the name Teresa after St. Therese when she became a Sister. Mother Teresa is basically my hero and her writings and example have played a major role in my spiritual growth these past few years. So as she inspires me, St. Therese inspired her.

Because St. Therese inspired Mother Teresa, I am currently reading Story of Soul to see what so captivated MT. I’m about halfway through and it’s amazing! It helps me to see the beauty in childlike faith and the importance of loving Christ passionately : )

Also outside, this is where Pope John Paul II was shot in an assassination attempt when he was going through the crowd during his Wednesday papal audience. Even though so many of us would be bitter or frightened, he continued the papal audiences and more importantly was a beautiful example of Christ when he visited the assassin while he was in prison and forgave him.

Here are the Swiss Guards - basically body guards of the Pope. They may look harmless and mostly for show, but they are trained by the American Secret Service. A few guards are always around in this garb for decoration, but most of them can be seen in dark suits and ties walking around the grounds, like real Secret Service.

Our guide told us that the requirements for being a Swiss Guard are that you are Swiss, Catholic, and about 5’10” or taller. Most of the Swiss Guards begin when they are around 20-25 years old. Their initial term of service is 3 years and then they can decide if they want to stay and make a career out of it, or move on to something else.

Then we moved into the church. As you walk into Saint Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the world, you enter the ‘vestibule.’ Around the top of the area are 33 statues with the names of the early Popes, the successors of Saint Peter, all who were martyred. These popes only served for months at a time because as soon as a new Pope was elected, they were sought out and executed by the Roman emperors.

The Basilica was built around the time of the Reformation and subtle answers to the accusations that the Church had lost her way were worked in to the art work. These 33 statues show that the Catholic Church was built on the blood of the martyrs, including these first successors of Peter, whose authentic faith was evidenced in the sacrifice that they made. These popes were true servant leaders, who led the Christians faithfully.

From the vestibule you go through more doors with engravings of the preaching and martyrdom of Paul and Peter. Paul is pictured with a sword and a book because scripture is like a double-edged sword and Paul wrote most of the New Testament. Peter is pictured handing off the keys of the Kingdom that Jesus gave him specifically when Jesus said to the disciples “Who do you say that I am?” and Peter answered that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God.

The bottom panel shows how they were martyred, Paul by being beheaded (since he was a Roman citizen) and Peter by being crucified upside-down because he said he was not worthy to die in the same way that Christ did. Peter was actually martyred in an arena that was right in front of where the church is now and the church was built over where he was buried.

Then if you stand at the back of the church, there is a circle of beautiful red marble. Nowadays it is worth more than gold because there is no more to be mined. It was taken from Egypt by the Romans when they conquered it and was used in Rome as the place where emperors were crowned. At the time the Romans were using it, if you weren’t an emperor or a very important person and you dared to walk across the circle, you were immediately executed. Later in history it was given to the Church and now it sits in the back of Saint Peter’s proclaiming that those who enter are much loved and kings and queens in God’s eyes.

One of my favorite parts was seeing the pillars that are the main supports for the church. They are fairly simple, but they have statues on the inside that you see as you look toward the altar at the front of the church. The statues on these pillars are all of monks, sisters, etc. all who were known for the way they cared for the poor and made Jesus known through acts of charity. They wanted to represent that this is a core value of the Catholic Church, one that is near and dear to Jesus’ heart. This core value is near and dear to Brendan and my hearts too, so it was great to hear.

And the art! Did you know that there are no paintings in Saint Peter’s? I definitely didn’t! All the artwork are mosaics based off of Michaelangelo and Raphael’s paintings that are now in the Vatican Museum. The artists had their students painstakingly place small colored tiles or stones into the pattern prescribed by their paintings. I can’t imagine how long it took because the mosaics are everywhere and so detailed!

And then to see the main altar…on the pillars that surround the main altar are mosaics of the four Gospel writers Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (the circles above the lights). So not only is caring for the poor a core value of the Church, but the exceptional appreciation for the truth of the Word of God in the Bible is depicted in prominent places and it is preached from this altar.

It’s tough to see in this picture, but the altar is part of a dedication to the Trinity. Directly above the altar in the top of the dome is a depiction of God made by one of the great painters. Directly below that on the decoration above the altar there is a carving of dove that is often used to symbolize the Holy Spirit. And directly below that is the actual altar where Jesus comes to us in the Eucharist. So in one line from the top to bottom of the church they have a symbol of the Trinity.

It was definitely a good afternoon for Brendan and I, with a great chance to look into the depth of the church. And this blog is just the tip of the iceberg, even of what we learned during the tour! We hope that all of you get to come here someday! K, gotta go!

Love,

Rachel and Brendan

Crazy CARITAS

Yesterday Brendan and I have been married for five months! We celebrated by going to help at Caritas. Every Friday we have the pleasure of helping out at this Catholic soup-kitchen/medical clinic/huge shelter in downtown Rome.

Every time we go I notice new things. It’s similar to helping out at soup kitchens at home, but because of the language barrier we spend more time observing than in conversation.

Last night Brendan was “body guard,” in charge of easing the people in a reasonable pace, and I was a water girl with Michela and Sali. It was tough work, but much more rewarding. The other jobs are giving people tickets, giving them trays, and giving them their choice of food, all of which occur quickly and with a counter separating you. Being out among the people was my favorite job so far, even without knowing much Italian (but we get better every week).

The people are the same as in shelters everywhere, but you see what you want to see. Some volunteers might come and notice only the drug addicts and prostitutes. But when you observe more closely you will see that many people are there because health afflictions have bankrupted them or because they are refugees who have been sent to Italy.

There are many cute older people there who walk with short shuffling steps. During the minutes it takes them to shuffle from their table to the door, they always yell a friendly goodbye. I’ve seen people with urine bags hanging out of their cargo pockets and people struggling to walk with special types of braces.

And you wouldn’t believe the number of refugees that we see at Caritas. Because Italy is just over the Mediterranean Sea from Africa, many refugees are sent here. Every week we meet refugees from Nigeria, Somalia, and Ethiopia, among other African countries. They are all very nice, but frustrated. They spend all day looking for jobs in Italy, but can’t find one. They don’t have a place to stay, so unless they get a spot in Caritas or other shelters they sleep in groups on the street. They speak English or French, and like us they have to learn Italian gradually. They really seem to want to work and even have asked if they could volunteer at Caritas like us, because people need meaningful work to feel like they have value.

On our way to and from Caritas we see many Africans who look like refugees bedding down for the night with the homeless on the streets. We saw men who looked like they had been highly educated in their countries wearing suit coats you could tell had once been expensive and nice. They wander the streets and headed toward Caritas toward dinner.

All I can think of is what if our family was in the same situation - how frustrating it would be for my parents… to be well educated, maybe top of your field as an engineer or a doctor in your home country, and then forced to go to soup kitchens for food because you couldn’t get a good job in the country you had been sent to for safety and a better life. I think it is must be hardest on the older adults. When you are young it could be an adventure, but being middle aged and having to start over would cause all but the most resilient people to despair.

Another group that many people would be surprised to see are the many women that come to Caritas for food and shelter. I’ve been really impressed with the number of women they are able to keep off the streets. And they have such stories… Last night I met Samantha and Nika. Samantha is a law student who just graduated and hasn’t been able to find work yet. Nika is young woman from Romania (a very poor country itself) who came to Italy to work for a family, but they treated her very badly and she left. I hear lots of stories, most that you wouldn’t expect to hear at a shelter.

But among all these struggles there are always the heroes: the people themselves who are trying to make the best of a bad situation, and the people that work or volunteer at Caritas. Every Friday at the front desk there is a Monsignor who reminds me of my Grandpa Bill by the way he looks and his mannerisms. He is a staple for the people that come and is always talking and joking with the people that come in. You can tell that he is their favorite.

There is also a man who gets the information from new people. He teaches Latin at the high school in Rome and he knows a little English. He has been helping at Caritas almost every Friday night for five years. He is so humble and was telling Brendan that he only wishes he could do more, that his work “is just a drop in the ocean” like Mother Teresa said. But it is a needed drop.

And finally there is Carlo. Carlo began working at Caritas nine years ago when he was our age (early 20s). He was so dedicated to this place that he worked his way up from being the guy at the front gate to the head of the soup kitchen and helps coordinate the meals. Carlo is a people person who speaks Italian and English and he spends the whole night supervising and making sure that things run smoothly. He is kind and funny, but he can also be tough when someone starts yelling. The people know that he cares about them and they respect him.

It just goes to show you that the people that you want to be friends with are people who are deeply involved in service. Over the college years, the people on the Service and Justice Team at St. Thomas Aquinas were some of my very best friends. When you are surrounded by people who live to love God and other people you can’t help but be inspired to grow closer to God.

Please pray for the people at Caritas and the volunteers that serve them. And go serve at shelter near you! I can honestly say it was one of the best anniversary/dates we’ve had!

Love you all,
Rachel and Brendan

Bondia Timor Leste!

Ok, I suppose many of you are wondering if we’re any closer to knowing what’s happening with East Timor. We’ve been learning bits and pieces the whole time, but now we know more details.

We will be leaving Rome during the first few days of December, by December 3^rd at the latest. After a really long time flying, and a bus trip through West Timor to East Timor, we will make it to Dili. Dili is the capital of East Timor and the largest city. Brendan and I will stay in Dili, but Sali and Chris will continue on by bus to Baucau where they will live in the volunteer house with Dogmara (Sali’s sister).

Oh, and another important piece of information: since we are leaving for East Timor during the first few days of December, we will return to Rome at the very end of November and be home in Des Moines early next December – a month earlier than we anticipated! We’ll probably be dying of cold after a year of 100^o F days, but it will great to be home a month earlier than we thought.

Ok, more on where we’ll be staying. We just found out that Brendan and I will be staying with two Australian volunteers in the Dili volunteer house near Comoro, the name of the complex run by the Canossian Sisters.

The house we’ll be living in doesn’t look bad at all. To be honest it’s not much different from living in the Roman VOICA house. We really are getting back to the basics here – we cook on gas burners, no microwave, we dry our laundry outside, we don’t watch any TV…everyday is an adventure compared to the conveniences we’re used to. In Timor the house looks similar - little and very simple, but clean, which will be great!

Another picture of the volunteer house.

And now we know more about what the Sisters do in Dili and Baucau. In Dili the Comoro complex is home to all levels of school – kindergarten through college, has a boarding area for students that come from the country side, a church, an area for the community of Sisters, and a health clinic. Here are some of the pictures from past volunteers.

Past longterm volunteers by the classrooms. We heard that the volunteer house had a squatting hole-in-the-floor toilet before, but because of the volunteer second from the right was older and the squatting hurt her knees they got creative and made some type of makeshift toilet. Hopefully that’s still there!

Here are some of the primary school kids. We’re being especially groomed to be teachers in the school, because they’re really trying to teach the children English. Once we have a better grasp on Tetum we may be able to teach other classes too. They even have some old school computers and try to teach them the basics. With Australia so close, having English and computer knowledge can greatly improve their job prospects in a country where unemployment is one of the biggest problems.

They also have a health clinic at the school and that’s where I’m hoping to work in addition to teaching a bit. Sister Sonia, the volunteer coordinator for Dili, has asked Sister Pat for our resumes so she can start thinking about the best place to put us. Please pray that God puts us in the jobs He wants us.

And here are some more pictures of volunteers in classrooms. It gives us an idea of what it might be like for us.

This is the college section of the school.

The Sisters are obviously doing a great job of trying to lift the people up here spiritually and with a quality education. The pictures look fairly calm and not so different from home, but the reality is that Dili and all of East Timor were ripped apart by violence and the destruction of most of their infrastructure only nine years ago during their struggle for independence.

Last night we watched a movie called Answered by Fire about East Timor’s independence in 1999 and the violence that followed. I felt like I was watching Hotel Rwanda again… but it felt closer, because the movie held the experience of the people who we are going to live among and serve. We will be teaching not Iowan children, but children and teens who may live with the memory of watching a relative be murdered by machete. They may still be trying to comprehend a world full of uncertainty and evil.

But the deep faith and their courage are apparent in what we have learned of their history, in the East Timorese we met at World Youth Day, and in our teacher Sister Ana Florinda. It is easy to act courageously when you know you are safe, but to be courageous when you know you will probably be killed for it, is completely different. I have never been courageous like that…

The movie makes me wonder who am I to be given the blessing of security based on the place I was born and family that I was born into? All I know is that to those who are given much, much is expected from (like in the parable of the talents). I have been given the world, a wonderful husband, family, and friends, and a confidence in an unconditional love, so it would be fair to expect that my whole time here on earth should be devoted to those who were given less by birth.

In the gospel at Mass this morning, God read my mind as He usually does. Still thinking a lot about the movie, I thought about the many people who risked their lives to save others when the Indonesian militias were on the rampage. And the part of Luke that was read was where Jesus says not to be afraid of those who can kill your body but can’t touch your soul, but be afraid of the one who can condemn your soul to hell. And I thought of the people who knew by faith that to do the right thing they might lose their life, but save their soul.

Brendan and I are blessed that God has allowed us on this trip to be history-makers with them as they form their new country. Hopefully we will be able to help in some incredibly small way, if only in showing solidarity with them. Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers. We love you!

Always,

Rachel and Brendan

A Day At The Beach

This is old news, but still some nice pictures: two Sundays ago Brendan, Alex, and I headed out on a day trip to the Ostia Beach. We packed a picnic lunch, brought a towel or two, and headed out. Here we’re waiting for the wonderful 982 bus that takes us into the city from the VOICA house.


While we were waiting for the next bus that would take us to the train to Ostia we saw a papal motorcade. The local police rode alongside the cars headed to the Vatican. They probably love it – the traffic is insane in Rome (as you’ve read from Brendan’s blog) and it would be a nice break from the craziness.

So we caught the bus after a long wait, and made it to the train station at Piramide. We got on the train and thought that are troubles were over – Francesca’s directions said that all we had to do was ride the train for a long time, get off, walk for 5 minutes, and we’d be at the Ostia beach!

Near the end of the line there was a stop called Ostia Antica (old Ostia). The name should have given us a little clue, but nooo. We dutifully set off and walked five minutes in what seemed like a good direction. We saw many tourists headed in this direction so we figured we couldn’t go wrong.

What we discovered was not a beach, but loads of ancient ruins and a walking path through them. We looked at a sign and it had a beachlike symbol so we followed the path. The ruins were beautiful and it was a nice day out so it wasn’t too bad. Finally thinking that maybe the beach was not in this direction, we asked at the gift shop and the lady almost laughed at us. She said we needed to get back on the train and go farther, to the very last stop.

Here are people in an old ampitheater in the middle of the ruins. Look at the trees too – these trees are the same as in Rome. They are all very tall with leaves only on the highest branches. The park across the street from the convent is filled with these trees and they make for a gorgeous landscape, it’s just too bad their not very good for climbing.

Waiting at the Ostia Antica train station Brendan took this artistic picture. We got on the train and made it to the last stop: Cristoforo Colombo. You can see why we thought that the Ostia beach would be at the only station with Ostia in the name.

We had finally made it to the beach and we were only a few hundred feet away – we could see it and smell it…but we couldn’t get to it! The whole beach was lined with private beach areas that you had to be a member of to pass through to get to the few feet of public beach. We walked half a mile before we could find a place to sneak through. And there we were at the Italian beach in all its glory!

This isn’t the best picture of me and Alex, but it gives you a pretty clear view of the twenty feet of dark sand, massive black pipeline of who-knows-what, and the ocean!

Here we are enjoying our small plot of sand : ) It was actually very fun and very relaxing after our adventure getting there. We sat in the sand, waded, talked, and people-watched!

See how dark the sand was at this beach! But it was so soft and fine. Walking barefoot into the surf was great!

Brendan spied this sign as we left the beach. NO PET ELEPHANTS ALLOWED AT THE BEACH! Oh yeah, and no dogs either ; )

Alex and I on the train ride home. We made it home just in time to grab dinner and talk to my family on Skype before they headed out to the Davis Family reunion!

In more recent news:

Brendan and I booked tickets to Ireland during the five day break from training that we have in early November. We were invited to visit Tom and Tina Cummings and we are so excited to join them for a few days and get to see a little bit of the gorgeous 'home' country!

We got two of the free tickets Ryan Air is giving away which was awesome - we just have to pay for our connecting flight and a few dollars for required English transport fees. But we’ll let you know how it goes when that time comes. Ireland here we come!

Much love,

Rachel and Brendan

Disturb Us, O Lord

Hey everyone! There's so much to write, but we're busy here and we know that you're very busy back at home. So this time we'll go for quality over quantity and since this will be short you'll have a few more days to read through Brendan's blog about our four-city trip this past weekend. But before I forget, here’s a prayer we went over recently that is very thought provoking. I hope it challenges you as it has me.

Disturb Us, O Lord

Disturb us, O Lord,
When we are too well pleased with ourselves;
When our dreams have come true
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, O Lord,
When with the abundance of things we possess,
We have lost our thirst for the water of Life;
When, having falling in love with the present time,
We have ceased to dream of Eternity;
And in our efforts to build a new earth;
We have allowed our vision of Heaven to grow dim.

Disturb us, O Lord,
To dare more boldly,
To venture more seas,
Where storms shall show your mastery,
Where losing sight of land we find more stars.

In the name of Him who pushed back the horizons of our hopes and
Invited the brave to follow Him. Amen.

- Anonymous

Four City's, One Video, And A Whole Lot of Pictures!

The beginning of our journey. Sr. Pat invited all of us long-term (1-2 years) volunteers to attend a conference with the short-term (1 month) Italian volunteers. The conference was to be held in Brescia, which is within an hour or two of Venice.

Rachel and I taking our first car nap of the trip. The first leg up north took about 6 hours of driving, but we got to stop in Assisi and explore!

Here is Assisi from afar, quite a beautiful sight after spending a month in congested Rome. I can see why St. Francis loved it.

In fact, we got to meet the famous man himself. Here is Rach taking a walk just outside the church of San Damiano, where God spoke to St. Francis through a crucifix telling him to rebuild His church.

Here is the actual Crucifix which spoke to Francis. It is now in the Basilica of St. Clare, which is just up the hill. This cross is really special to both Rachel and I. For our wedding we had a copy of this crucifix blessed as the symbol of our marriage, to remind us that Christ is the center of us. We went to Divine Treasures (the Catholic Christian bookstore) in Des Moines and this was the biggest crucifix they had. We didn’t know the story behind it or that we would ever be in Assisi, but we bought it. As always, God knew where we were headed before we did.

Here is the finished product of St. Francis’s handiwork. The Lord then used St. Francis to start a revival of faith in Italy and eventually his Franciscan brothers spread throughout the world, bringing light to places as far away as the Bronx of New York City and California (San Francisco).

Assisi was really a great time, things got really special when my brothers in arms nominated me to become a knight. I politely declined, but they would not let me leave. Sooooo…..

Here I am preparing for the official ceremony.

Here I am after receiving my knighthood, with my fellow knights of the round table as we prepare for battle. (I’m the tall, good looking one on the left)

After Assisi, we were off to Verona, where the founder of the Canossian Sisters lived. St. Magdalene of Canossa was born into a noble family in 1774, impelled by the charismatic spirit of Christ she began her own “volunteer projects”. She began to set up schools for those on the streets, to visit the sick and involve as many people as she could in her work. Her story was one going from riches to rags. She founded the Canossian sisters, who founded VOICA, which is the program that we are in right now.

Her bones are inside of this alter, the face and hands are made of wax. She was moved here in 1988, after Pope John Paul II declared her a saint.

Rachel – “These are the coolest shoes I’ve ever seen!!!! :) ”

The town of Brescia. One of the best little italian city’s around.

The five of us posing on top of the castle. This was our last day with Alex, as she is leaving us for one month to teach in a school by Milan.

After the conference up north, we headed back to Rome. But.....Sr. Pat graciously gave us a chance to see Florence on the way. As we were getting closer and closer to the city there were a bunch of signs for Firenze, but none for Florence. This was confusing, until I learned that Firenze is the Italian name for Florence.

Here is the huge Cathedral of Florence, it was so big I couldn’t get a good picture of it.

A street artist at work, there were many of these around and they are incredible at what they do. It’s a shame that this will disappear when the next batch of rain comes along.

Some pig that the natives trick the tourists into touching for good luck.

Here's a street band that was amazing to listen to, they played great music and attracted a large crowd of onlookers. Rach and I talked things over and we have no idea what kind of instrument that is in the front. If anyone knows, feed our curiousity and tell us!

Our dinner! Pizza, which we found in a romantic, hole in the wall type place. Quite an excellent find by my gorgeous wife.

Our last look at Florence by night, as we headed back to Roma.
It was a journey of mearly 4 days, but will last a lifetime in our memories.
God Bless,
The Egans

Birthday Bash!

Ok, Brendan and I don’t actually get to attend their birthday party, but Mary and Sarah Downey are turning 14 years old on October 11th! Everyone knows that they’re practically world famous for their various accomplishments in band, choir, mock trial, cross country, and writing, but for this momentous occasion we knew we had to put a tribute to them up on our blog.

Here they are, looking gorgeous as bridesmaids just a few months ago. Sarah is on the left, then Laura, Mom, me, and Mary on the right.

If you are friends with these girls, count yourself lucky! They are kind and gentle, but strong and spunky. Already in their young lives they have become known for being successful at all the things that really matter – they have shared Jesus’ love and warm food with the hungry at Café Connection in downtown Des Moines, they give the best hugs you’ll ever get, they have taught younger children at Vacation Bible School, they have befriended middle school classmates who were excluded, they have written deep and beautiful things about faith and life, and are growing up into godly young women. So I’ll say it again – if you are friends with these girls, count yourself lucky, and if you aren’t friends yet don’t walk, run, and meet them while you can!

So twins, even though Brendan and I are in Rome, we are thinking and praying for you and know that you will do great things this year and for the rest of your lives. Keep up the good work! We love you!

Love always,

Rachel and Brendan

General Info and Playing Catch Up

Exciting news is that we’ve gotten our schedule for the rest of our training. We do sessions on spiritual topics once or twice a day with the Sisters and the rest the time we do our work, studying, and a little bit of relaxing.

Lately instead of sweeping as our morning work, we’ve been repacking donations from medicine companies to be shipped on a container load to Togo, Africa. To be put to use for the Sister’s there. We heard that at a recent wedding the bride and groom asked people not to bring them presents, but to bring items that could be used by the Sisters in Africa. So that’s how we ended up with a ton of glasses and lenses, clothes and lots of other stuff. So cool! But anyway, this week (including this morning) we’ve been preparing the medicine for shipping and our Saturday will be spent loading the boxes into the giant container for its journey. Pray that the medicines get there safely and are able to be used efficiently.

But back to the good news about the schedule:

- We have lots of cool things planned to talk about and experience during our formation sessions

- We’ll be keeping up with the twice weekly Tetum lessons (and lots of homework and memorizing vocabulary)

- We each have to give two 30-45 minute presentations on a topic of our choosing to the group to practice teaching (all of us will be needed to teach at least some in the schools the Sisters run in East Timor). Those will be interesting, but it’s not like school. It’s just talking to people about anything you’re passionate about or know a lot about. So we’ll get to learn a lot about each other and interesting topics through those.

- Friday evening’s we will serve in the soup kitchen, Caritas

- The Sisters’ have planned a four day trip with us to Verona, Italy, to meet up with some other volunteers and have a bit of a retreat! There is also time in the schedule for us to travel a little bit if we want – four days in November. Brendan and I are hoping to visit some relatives in Ireland if it works out!

- And finally we’ll get to continue exploring Rome on Sundays, our wonderful free day!

Exploring Rome will be fun for the rest of the time because we have a native Roman who has joined our volunteer group. Her name is Francesca and the past few days she’s volunteered to cook us authentic Italian food for lunch and it has been delicious! Currently she works as a journalist for a non profit organization, but she wants to go on another mission so she’s doing formation with us during the mornings and works during the afternoons.

She’s said she would like to show us around to make sure we see the famous stuff and get the local flavor as well. This Sunday we’re hoping to go to the beach(southwest of Rome) and she’s going to help us find a public beach so we don’t have to pay to swim (if it’s warm enough).

We’ll keep you updated on the exploring. We’ve been working very hard lately so there hasn’t been much time, but hopefully with Francesca’s help we’ll find things that are interesting, cheap, and close to our part of Rome so we can visit more places more often.

And for a quick review, last week we fit in a lot of formation and we did a lot of cool things. We…

…Saw Pope Benedict XVI again. Yay!

People behind us cheering wildly at the weekly papal audience.

Brendan and I went on a gelato date to celebrate being married for four months! We walked through St. Peter’s Square at night to get to the best gelato spot in Rome (secret location courtesy of past volunteers). It was gorgeous, as you can see!

We also spend a good amount of our free time playing soccer and ping pong in front of the volunteer house. It’s always a great time and the volunteers who didn’t play soccer before have picked it up quickly : )

Here Brendan is kicking the ball in mid air. He’s been learning some new soccer moves and then using them on us during the games. He’s pretty much unstoppable, but it makes for a good challenge.

The other day we played boys vs. girls – 2 vs. 3. And we won (thanks to the boys letting us have a goal about 20 feet long compared to their 4 foot goal. But the boys have challenged us to a rematch because “they went easy on us” so we’ll let you know how that goes.

Oh yes, and I’ve gotten a hair cut!

Here Alex and Sali pose with the scissors before cutting off half of my hair – it’s now about seven inches shorter!

Alex did all the cutting. She was practically a professional with lots of experience from living in a girls’ boarding school in England for many years and giving a lot of hair cuts. I felt perfectly relaxed with my hair in her hands : )

After the final cut, we were very content with the result.

So everything is going well! We miss you all and wish you all God’s best, especially during this time of financial trouble in the U.S. We’ve been praying that people will to look to Jesus in these hard times.

Much love,
Rachel and Brendan

P.S. Super interesting Bible fact I just learned today… Did you know that the Bible didn’t originally have chapter and verse divisions?

Around the year 1226, Cardinal Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, developed the chapter divisions. Two men in the 16^th century made the verse divisions: Fr. Santes Pagnino, a Dominican priest, and Robert Stephanus, a printer.

I had honestly never thought about it before. But it’s great to know that the Holy Spirit helped guide the choices as the books that would be part of the Bible were determined and divisions were made (probably so it would be easier to find or refer to specific parts of each book). Anyway, it was really interesting so I had to share.