Bowling Green, KY and South Bend, IN

After a delayed departure from Memphis, I arrived in Bowling Green, KY, at 8:30pm on Thursday night. Upon my arrival, I received a meal and a tour of the Church. Shortly after that, I headed to bed to rest up for Friday.

Since the priests at Holy Spirit Catholic Church were kind enough to let me stay with them on such short notice, I offered to help with whatever I could within the parish. This led to me spending the day with Deacon Matthew. In the morning, he allowed me to ride along to deliver Holy Communion to a man who was unable to make it to Mass. During the short prayer service, I had the opportunity to do a reading and a short reflection on the reading. After that, we headed back to the church for daily Mass.

Following Mass, Deacon treated me to lunch as we watched the local Bowling Green little league team play on ESPN. Once we finished eating, we headed back to the youth room to get started on the real work. For a couple of hours, I was able to help sort, clean, and re-organize the youth room to get ready for the youth ministry kickoff celebration.

On Saturday, I got the chance to go with Deacon and some of the kids from the youth group to Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana. The day was spent on rollercoasters and the night was spent at the Rock the World Christian Music Concert. It was inspiring to see people of all ages and religious backgrounds coming together to praise God!

Sunday, after attending Mass, I left Bowling Green and headed towards South Bend, Indiana. About half way through my six and a half hour drive, I stopped at a rest stop. On my way out, a man stopped me and asked for help. He said that he lost his wallet and he was was trying to make it home to Detroit. Luckily for him, the day that I left Memphis, a man gave me $20 and told me to use it for gas. Knowing the feeling of not being able to make it home without relying on the generosity of others (thank you all), I decided to give him the $20 to help him out. Three hours of off pitch singing later, I arrived in South Bend, IN, ready for the next experience on this journey!

After some great conversation with Father Kohrman following my arrival on Sunday, my adventures in South Bend, Indiana took off on Monday. In the Morning, I worked at Vinny’s: The St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop. I spent my time there sorting shoes. It wasn’t a glamorous job, but it saved somebody else the trouble of doing it, so I was happy to help!

After some down time, I headed to the Holy Family School to set up for an evening of bingo. Having fewer helpers than usual, they asked me if I would be willing to lend a hand setting up a gym full of tables. Again, the work was nothing life changing but it made somebody’s job a little bit easier, so it was worth it!

Following an afternoon nap (trying to catch up on some lost sleep due to an unexpected 3:00am concert put on by “DJ Doorbell Ringer”), I went with a couple, Karen and Dennis, to grab some food from the pantry and deliver it to two families in the community. Although neither household seemed very talkative, Dennis and Karen and I carried on a great conversation in the car amongst ourselves. I was able to share with them my story and mission which led to many other stories about faith and service.

They told me about their pilgrimage to Medjugorje, and their experiences there. They shared with me the miraculous experiences in their life including seeing the “spinning sun”, a Rosary turning from silver to gold, the smell of fresh roses in the middle of winter, the smell of strong incense burning during adoration when there was none present, and the healing of their daughters.

To make the night even better, they generously gave me money for gas and treated me to a pizza and breadsticks! While we were ordering the pizza, I explained my mission trip to the staff and the girl at the register seemed especially intrigued. After hearing about what I am doing, she told me about the service work that she is involved in. So there I was, at a Papa John’s in South Bend, Indiana, talking about faith and service with a complete stranger! I continue to be amazed by the people that God is placing in my live.

Following the evening spent with Karen and Dennis, I went back to the rectory and continued in great conversation with Father Kohrman and Father Julius. I continue to enjoy the opportunity to sit down and have meaningful conversation with the people that I am encountering! A great way to strengthen your faith is to be inspired by the faith of others. And believe me, my encounters have left me thoroughly inspired!

The next day was devoted to finding a place to stay in Michigan, this coming after receiving word that my potential host had an unexpected change of plans. With no place to go and one day to figure things out, I spent the whole morning sending emails and text messages to people and places that might be willing to help me out. By the next morning, I had secured a place to stay in Ypsilanti, Michigan! With my plans always changing, God continues to put the right people in my life at the right time!

Later that evening, I was able to meet up with my friend, Molly. She has committed to doing a year of service as a Lasallian Volunteer in Chicago, IL. Seeing as how this was likely the closest that we will be over the next six months, we decided to meet in Munster, IN, to catch up and grab some dinner. After what I thought was an hour and a half of laughter filled conversation, we said goodbye and headed our separate ways. It turns out that I forgot I had switched timed zones. We were actually there for two and a half hours! Time flies when you are having fun!

As you may recall from one of my earlier blog posts, this is the same Molly whose father unexpectedly passed away just over a month ago. Despite continuing to deal with the tragic loss of her dad, Molly was kind enough to treat me to dinner and make a generous donation to my mission trip! Once again, humbled by the kindness and generosity of the people in my life, I left there with a smile on my face.

Please keep Molly’s family in your prayers, and if you can, help to support them financially (http://www.youcaring.com/erin-nocera-396672#.Va7eO_S8JAE.facebook).

Thank you to everyone that I met at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Bowling Green, KY. Thank you to everyone that I spent time with at Holy Family Catholic Church in South Bend, IN. Thank you to Molly for the continued friendship and inspiration. And thank you to everyone who continues to support me and pray for me! Without you, this trip would not be possible!