Sharing the Joy of Suffering with Christ

Sorry I missed another day of blogging, I was still in and out of stomach problems but you got to hear my amazing story!

Yesterday, when I woke up I thought I was feeling amazing! So I hurried the girls up and out of Hotel Maria to make it in time for mass. As soon as I arrived my stomach had other plans for me. I sat down and when I stood up for the entrance my stomach was gruggling and I ran to the bathroom feeling as if I was going to vomit. When I got to the volunteers room it was locked because it doesn't open for breakfast till around 7 and it's also a good way to encourage those that come a little early to go upstairs for mass,... but it wasn't working in my favor. I saw Sr. Melrose and she figured I needed to go to the bathroom because i was holding my stomach, so she brought me to a private room and I got to use the Sister's bathrooms! I felt special... but when I was finally in the bathroom, i felt fine.... frustrated that all that hasseling and leaving mass and finally in front of the bathroom and feeling perfectly fine. Well I went back upstairs to the chapel and sat outside and listened in on mass. Once again when I stood up my I felt like vomitting so I ran to the bathroom and this time I did what I had to do. I felt a thousand times better afterwards. But my stomach was still killing me everytime I stood up. After mass I went to the volunteers room and I honestly feel as if I finally am settled because I have so many volunteers asking me if I'm feeling alright and MC sisters checking up on me. Sr. Karina was hoping and asking if I would come at 3 to help lead taize and then 4:30 till 6 to lead choir practice. She soon realized I was feeling horrible and told me today I will stay at home and not go to Daya Dan. She told me wait till all the volunteers leave and she will get me a Doctor (one of the MC sisters is a doctor). After everyone left Sr. Karina was finding Sr. Michael (the doctor) and while I waited they were mopping the volunteers room. Sr. Druscilla was filling up the buckets or water and soap and getting the towels out and here I was sitting all lazy. So I got up and reached towards the towel. "You, sit!" Sr. Druscilla told me. Hahaha. I looked at her stubornly. I wasn't going to sit and watch her on her hands and knees mopping the floor while I'm lazy in the corner. So I grabbed for the towel and soaked it in soap water and began to mop. She came over and tugged at the towel from me with a smirk. "You are sick, today you rest.. you can come mop all next week" I told her... "I was good enough to walk to Mother House, I'm good enough to mop, plus when I'm croached over my stomach feels find. We were laughing and she was pulling at my towel trying to stop me and I was tugging back. It was a funny tug-a-war with lots of laughter and smiles. She gave up and let me mop for half a second and asked a different volunteer to take the towel from me. My friend Gemma came over and snuck up behind me and snatched the towel away from me. "Sorry, Sister's order" she said. I looked over at Sr. Druscilla and she just smiled with a smirk. I then got called by Sr. Karina to go see Dr. Sr. Michael and they took me into a private room at the Mother House where all the sisters eat their meals (which i was excited about because I was always curious what was behind there) and Sr. Micahel asked about all sorts of things. From what I ate, I'm able to eat, if I had diaherra, vomitting, and a lot of other stuff. She then subscribed me to A LOT OF MEDS! I need to take 5 different meds a day, some a couple times a day! The good thing is that it's not thypoid or malaria, it's just food problem. When Sr. Karina and Sr. Michael went to get the meds I sat in the room and was able to meditate upon a divine mercy image and do a chaplet in time before they get back. I've been praying something specifically since I've been here and when Sr. Karina came back the words that came out of her mouth blew my mind. I was in awe, and it brought me much comfort and consolations to my prayers. It something I choose not to share but it deffinately was an answer prayer for me. Before leaving the room I looked at all my meds and looked over at Sr. Karina and told her "Do I have to take these meds. I think as human we rely so much on meds. Can't I share in the joy of suffering with the passion of Chirst". Sr Karina said to me, "You must take the meds. I don't want to hear your philosophy". It was freak'n halrious and I just cracked up laughing. She told me she thinks just like me because she's been sick for a while and said the same thing and Sr. Michael made her take the meds. She told me "There are ways God grants you the Joy of Suffering. There are extraordinary ways and ordinary ways. In my case, it is an ordinary way because God also created the mind and the medicine to cure this and I must take it to get better, and the extraoridanry way if someone develope cancer that can't be cured God will grant them the grace to experience the joy although they suffer." She than popped out the pills I needed to take for the morning and mixed the powered whatever with water and made me drink and take them in front of her. hahaha seriously... it's great. It makes me smile.
I visited Mother's Tomb afterwards and on my way out a Carmalite priest stopped me and introduced himself (Fr. Marcel) and asked for my name. It was so neat seeing him in his brown robe or whatever you call it. It's just so amazing seeing all these different religious and holy order here in India. I've already met a Franciscan in his Blueish grey robe, and a St. James Brother in his robe and also a Loretto sister in her Habit, it's just SOOOO Beautiful! I wish I saw more religious and holy order men and women in the states walking the streets in their habits and vestments. Anyways, He was excited to see that I was wearing a brown scapular. He told me mine has been well worn (by the way: my brown scapular I wear on at all times and never take it off, only when it breaks... I shower with it on so after some time the words and image on it becomes worned off ) but he told me, "I want to give you a blessing and this week I'll try to bring you a new and better scapular." I was so excited and it was truly comforting and humbling. It will be amazing if he remembers to bring one for me but I'm not banking off it, i'm sure he's pretty busy.
When I finally got back to my hotel, the first thing I wanted to do was call Sara... while i was still able to sit up still. And of course it was really comforting to hear her voice and talk. Afterwards i went back to my room (around 12) and just laid low. Caitlin brought me toast for lunch and Brianna came back from her first day volunteering at Shishu Bahavan. By the way...Brianna LOVES it! She's really excited. But I slept from 12pm till 8:30 pm! And woke up here and there to take my meds. I had to take a C.R.S. packet that Sister gave me... ugh, it tastes like crap. Around 6pm, Dona, Carlan, and Mary (the irish gals) stopped by my room to see how I was doing, and it really made me feel happy because I was getting visitors while I was SICK! It was really thoughtful. At the time I still couldn't sit up and I felt horrible everytime I did. After they left I fell back to sleep sometime in between the time the left and 8:30 I ate an orange for dinner (not the best idea). Keep in mind all I had during the day was a banana from the mother house for breakfast, I only finished one piece of toast that caitlin brought me for lunch, and now the orange. Well, I awoke at 8:30 because Briana and Caitlin were going out to dinner and I tried to sit up but it wasn't working for me. Everytime I did... i felt like vomitting again. So they left without me and I just felt so lazy laying in bed all day so I sat up and ...... when I did the feeling came back and I ran to the bathroom and sadly vomitted again (second time that day.... 3rd time since I've been in India). It's gross and whatnot but honestly, it was the best thing that happened to me. I had fully engergy again and was able to stand without feeling like crap, and so I cease the opportunity to get work done. I had a pile of dirty laundry that haven't been washed for over a week and a half and was wearing the same pair of clothes since I've been sick (3+ days). As I was filling up the bucket of water (oh yeah, i did laundry in the bathroom because I was too lazy to go upstairs on the roof) but as I was filling up the bucket the hotel manager knocked on my door. I came out and he said... your sister is on the phone. WHAT?!?!?!?! My SISTER? I was blown away. I didn't know how she knew I was sick or to even get my number at Hotel Maria! I got on the phone and started talking and it didn't sound like any of my sister, but it sounded alot like my Aunt Ann. Anyways.... It actually was Sr. Karina calling to check up on me! How amazing is that! I felt SOOOO loved! Minutes after vomitting, and hours of feeling like crap. Finally when I'm able to get out of bed I got a phone call from Sister. She said she's been praying all day, and missed me at Taize practice and Choir practic. She was happy to hear I slept alot and I told her I prayed a rosary for her around 3 for Taize and Choir practice. She told me although we didn't have a guitar player, the Korean priest came down and helped with Taize practice and taught the harmony and they practiced accapella. And then for choir practice Sr. Karina lead as much as she could for the mass part accapella. Get this....... this will make you smile Michael G. But she sent a Sister from Shishu Bahavan that had a CD over there and Cd Player that had the song, blessed be your name. Sr. Karina said she realized the recording of Blessed Be Your Name was a recording from MICHAEL G!!!!!! How exciting is that! She said it made her think of you/me because I knew you and smiled and wanted to tell me that ... so I'm relaying the message back to you (M.G.). I sat and talked on the phone with Sr. Karina for a bit and she asked about a couple other things. She told me I shouldn't eat solid food for a day since nothing is settling with me right now, and drink plenty of fluids. I told her I feel lazy because I know I can do a lot of work if it was only the stomach pain but its the fact that I feel like vomitting when I stand up that kills me and make me not be able to do anything. Sr. Karina than told me, "Remember when you told me you want to share in the joy of suffering. This is your suffering, because you want to serve and be at Daya Dan and it is great suffering that all you can do is lay and rest, so offer it to go and share the joy of suffering as you rest." It was funny, cute, and made me smile. When I got off the phone I went back to my room .... and did ALL my laundry (totally against sisters order) but it was the one time I felt good enough to do anything so I took advantage of it......and than RESTED! Although I didn't sleep much at all last night because my whole sleeping schedule was thrown off by sleeping during the day... I finally fell as sleep at 4:30 not long after the birds, and the sound of the Mosse (I don't know how you spell it; the call for prayer... maybe it's Muslim, its horrible because I took a class on the culture of India right before I left and I forgot everything already). well.....i slept in this morning and woke up briefly when Briana and Caitlin got up for work, I encouraged them to go to Kalighat although they weren't assigned there but I knew there was mass there at 10:30 and I was able to help out when I randomly came without a slip so I told them give it a shot but they might get sent back. I told them look for my friend Zach at breakfast and follow him because he'll be going to Kalighat. Well, they returned at 9:30 and told me they were asked for the slip so there weren't able to work but they were excited that they were able to see Kalighat. We're all going to Daya Dan this afternoon for afternoon slip. I probably can talk Sr. Christalata to have Briana work there for a day and see the place and although Caitlin I don't have slips for the afternoon.... they've seen us there enough. We're going to mass at St. Mary's tonight at 6:30! To see this catherderal in India, I hear it's just absolutley beauitful on the inside, so I'm excited.
Well, I thought I'd blog so I don't freak everyone out about what's going on... continue to keep me in your prayers. I'm feeling better today but...... I also was feeling better last friday then something just hit me. So it's the stomach... please pray. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I send you may blessings and prayers with you also!