Vocational Witness: "You are Special!"
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March 1, 2021Peace and good!
I would like to recount an episode that has been very important in my life and my vocational journey: the day I understood that Jesus was calling me to consecrate myself to Him. Everything started on April 5, 2013 when I participated in my first retreat with some nuns. Let’s say that the sisters had to be a bit insistent in order to get me to come, because I didn’t want to become a nun and sincerely wasn’t very interested in participating in these things. My mom almost forced me to go, though, saying that it would be a beautiful experience. As soon as I got there, I wanted to leave – I’m a very shy person and have always had trouble bonding with people because everyone always makes fun of me. As there would be other girls at the retreat, I thought I would have no fun and feel left out. But that isn’t what happened! We all got along really well, and I ended up making good friendships with some of them.
The theme for the retreat was “You are Special.” I felt like a loser when I first arrived, but it was not by chance that this was the first time anyone ever told me, you are special. This has revolutionized my life because I began to understand that someone really loved me – and that someone was God! During these 3 days of retreat, we did an activity involving a wooden puppet named Jimmy: at first, everyone criticizes him, but then he discovers the love of God through another character named Sally. I identified myself a lot with Jimmy. I felt like him. I even played him in a skit. Then on April 7, 2013, while I was praying during adoration, I felt Joy, Peace, and Serenity inside of me in a way that I had never experienced before. In that moment I felt loved: God entered into my heart and I felt so happy! That day was also the last day of the retreat, and when our parents came, I started to cry because I did not want to leave. At the beginning I hadn’t wanted to come on the retreat, but now I didn’t want to go home! I understood that the convent was my new home. Now I have been discerning for 7 years at a distance with the Little Nuns of Jesus and Mary, and I can say that I am very happy!!
