This was a beautiful little hitch-hiking experience that I wish to share with y'all:
Dec. 27 – Five of us Poor Friars and Poor Nuns got rides from friends to Houston, TX, where we slept overnight at Sr. Caterina's uncle and aunt's house.
Dec. 28th – In the afternoon, Sr. Caterina's aunt drove us to the Greyhound station where we hopped onto the bus that took us to El Paso, TX.
Dec. 29th – Feast of the Holy Family - Fr. Antonio, Friar Bernardo, and I (Sr. Jacinta) got off the bus to hitch hike the rest of the way while Srs. Caterina and Eliora continued on the bus to Phoenix, AZ. When the friars and I began walking to the nearest parish for Mass (to begin our hitch hiking adventure), we were surprised by the confrontation of literally freezing wind and temperatures. Learning from our mistake (not being prepared beforehand) and offering it up to the Lord, we pursued with courage and hope for God's providence. After Mass, two ladies took us out for brunch and a ride to Las Cruces, NM. Our hearts were warmed by their generosity and we felt energized to hitch hike. It was a little warmer there in Las Cruces and we happily went out from there and put up our thumbs. Not so long of a wait, a man named Chris picked us up and drove us to Deming, NM. Beautiful conversations took place and we saw how beautiful a soul he was – an excellent opportunity of evangelization! One thing that I was struck by was his devotion to the Virgin Mary – the first (to my knowledge) of a non-Catholic having a devotion to the Virgin Mary! And him seeing the Virgin Mary in me (or rather my reflection) was a great and beautiful encouragement for me personally to strive all the more to imitate her devotedly. Again, in Deming, we stood beside the road (that leads to highway 10) and put up our thumbs. An hour past... we continued praying the meditated rosary... another hour past and... we sang a few Italian songs and Fr. Antonio had me pray midday prayer... it was 3pm and still nobody had stopped for us. We were about to go in search for a nearby parish to ask for shelter when... here comes Chris on his yellow motorcycle! He pulled over, surprised to see us still there, and told us to wait and he would come back in his car to take us to the nearest parish. We rejoiced! Chris not only did that, but also took us to a Mexican restaurant and offered the option to take us in at his house if it didn’t work out at the parish. Although, upon arriving, a beautiful soul named Hector welcomed us in. There we met several parishioners and the parish priest who excitedly invited us to join them for the evening Mass. After Mass, the priest took us in for the night at the rectory and the two friars accompanied him to give witness to the youth group. We were struck by the priest’s hospitality and humbleness.
Dec. 30th – The next morning, one of the ladies on staff at the parish (with her friend) took us out for breakfast before driving us to Tucson, AZ. As we were nearing Tucson, she told us that she couldn’t drop us off there… so she would take us all the way to Phoenix! We three were amazed by her charity of going out of her daily routine to drive 5 hours to get us to Phoenix and another 5 hours back! And not only that, but also taking us out to a Mexican restaurant in Phoenix before dropping us off at the conference center – where we then met up with the sisters in time to get registered before evening Mass.
If you’re interested to hearing more experiences during the time of the conference, keep an eye out for upcoming posts! Peace and good y’all!