Nunnin' It Up

Getting off the plane in Indianapolis, I really didn’t have any idea as to what to expect.  I was supposed to find four people at the airport that I had never seen before and  head to the Benedict Inn.  In my mind I had pictured something similar to a Holiday Inn or Days Inn near the airport.  Fitness center, pool, hot tub—it seemed like a pretty good way to spend my last few days in the states before heading to Kenya.  Let’s just say I was a little off!

Little did I know that the Benedict Inn was actually the “Retreat and Conference Center” for the Sisters of St. Benedict Monastery.  That’s right…monastery!  And as we were pulling up the only thing I could think was, “What in the world am I getting into?”  It’s funny because I sometimes refer to seminary as the monastery or “the compound.”  I love Emmanuel, but let’s just say it’s just a tad bit different than Auburn!  But the past few days—no joke—I’ve been “nunnin’ it up” at the monastery, and surprisingly, it’s been a blast!

Our pre-departure training orientation (PDO), has been similar to a campus ministry retreat.  There’s been lots of sessions, times of worship and prayer, crazy games.  We’ve played ultimate and stayed up singing karaoke to California Girls and Party in the USA…typical nun stuff! 

But what’s been so amazing has been all the people I’ve gotten to meet the past few days.  There’s about 35 of us getting ready to go all over the world this summer—Thailand, Kenya, Spain, England, Mexico, Indonesia, just to name a few—and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen so many people on fire about being God’s hands and feet in the world.  We each shared our testimonies this week, and it has been powerful to hear the work that God has done in each of our lives.  Stories of people growing up in the church, out of the church; stories of redemption, of healing, of transformation...real, raw stories.  I could not be more thankful of everyone’s honesty and boldness.

The monastery has been pretty cool (never thought I’d say that) in that I’ve gotten to experience some of the things I learned in my spiritual formation class.  The Benedict has a Stations of the Cross and a Labyrinth.

No not that Labrynth…but I do love me some Bowie!  I’m no expert on the Labyrinth, but it’s pretty cool.  If you’re not sure what a Labyrinth is, then definitely google it.  Basically a Labyrinth is like a maze that you walk with Christ in the center.  

 I had expected it to look something like a Halloween corn maze, and was surprised to find a concrete slab with lines on it and a bench in the center.  The first time I walked it I was anxious about doing it the right way, but I feel like God really spoke to me while I was walking yesterday morning.  I kept wanting to look around and see how far I was from the center, but then it hit me…I didn’t have to worry about getting there.  If I followed the path laid out before me, then God would lead me to Christ, to Him…to life.  I was reminded of my own life and my own faith journey and just how sovereign God truly is.  

It’s sad that each of us up here are going our separate ways today, and I think each of us aren’t quite sure what we’re really getting ourselves into.  But we can find comfort in knowing that God has a plan for us; and like the Labyrinth, there’s lots of twists and turns along the way.  But if we follow His path, God promises to always lead us into His loving embrace.

Peace