I was born in a large family of seven in a small town in central Michigan called Pewamo. The town is built on the foundations of faith and family. Through this supportive upbringing my religious vocation was quietly nourished. 

During my high school years, I had the continued support of the community, particularly through friends. Together we all sought to nourish our faith. We would attend different retreats and conferences. With each prayerful opportunity, I was aware of an interior peacefulness and a quiet desire for more occasions to encounter Our Lord. 

As I continued through my first years of college, Our Lord faithfully provided ways to encounter Him. One significant opportunity was a mission trip to Mexico during my sophomore year. Initially the trip seemed too outside my comfort zone; in prayer, however, I heard the Lord speak to my heart. The Lord used the simple command of “go” in Sacred Scripture to help me trust that going on the mission trip was His desire. 

The trip was life changing. I experienced the paradox of love coupled with intense poverty. During this trip, I had the chance to practice radical service. My heart quickly became captivated with tending to the needs of others and seeing Christ in each person. To say this was a new experience would be an understatement.   At the end of the mission trip the group visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. There I discovered the tender love of Our Lady, Mother of Mercy. 

By the time I flew back to the United States, I knew the Lord was beckoning me to give more of myself. On the flight home, I determined to start attending Mass during the Week. I attended a weekday Mass at a Church I had never been to before. Behind the altar there was a mosaic that depicted the wedding feast of Cana, written underneath the mosaic were the beckoning words of Our Blessed Mother to the servants, “Do whatever He tells.” In faith, I believed Our Lady was providing the way to her Son and showing me that she had heard my prayers at Our Lady of Guadalupe. 

The Mass readings for the day were providential. The first reading was from the Book of Samuel. It was when the Lord calls Samuel, but being a youth, Samuel is unfamiliar with the voice of the Lord. 

When Samuel finally addresses our Lord he responds, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” In that moment, my heart heard the words of everlasting life. I realized that the Lord blessed me with a beautiful upbringing not without reason, and that he had been quietly speaking to my heart all the way through; it was I who was unfamiliar with His voice. In short, I became aware of a depth of desire to only listen to Our Lord and to follow His plan for my life. 

Within two weeks of attending morning Mass and meeting Our Lord in the Eucharist, my heart, like my time in Mexico, was captivated. This time it was not the radical service but the interior silence and peacefulness of Our Lord in the Eucharist and in His Word. Every day after receiving Jesus in the Eucharist I would quietly pray, “Speak Lord for your servant is listening.” It was in this prayer that the Lord revealed God’s plan for my life- to give of myself completely to Him through His people. When the door of religious life was opened before me in prayer, I was surprised and unsure because of my ignorance. I had no idea what religious life was or what it meant to live as a Sister; nevertheless, the invitation was so peacefully placed before me I knew my heart could not walk away from the path without pursuing it with an open heart.

Needless to say, the Lord continued faithfully providing the path to religious life through events and people. Each step along the way, I experienced the personal intimacy that the Lord desires to have with each of us. 

In joy, Our Lord led me to the Religious Sisters of Mercy. It was here my heart found its earthly home; where, with the grace of God, someday, by His mercy, I will enter my heavenly home.