The arrival of the missionary sisters

The arrival of the missionary sisters After their first years in the missions, the sisters return home during this “holy” time so that they may prepare their hearts to fully receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The missions have given solidity and truth to our answer to God.  Our faith has matured because of the small and big sufferance that we endured daily. This sufferance is the school of our human and Christian maturation.  We thank the Father for this return to the “heart” of Community. “Come away by yourselves to a desert place and rest a while.” (Mc 6:31) This is the phrase with which Mother Elvira invited our sisters from the missions to return to the house of formation.  Upon arrival in the airport we heard singing in the background and we thought right away, they have to be part of our family.  At the exit there was Mother Elvira with a multicolored wig skipping and singing as well as many sisters with and without veils, singing and dancing.  Some of them we met for the first time.  What a gift to see the family growing.  Then we went to Casale Litta, Milan, where the girls of this fraternity were happy to welcome the missionary sisters.  We celebrated with joy and song accompanied by the holy mass with the brothers and sisters of this fraternity.  The day after, on the way home, we went to visit the new house of Casaleggio; it is always surprising to see how God continues to guide us.  Finally we arrived home.  At the pillars we found the brothers and the men from the nearby fraternity welcoming us with song, the entrance was decorated with colored streamers and banners.  The emotion of seeing our loved ones, the stupor of seeing how the house has changed, and above all, the joy of being back “home” for our preparation are unique moments in life.  But the surprises did not end here.  In the evening, Mother Elvira left for a testimony in Turin and we prayed for the “multiplication of bread and fish” for these people longing for hope. When we went to sleep our hearts were tired but happy, ready to begin a period that will surely be intense and rich with gifts. “Now Christ’s body is yourselves, each of you with a part to play in the whole.” (1Cor 12:27) We awaited the arrival of our missionary sisters at the House of Formation for months. We decorated the whole house with welcoming posters and colored streamers, we prepared different songs and dances. My heart was filled with joy to see that everyone felt the desire to welcome them with a lot of love, even though many of us had never met the returning sisters. Finally, the arrival day came. Together with our tireless Mother Elvira, we left with music, streamers guitars, and wigs… destination: Milan, Malpensa airport. What a great time we had. For more than one hour we sang, danced, and waited with an indescribable joy in our hearts. There was an explosion of joy in our hearts when Sister Lidia, Chiara, Lucia, e Jennifer jumped out of the sliding doors smiling, armed with a guitar and typical Mexican clothing, “sombreros” and “ponchos”.  Immediately I felt close to the missionary sisters and a part of a big family. Saint Paul’s phrase “We are one body in Jesus Christ,” echoed in my heart.

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