Days 46-49: Little Portion Hermitage (9/29-10/2/20)

Goodbye Nebraska! It’s been real. We left the Air Bnb early in the morning to travel all the way down to Berryville, Arkansas, to stay at Little Portion Hermitage with Brother John Marmion. It was an 10-hour travel day. Br. John did NET back in 2000, then worked for NET from 2010-2016 before entering the monastery. We spent the next few days there while we wait for retreats this weekend. Our time will be filled with service projects, prayer, and ministry prep, which is exciting. There is a Grand Silence every morning until lunch, which allowed us to slow down and reflect on ourselves. It was very beautiful, and Br. John is such a great witness of love, and very fun to hang out with. It’s going to be a good next few days, having the opportunity to reset our body, mind, and spirit. Totally here for it. . . October 1st was a game changing day. First off, it’s Brenden’s 23rd birthday!! Never would he have thought he would spend his birthday at a monastery, but here he is. The staff at Little Portion treated him well, giving him gifts and cake. It was awesome, love you lots brother! In the afternoon, Br. John shared his life story with us, and gave us some great advice on living out a NET lifestyle. Something that came up was between me, Amanda, Sam E., and the struggle of transitioning to this year. There are still alot of wounds from being ripped off the road last year so abruptly due to COVID, and although we love our new team, the lack of closure has affected our focus into this year’s team. So Br. John made it a goal to give us closure. We had adoration, and had all the first years pray over the second years, who would say “goodbye” to our teammates so we can move forward. It was hard, but it worked! I felt so refreshed and renewed by it. I’m ready to pour into this team officially, yet not forgetting the legacy of my team last year. Thank you Brother John, I appreciate you so much. . . The next morning, we packed our bags early and took another 8-hour travel day down to Natchez, Mississippi. We stayed the night with Julie, a NET alum, her husband Winn, and their niece Arden. They were a ball of a time, as all NET alum are, and overall just really cool getting to stay in Mississippi. It’s something I thought I’d never do, but cheers to pleasant surprises!