Dear Virginia, editor of the Trailblazers e-newsletter, The Compass,
You asked us to write a testimony of our experiences while
on the Trailblazers Youth Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe. I felt called to do so tonight. I will break the experiences down into
lessons that I was taught, rather than report things chronologically, to make
it easier to follow.
I learned about patience. The first three nights of our trip, our dinner was late. Each night, Juan Pando had a different reason for being late with his pick-up truck laden with homemade food for us to eat. There was a bad rain with flooding of the roads one night, and car trouble another night. We went without eating until really late. I found myself sharing the beef jerky, raisins, and croutons I had brought along just in case.
I also learned about “Mexican time,” as Fr. Ward called
it. Things never were exactly timed like
the itinerary, or as verbally planned.
We had to wait many times for things, or got places late because the bus
driver got lost, or something else. “Ten
miles” could mean twenty-five, and “about twenty minutes” could mean two
hours. We got used to it.
I learned about fortitude. We walked. A lot.
I learned about obedience.
We had to be on time for morning and evening prayers, daily Mass, daily
adoration after Mass, evening talks, bed time, and wake up time, and meal
time. We were assigned times to shower,
so we all could get a turn, as the showers were scarce. We were asked to generally follow Fr.'s
directions every day of the trip. This
was for our own safety, and made for a more enjoyable trip, and was for our
spiritual growth as well.
I learned about hope. We actually did make it to see Our Lady of Guadalupe, despite the hazards of the pilgrimage, led by our fearless leader Fr. Ward.
I learned about faith. We prayed a chaplet and rosary besides the other prayers mentioned above. I sort of prayed continually. I learned to offer up my suffering for the intentions of the people I know, and my intentions. I learned how much Jesus can fulfill our needs, especially through the Eucharist. I got so addicted to Jesus on the trip because of all of the time spent with the Eucharist, thanks to Fr. Ward. It took me six weeks after arriving back home, feeling withdrawals during that time, to get back to being used to the exposure to Jesus physically that is my usual routine. I told Fr. I was a “Jesus junkie.” We also did gospel reflections. Melissa was the only one who brought a Bible (Chuck made her bring it.) So many of us Catholics forget about how important it is to read the Bible. I learned about how rich our Catholic faith is. I have always taken the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist for granted, and I appreciate Him much more now for the gift He has given us.
Yours in Christ,
Lisa A. Fulgenzi, MD