Instructor Interviews Part I: How did you meet?

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 Hello, Moses and Mattie here!

It is Spring of 1996, I am 18 and enjoying Easter Break at a youth retreat. It is a little bit of a rocky time in my life; high school graduation is looming on the horizon and I have no idea what direction I want to go in. One of the spiritual counselors at school recommends that I entrust my future to Jesus and that I really ask him what He has in mind for me, and to also entrust my future husband to Mary Immaculate. So I do, but only the entrusting my husband part! I am not ready to entrust my whole future to Jesus, but entrusting my husband to Mary sounds like a great idea.

  Let's fast forward to Summer 2000. I am hiking with almost the same youth group on the road between Assisi and Rome. Our destination: Pope John Paul II and World Youth Day! We are so excited! That is when it happens; when I finally surrender my whole life to Christ. It is on the eve of our entrance in Rome, during a beautiful outdoor Mass that Christ visits me and I become all His.

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Two weeks later, as a senior at Franciscan University, my roommate, Rachel, and I rent a house off campus. We are all grown up now!

Rachel is so excited about our beautiful “new” house that she has to invite everyone she knows to come and visit. Which I totally understand: who would not want to show off a living room with long, green shag carpet and orange couches?!

One morning she tells me that “Moses” will come over later in the evening. Moses? Seriously? What kind of person is named Moses? Needless to say that I make fun of it all day (Yes I have encountered Christ, but charity is still something I need to work on…) 

Moses does come over that night and I am not impressed. 

Fast forward again, this time to a few days later, when Rachel decides that we should have a movie night at our place on Saturday evenings. Moses becomes one of the regulars and we start hanging out quite a bit. And as we got to know each other better we also grew to appreciate each other more. And soon, it budded into a deep friendship that evolved into love.

One night at a party, he asks me to go to our Fall Formal dance with him, and I say yes (because of course, as you have guessed by now I am more than just charitable towards him.) He also invites me over to his parents' for Thanksgiving, the week following the dance.

The dance is a blast and we have a great time, even if he steps on my foot and brings his 1977 Ford Bronco as a ride (try getting in that thing in a lady like fashion with high heels and an evening gown! Quite the challenge!!!)

1977 Bronco
image: http://blog.hemmings.com

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On Thanksgiving morning he is set to come and pick me up for mass, after which we would drive over to his parents. While getting ready, I am rummaging through my drawer of unmentionables (I love this word!) when something shiny catches the corner of my eye. Of course, being a girl, I empty the whole drawer and pry out the shiny thing from the side of the drawer (hoping that it’s a quarter or something; you know how college students are so desperate for money!!)

What comes out is a beautiful miraculous medal, one like I had never seen before or since! (Truly, even after extended online searches, I have never seen one like it.) And I can hear in my heart: “Go ahead, I have watched over him for you and now he is all yours.” With the greatest love and gentleness imaginable.

Full of hope and thanksgiving (how appropriate, right?!)  I head with him to mass and then to his parents' house for a wonderful and fun-filled Thanksgiving dinner where I meet most of his family.

  --> That evening when he brings me home, we kiss for the very first time! As they say, the rest is history! (Except for that fine ’77 Bronco, which stills survives in our garage!) 
And the medal? I wear it every day as a reminder of God’s care for us.