When I was sent straight to Chile from Rome after final profession, I did not know any Spanish. I thought of so many great missionaries and all that they had to go through to learn the language and thought it strange that no one seemed concerned that I did not know the language and seemed to think it was not necessary that I have classes. I was given a huge study hall with 157 middle school children who arrived to begin the school year about two weeks after I had arrived from Rome. I also had some English classes with the younger children and was told that I was to teach sewing to the seventh and eighth grade! This was crazy as about the most I could do with a needle was try to thread it and maybe manage to sew on a button. I had had sewing in school, but I like to read aloud and so never really sewed during sewing class. As a novice, I managed again to miss the sewing classes by special employments and then coached the top six grades as a second year novice. Well, there is always the grace of vocation and I did learn one phrase that I repeated quite often to tell someone to go to Ximena and see how her stitches looked and then rip yours out and start over. Actually, these children did excellent work and I managed by never touching a needle!
Here is a good quote from St. Madeleine Sophie: "Unfailing gentleness with all, patience in bearing annoyances which arise in every direction, trust in God which does not allow us to doubt God's protection on any occasion that we fear; these are the fruits of fidelity to the Holy Spirit."
St. Francis Xavier, pray for us.
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