A year ago we were joyfully sharing the life of the Community of the Lamb in Kansas City on this day - June 29th - the feast of ST Peter and ST Paul! My son in law, Paul, and his son, Simon, made a special icon of their amazing namesakes! We had a wonderful picnic outside in the beautiful weather we were blessed with while visiting. The reason for our visit was to say goodbye to Susan/Hallel as she was to leave for France on the 4th of July.
It happened that 4 carloads of Verlys went at 4 different times in about a week to experience the life that Susan has chosen or should I say that the Lord has called her to! Here we are singing the blessing song over our food - we all have this to share and it takes us back to the most amazing new family that we now have as a result of Hallel's call to be a bride of Christ and become a member of the Community of the Lamb!
Hallel loves her neices and nephews, and it gave her great joy to spend time with them... we just bought our tickets to go to France and be there as she takes her first vows with the Community of July 24th! Pat, I and John will be going and we just got a phone call from her to give her the times and dates of our comings and goings. We will be staying with the Community and I am so excited for Pat to be able to share in their life of poverty and deep prayer and carrying forth the Gospel into the world!
How Susan has embraced her little Simon - their birthdays are just two days apart and he is the oldest of all the grandkids, so Hallel has a special bond with him. But all of the grandkids are so blessed to have a connection with this amazing group and are totally relaxed and accepting of their life of simple work and prayer. It is very normal and natural for them to be there and to share with their little sisters and brothers- getting a glimpse of a life like no other! 
Can you put yourself in Simon's place under Hallel's scapular and feel the sense of security and love that he is experiencing there? We are all blessed to share this with our wonderful daughter, little sister Hallel! 
Sharing the LIFE and the JOY and getting some FAMILY Time in!
Little Mary has fun without TV or movies - watching Hallel's joy and helping with chores in making and cleaning up after a meal. A lesson in community life and sharing joyfully in all that needs to be done to care one for the other!
Little Dave wants to wear a blue apron and help too!
The apron was too big, but he could stand by his sister and aunt Hallel and be part of the sharing of the LIFE, and the smile shows his enjoyment of this FAMILY of faith and love and poverty and chastity and obedience and of prayer... things that he is not aware of - yet is all around him!
We gather in the beautiful chapel and hear the WORD proclaimed for each day and the psalms raised in such glorious song as that of the angels come down to earth! The words today from the readings about ST Peter - Acts 12:1-11 being brought out of prison by angels, and ST Paul's out of this world words to us in his second letter to Timothy 4 - "I, Paul, am being poured out like a libation... I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.... The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it.... The Lord will resue me from every evil threat and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen."
We celebrated the feast day with ice cream all around on a beautiful evening after a day of family time of prayer and service one to the other... Our family is filled with so many - our Community of the Lamb, Our TEC family, each one that God gives to us in all that we do is the face of Christ to us! 
Jesus, we love you and thank you for the many blessings and graces that shower upon us as we walk the road of faith and the path that you have laid out for us to follow - carrying our cross after you. There are so many special people that are there to be with us on the journey and to show us the beauty of a life with you. Help us to always look to you and to find the strength to shoulder all that we are given and to know that you are always in control! Jesus, we trust in you! Amen and Halleluia!
Bless-bless, Barb the humble and fervent"In their apostolic mission, Saints Peter and Paul were obliged to face difficulties of every kind. But, far from deterring their missionary activity, these difficulties reinforced their zeal for the Church's welfare and for the salvation of mankind. They were able to overcome every trial because their trust was not based on human resources but on the grace of the Lord, who delivers his friends from every evil and saves them for his kingdom. May our holy patrons, Peter and Paul, sustain us and obtain for us that missionary zeal which made them witnesses of Christ to the ends of the then-known world." Blessed John Paul II Lord, hear our prayer!
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