The Pat and Barb Verly family and their 5 children, in laws and grandkids along with many prayer warriors have been drawn together by John's cancer... sharing daily for 8 months started this blog- Family Soul Story - Our faith, family, farm and now our cancer journey called HEALING have colored and deepened our world. WE continue to share and depend on the support of our prayer warrior community, that has lowered us into the Lord's presence for His healing!
Hallel on the farm she grew up on with her big sister, Ruth, who is now living there with her family of 8 and is a farmer beside her father and husband. Mary up on the fence is #2 child and newly a goat farmer.
The clouds were so beautiful to be a back drop as we went around the farm. How I was filled with JOY to hear my 2 girls talk about their childhood and fond memories on the farm.
Rose bottle fed calves for their first month of life, and now they are tame and follow her. She showed Hallel her most tame one, who had a broken leg at 2 days old - probably stepped on by a cow!
Rose ahead and Mary behind bringing out "Miracle" because her very high break healed and she can walk!
Mask at mass this morning in a fashion.
It was very special to be able to get up for 7a mass with Pat and Hallel this morning marking the feast day of my sister, Martha!
Hallel in her blue mask, which she keeps in her pocket and uses it when absolutely required. The state of Minnesota has required them everywhere now.
A wonderful way to start our day - #3 of Hallel's time with us. Her sister, Nancy is on her way here with their family of 7 for the next couple days of her time here. The craziness is about to amp up to a big degree!
Thank you, Hallel for getting us to mass!
This so spoke this morning from the first reading from Jeremiah 15 "...When I found your words, I devoured them; they became my joy and the happiness of my heart..." Oh my, how we are being blessed by this Truth with our nun daughter! How she loves Jesus, her spouse, in the Word! It is huge for her and her Community of the Lamb! On the way to mass she leads us in mendicating the Gospel - reading each line 3 times and asking the Holy Spirit to show us the LIGHT there!
Cutting a mango for breakfast that she bought at Aldi yesterday. Yes, she went shopping for me and got to experience Aldi for the first time. "It was nice."
They start the night before mendicating the Gospel and it is a beautiful process of prayer and looking to the Holy Spirit to lead them through The Word of God! They also look for echoes found in other places that speak of the same meaning of the Gospel. Like for today where Martha is serving... you could also read about how Ruth served Naomi her mother-in-law.
Joy joining in the farm adventure with her Aunt Hallel yesterday wearing one of Nancy's Saint Shirts which was handed down to her from Josephine - St Gianna!
Ruth is doing mega landscaping around her wonderfully new and remodeled farmhouse!
The cows in the pastures around the house since we brought them across the road yesterday morning.
Out to see Mary's new goats - one is called Flying Nun... really!!!
Mary is now a goat farmer - she has 4 females and they will have kids and they will be raised and sold for meat!
Meeting the 4 goats..
New animals on the farm getting used to cows all around them. This is their new normal!
Hallel and Joy posed for me with the clouds, bales and the mono slope barn! I am in farm and nun and red head granddaughter, and beautiful clouds sent by God... heaven!
Only took two and this one is a bit better, but I love both!
In the calving barn where the chickens hang out during the day eating maggots.
Love this of the 3 farm sisters sharing a seat on the bale.
Walking to see Rose's bottle calves that live in the monoslope barn. Had to get the clouds above!!
Rose with her calves
Enjoy these pictures from the farm with Hallel... her sister, Nancy, just arrived and it is too busy to continue!
School lunches for the kids and BLTs for the adults plus sweet corn and beets from the grarden!
Bernadette is the first to get an Hallel hug! The last time we were there was last October. They moved from KC last summer!
Porch lunch with 23!
Birdie centerpiece!
Hallel and her Dominic! She made his dimple smile come out.
Jesus, thank you for our wonderful family farm! Thank you for our nun and her example to all of us of always following her Jesus! Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Hallelujah
Beautiful clouds, wonderful crops and Hallel on the farm! Bless-bless, Barbara
Hallel and I in the kitchen at the little Brothers after sharing mass with The Community! We made them an American farm dinner with our corn, and hamburgers and fried potatoes.
I was pointing out to Hallel in the kitchen last night as we prepared a big supper for 15 of us.."You come home for your 3 year visit and you still are making meals for many." I guess when you are a magnet for bringing our family of 30 together... there will be one big meal after another to prepare. She is a member of big families, her Community of the Lamb and her farm family no matter where she lives. That is a blessing and also much work! She gracefully dives in wherever she finds herself.
Hallel meeting Birdie for the first time - she is close to 3 months old now.
Hallel's Lamb which signifies that she has taken her final vows with her Spouse, Jesus Christ, "I promise unto death."
Birdie looks like my girls did - like her Aunt Hallel holding her close to her Lamb aglow with her sweet smile for her daddy!
Love to see them together!
The way that Hallel ended up coming home so suddenly was very much controlled by the Holy Spirit! As her superior, Little Sister Judith, called me aside to ask me if we would consider bringing Hallel home for a visit, and have her back by the weekend... her words; "This is a charismatic moment. The Holy Spirit is at work in bringing this to my mind and heart."
LOVE!!!
Judith also mentioned that Hallel will see my father again after 12 years, and that his being 95 and on hospice likely will not be possible in the future. It has been a wonderful thing for my father to share with her and she with him!
My father was very hard of hearing when Hallel left for France 12 years ago. He has since gotten a cochlear implant, which has allowed him to hear and share his wisdom and faith more.
Yesterday Hallel gleaned the benefits of this change in my dad's life - "that was my first visit with grandpa since he got his hearing back." I know that John could not wait to visit my dad about 6 years ago when he was a changed man! "I want to have a conversation with grandpa now, and learn from him." John
She needs daily mass and adoration to keep her ever close to her spouse, Jesus! I had the gift of her getting me along to daily mass last evening. Pat went along with her nun this morning!
Sharing breakfast - using grandma Ann's waffle iron after mass. How Pat loves to share when he can with his #4 daughter! He has the cute habit of calling Ruth's #4 child, Rose Again, Susan, and he also called Hallel... Rose. Something about the 4th girl getting mixed up in his head. Rose is used to being called Susan on a regular basis.
Mom's waffle iron brings back memories after mass.
I have shared that mom made it possible for all 19 of us to go to France for Hallel's final vows! Some inheritance we got right then was used for the trip of getting all of us to France and back, rent cars and some motel rooms! We knew that she loved to help us get there as she went along with us 9 years ago for Hallel's first vows! She was 92!
9 years ago we were in France right now for Hallel's first vows! Pat's mother went with us!
Jude with his Aunt Hallel being big!
Peaceful Birdie in her dad's arms at supper last night.
John and dad praying the office - Evening prayer last evening. Such a prayerful time we share with my father and now with Hallel!
It was so beautiful to hear Hallel and her dad share night prayer before bed last evening. Hallel was singing much of the prayers that they share in the grotto each night about 9p-10p. Pat, David, Rose and I were able to share that the night we were there!
The grotto of the Nativity.
Their voices ring out with great JOY and LOVE for Jesus and Mary and asking them to intercede for all!
Night prayer with angelic voices filled with love and devotion! Fireflies remind us the wonders of the world created by our God and how He sent His Son to earth to save us and allow us to share in LIFE eternal with Jesus, Mary and the Saints and Angels in heaven forever! Your LOVE overwhelms us, O Lord!
Archbishop Naumann, named it "a place of miracles and to pilgrimage here for healings and graces." So beautiful and filled with wonder and awe!
Giving our needs and petitions and LOVE to Mary and Jesus!
Supper last evening on our beautiful porch! How we love to share family time with our nun!
Jude and Joy with Mary, who was vigilant in keeping an eye on 1 year old Jude as he took in out yard in late evening.
Rose again pulled the volunteer weeds in the middle of my driveway and got a whole crew pulling them in the dark. After an inch and a half of rain (Thank you, Lord!) a few days before... they pulled pretty easy!
Now Hallel is following the little cute man, Jude the Dude! Our Lady also is always with us on this journey of Faith/Family/Farm! So overwhelmed by Jesus and Mary and The Holy Spirit at work in our time with our nun!
Yes, those are weeds on the grass that my wonderful nun pulled out of my garden by the house while we waited for the farmers to arrive for supper on the porch! Than you, Hallel, for spoiling your mother!
Birdie is pondering that it might be bedtime! Jude and Birdie sleep all night so wonderfully for her loving parents!
Hallel taking in the scene of Pat with the creamer board taking off the left over corn on the cob from supper...! Big family jobs are a great time to share our farm life and put up food for our 7 families!
How I love to see this and listen to their sharing deeply!
It is so rich this week with divine providence! It happens that Fr Corola, who introduced Hallel to The Community is here in New Ulm, MN, and Hallel is planning to visit with him. Also a priest of the Lamb, Fr Anthony, from KC is here in St Paul, and it looks like she could travel back to Lumen Christi with him, and Fr Craig, our family priest, will be visited now as he is stationed in St Peter! Doors are flying open for her to share her Faith with many important people in her vocation!
I went over to the farm to help bring the cows across the road while dad and Hallel shared a morning prayer including some of the songs that Hallel sings each morning - The Angelus is especially beautiful and powerful!
Rose and the cows and calves as they love the grass.
Sleek, and healthy cows and calves right up by the house.
Mary helping on the 4 wheeler.
Grandpa and Dave coming behind.
Lush grass, sleek cows and calves in the bright morning sun.
Rose and Ruth show grandma the new "herd" of goats that Mary has acquired from Iowa one day and Wisconsin the next. They will have kids for her to sell as goat meat. Mary is becoming a goat farmer!
Mother goat with her two kids, which are almost fully grown and ready to have kids of their own.
Rose is a true farm girl, and has looked up to her big sister, Mary, a lot to learn that she can trust animals. Rose was very afraid of cows when she was a really little girl, but watching Mary helped her learn how to be around them in a wise and helpful way.
The cows going around the goats pasture made them nervous. Cows are probably new and big to the goats. Welcome to Verly Lanoue Cattle farm, now a budding goat farm!
Halter on the big red one - "She is a show goat."
Cows on the outside and goats on the inside of the electric fence.
I know that Nancy and family, who are coming tomorrow morning will be very much spending time with the goats! Nancy loves goats and considered having a couple here in Minnesota, so she will be spending time with them and maybe walking them around with a halter!?!
Jesus, I am overwhelmed by your Fire of LOVE from your Holy Spirit alive and at work in my life and my family and most of all in MY Church! How I love you and am so grateful to you for more than I can say! Psalm 79 today from mass... we, your people and the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; through all generations we will declare your praise. R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us. Yes, Lord, we can never give you enough praise and thanksgiving for all the graces and blessings we are given with each moment of each day! Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Hallelujah
Using my mother's prayer book for morning prayer with myself and my father! Mom looking over her shoulder from heaven!
She sleeps on the floor, but is using the bottom bunk with the T-shirt quilt she made when she went to college of all her T-shirts! So special to see it on her bed while she is here!
A beautiful sight to behold for this old mother, who discerned a call myself and now I have my nun! I wanted all my children to consider religious life as it is such a beautiful option! Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to share in The LIFE of a Bride of Christ through my daughter, Little Sister Hallel! Bless-bless, Barbara
