Thank you sisters!

Without fear of the virus that wants to paralyse even the deepest sense of communion and with trust in the Lord, these sisters decided to go a step further, to leave their "home" with all the security measures, but with the certainty that Jesus continues to invite us to carry out concrete gestures of unity, seeking "together", how to contribute our grain of sand for the good of the Province, of the Congregation and of the Church. ....... Here they tell us their testimony. Thank you sisters!!! our happiness lies in concrete gestures of fraternity. "God has given me sisters.

"This is the right time".

Aware that "this is the right time" to visit our deserts, to become aware of our poverty and weakness, to shed our fears and to trace paths of hope, the Carmelite Missionary Sisters of France (Perpignan and Livron) decided together to leave our comfort zones, to shed our old habits and to set out on the road to breathe new airs and to discover different ways of seeing, of doing and of being.

For this purpose, when we received the communication from the Provincial Council, we fixed a date and a meeting place: from 22 to 25 February, in Livron. From that moment on, we started to enjoy ourselves. To get out of our daily routine, to give ourselves a time of calm, of listening, of shared life and of fraternal joy. That was our wish.

We did not want to be deprived of our freedom by the fear of the pandemic and all the misery around us.

Very united with the whole Congregation and in these moments of preparation for the V Provincial Chapter, we wanted to share what we had previously reflected on with each sister of the two communities. We commented and put in common the answers that we had given to the questions that the Province sent us in the document: "Path of discernment", "Congregational Plan at the present time and Provincial Strategic Plan".

Our meetings were moments of grace, of fraternal dialogue, of questioning, of new challenges and proposals.

During these three days we have prayed together, breathed the pure air of Livron, and contemplated a land rich in pastures, forests, flowers, fruits and springs of crystalline waters. We worked together and celebrated the life given entirely to God and to the Congregation of our Sisters Aránzazu Abásolo and Candelas Juárez (their birthdays). (Their birthdays) It was quite a party! The sisters with their different talents were in charge of making the party more enjoyable: Liturgy prepared with care and feeling; decoration of the chapel and dining room, theatre, card game and not to mention the banquet that the head cook prepared for us!

On the afternoon of the 25th, we said goodbye, thinking about the next meetings.

A deep feeling animated us all: to live intensely the present moment, the propitious moment: Lent, pandemic, preparation for the next Provincial Chapter, the way towards Easter.

May we recognise the risen Jesus walking beside us; may he fill us with his light, his strength and his love, so that we can pass it on to others.

The sisters of the communities of Livron and Perpignan: Juana Antonia Urtasun; Romana Tranche; Mª Aránzazu Abásolo; Feliciana Hernández, Antonia Hernández; Ana Mª Farizo; Mª Luisa Edurese; Mª Candelas Juárez; Miriam Fernández; Vivien Gavan