In Nashville last week the hotel we stayed at was OK, but not great. What was way cool though was across the street was a GIGANTIC building. Mike and I were instantly intrigued and he asked the front desk what it was. They said nuns lived there. Mike and I aren't Catholic, so maybe that is partly why the monstrous building intrigued us. But I think it intrigued me mostly because it was obviously really old.
Well, the next day after Cokie's surgery we decided to try and drive closer.
The entrance was gated, but the gate was open. So
Mike pulled through the gate of the long, long drive.
He immediately noticed in his rearview mirror that a car pulled through the gate right behind us.
He stopped thinking we were about to get politely told to turn around and leave. But as
luck would have it, the other
car pulled up beside us, and the two
nuns sitting inside it
asked with big smiles if they could help us.
Mike responded and what
he meant to
ask was
whether we could drive around the building.
Instead,
what came out was, "We were hoping to get a look
around.” The nun
in the passenger seat
said,
"Follow us and we will give you a tour." Mike and I were like, "Oh my
gosh, is she going to let us go inside?!!" The building was so, so
big and
so, so old that
at first it was
almost
scary driving up. Mike
asked me,
“if we go in, will we come out?”
When we got to the front of the building, this
very young nun hopped out of the car. She said I can't show you all of it, but I can
show you
some.
She couldn't have been nicer and answered all our questions. Turns
out part of this building was built one year before the Civil War ended.
At
one time up to 350 nuns were living there. The oldest nun living there
now is almost 100 y.o. and has lived there her entire adult life.
The nun giving us the tour
told us they have
nuns training there now that will go all over the world as under cover missionaries.
It is scary that so many people in our own country would love nothing more than to drive people of faith underground.
Right now,
even our own goverment is trying to force the Catholic Church
to go against their religious beliefs and perform
abortions.
The nun also told us their main jobs were, learning/teaching, praying and service. She said they prayed at least 3 times a day--morning, noon and evening. At first I thought... well all rightie then. Then it hit me. Isn't that we all should be doing?!
The nun also told us their main jobs were, learning/teaching, praying and service. She said they prayed at least 3 times a day--morning, noon and evening. At first I thought... well all rightie then. Then it hit me. Isn't that we all should be doing?!
1 Peter 5:6
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14
Short of being an atheist how can anyone believe this country is not in trouble?
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good.
Psalm 14:1
This is the nuns' cemetery.
My parents who are on the other side -- the right side, because even my Dad accepted Jesus before he died. They both died within 5 years of this picture being taken. My Mom died 6 months after my Dad.
