A Letter from Helen Kelly

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Dear Sisters,

I hail from a little town in Northern Virginia, but I am currently living and working in Dublin, Ireland. It wasn't an easy move for me. There were so many times when I wanted to turn away and stay in the life that I knew. I just graduated college, I could have spent my six month grace period searching for opportunities that pertained to the career I wanted. But I am so glad that I chose to follow God's plans instead of my own.

An especially hard time for me was while I was packing up to go home before graduation. My parents wanted me ready to go right after graduation, and no one was offering to help. In the meantime, I had work, finals, last goodbyes and graduation practices to attend on top of packing this house that I had lived in for a year. I don't normally cry easily, but there were many tears shed that week. I felt so alone, so vulnerable and so incapable. (Page 2) I couldn't see how a tiny little summer was going to prepare me for what was seeming to me at that point to be a mammoth of a trip.

During my preparation over the summer, I happened upon a story in the Bible that gave me great comfort in my seemingly impossible journey: the story of Esther. Just like me, she was asked to do something incredibly terrifying to her. She spent the entire night in prayer before approaching her king. From that, she gained immense courage and was able to stand in front of the King, "radiant with perfect beauty, and she looked happy," even though she was completely frozen with fear (Esther 15:6; NAB D:5). She gave herself to God and His mission and He supplied her with the necessary grace to complete her mission.

"(Esther) gave herself to God and His mission and He supplied her with the necessary grace to complete her mission."

This story gave me so much strength to continue in what I was doing. I realized that as a woman I am called to be brave and trust completely in God. The reward is greater than you can ever imagine. Constantly giving this mission to God has given me so much freedom and many wonderful new friendships. My dear sisters, bravery is not something you can achieve by thinking. You must act! Every day, you have an opportunity to rise above your fears, whether small or large. Remember that you will always have fear, but how you respond to it is your choice. Will you take that opportunity to grow closer in your relationship with your creator?

My dear sisters, I love each of you so much! Please pray for me as I continue my epic adventure! I will be praying for you.

Love,

Helen

Get to know Helen

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

My full name is Martina Helen Fiona Colette Catherine Gabriel Genisius (confirmation) Mary Kelly. My father wanted a lot of saints to watch over his children, so we were given at least 5 middle names each. I am a 23 year old Franciscan University grad(drama major) who's currently working for the pro life cause in Ireland. I absolutely LOVE adventures, especially if they include going to foreign countries and trying food I've never had before. The Disney princess I relate to most is Rapunzel. Anyone who knows me well enough could tell you I'm just about the weirdest person they know.