“I don’t need my name in lights, I’m famous in my Father’s eyes, make no mistake, He knows my name.” These are lyrics from the song “He Knows My Name” by Francesca Battistelli. I heard this song playing in the house the other day and I think a lot of us have wanted to be famous and for the whole world to know who we are at some point in our lives. Whether it’s famous for being a movie star, finding a cure for cancer, or being Pope, we all secretly want to leave our mark on this world somehow. But most of us have a group of people or at least one person in our lives that knows our name. What if no one knew your name? What if you haven’t been called by name in days or even months? Sadly, this is the case for a lot of our friends on the street. Thousands of people walk by friends on the street without even acknowledging them. The reality is that not everyone can know everyone’s name. But God does. And He calls us each by name, including and especially the people who don’t hear their name by other humans. Earthly fame shouldn’t matter, but we should do the best we can to remind each other that our Father does know each of our names.

Hannah Benes is a first-year missionary from Lincoln, NE. She enjoys cats, tacos, and laughter (in no particular order).

We are terrible at living in the present. This is the number one thing I learned on our pilgrimage to Chimayo New Mexico a few months ago.

We walked for four days and endured snow, rain, sleet, tears, and blood. We stayed for a total of two hours at our destination, the El Santuario de Chimayo, (a local shrine where a miraculous cross is said to have appeared over 200 years ago). Do the math, it doesn’t make much sense. But then you start thinking of the way we treat our lives, we realize that is just as baffling.

So much of our time is spent daydreaming and looking forward to the next thing or adventure coming our way. The thought of the weekend is the motivation people hang on to to get through the work or school week. The thought of summer or Christmas break is fresh in every student’s mind during a difficult semester. Future plans are not a bad thing, in fact, they can be very helpful in rough times. However, if we don’t learn to enjoy the present, our lives our going to be endless pursuits of future circumstances. The moment we reach the circumstance we have been dreaming of, we have to find a new one to consume the mind and drive us forward.

Walking along the country roads of northern New Mexico I got to encounter my fellow pilgrims. We talked, shared stories, laughed, and got to know each other on a whole new level. These moments were the true highlights of our mission trip. The Santuario was stunning and truly powerful, but the little moments taking in the beauty of the mountains and each other were the moments where our lives were transformed.

“The world’s thy ship and not thy home.” – St. Therese of Lisieux

Life is a pilgrimage and Heaven is our destination. When we forget where we are heading we have no direction and lose our way. When we forget about living in the present, we miss the joy of life. There is only one option to complete a pilgrimage: one step at a time.

Blake Brouillette is a first-year missionary from Hastings, Nebraska. He enjoys spike ball, giving pep talks, talking about Nebraska, and savoring all 23 flavors in a Dr. Pepper.