Because of the pandemic which we all experienced, life changed drastically. I arrived at Mary’s Guest House in March 2020 on a Monday and on the following Wednesday, the Governor of California announced there would be a lockdown throughout the State.
At the time, we had five guests. Three were from China and did not speak English, one was from Vietnam and because her grandmother was from China, she spoke Chinese, so we had an in-house interpreter and one woman from Mexico. The first thing we had to do was get new computers so the women could continue their English classes online. We put up a badminton set and a Ping-Pong table in the backyard so they could get some exercise. 

From left to right: Sr. Christina, Sr. Lucie, and Sr. Mary Jane (Christmas Eve 2022).

In the evening we came together to pray for people all over the world who were dying of COVID. Because of the language barrier, this was done in silence with a lighted candle. Two of the women from China had almost died coming across the border from Mexico. They were put in a false bottom of a SUV. If it wasn’t for a border control dog which kept barking and made the agents look again, they both would have died. When they were brought to the hospital the Doctor said if they had waited just a bit longer, they both would not have made it. Ministering to the women I realized each had their own story and needed their own program of healing. They all are suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome and need therapy. For many foreign women, this is a challenge finding a therapist who speaks and understands their language. God sent each of them to us for a reason. They need love and understanding which at times could be challenging. Being with these women and seeing their resilience and courage made my own faith stronger. I would say to myself “one day at a time.” I am happy we have this ministry and hope we can continue to minister to victims of human trafficking in the future.​