"God, you are looking at the wrong person." These were words that often crossed Isamary (Isa) Garcia's mind in response to what she describes as a strong call to religious life. "I was very resistant at first," she explains.
At 27, living in Monterrey, Mexico, Isa says that despite her Catholic upbringing, "when I heard God calling me to serve, it was really a surprise to me. I didn't think religious life could be life-giving for me." She asked repeatedly, "Why me? Why now?"

And what a change Isa has experienced, after years of discerning this call, as she stood in St. Vincent Church at Nazareth, uttering the vows to become an SCN in February 2008. Sister Isa admits her journey was sprinkled with doubt but also revealed the strength of her faith and the meaning of her call to become part of a community of women religious. When asked to describe this process, she quotes Joan Chittister, OSB, "Sometimes we grow in silent places that do not burst to daylight and voice for years."

In an impulse to answer her earlier call, Sister Isa decided to come to the United States as a volunteer for Covenant House in Florida, a caring place for homeless and runaway teens. She says the job allowed her to be in service to the needy. It was in this position at the home, that Sister Isa first encountered the SCNs, in Sisters Eva Kowalski and Nancy Gerth. "There was something that attracted me about them and religious life," she remembers.

But the deeper realization happened when Sister Isa first set foot on the Nazareth Campus and visited the SCN Motherhouse. "Something started changing in me," she says, adding the SCNs impressed her with the hospitality, warmth and "joy of life." After this first visit, she wondered if this community could be the life-giving vocation she had been searching for.

"I thought of this as an invitation from God to journey in a different way, and an invitation to trust," says Sister Isa. She also believes all people have a personal vocation and a unique call they follow, whether they choose marriage and building a family, missionary work, a certain career or way of life. For her, the answer to this vocation was the life of a religious community. "I feel part of something bigger than me. I could do more than I can do alone, in service to others."

Now residing and working in Louisville, Ky., Sister Isa serves as Hispanic Pastoral Associate for St. Rita's parish where she is directly involved with the Spanish-speaking population that need her help and counsel.

One thing that Sister Isa says was very attractive about the SCNs was that they have a philosophy of ministry that calls for responding to the needs of the times. At St. Rita's, Sister Isa gets to do just that - translating, being present to the sick or simply hearing concerns - and her ministry is ever-changing.

Although she dearly misses her family who still lives in Mexico, Sister Isa understands that everyone's vocation calls for sacrifice and hers involves living her dream far away from her home country. She advises young women who might feel the urge she tried to suppress years ago to talk about their desire with someone who won't judge but understand their call and their struggle. "One thing is for sure," she says. "It doesn't go away.

At the age of 9, Carlette Gentle, a young Belizean girl, told her mother she wanted to become a Sister. The youngest of five children, Carlette didn't quite know how this wish would play out 17 years later in her life and neither did her mother, who thought this was just a childhood phase.

As time passed, Carlette felt her desire for religious life was more than child's play. Through high school years, while she continued on her path like any teenager, dating and preparing for college, Carlette was open about her call. "The strongest part of my desire (to become a Sister) came when I was in high school," Carlette explained. "I told everyone I was not ashamed to say it."

The truthfulness earned her a famous nickname. Since her father was commonly referred to as Fresh, his girl was bound to be a little Miss Fresh. However, confessing to her interest in becoming a Sister made Carlette into "Sista Fresh," a pseudonym she proudly took on through her discernment process.

At 26, Carlette became a Sister of Charity of Nazareth during a ceremony Aug. 2, 2007, in Belize. The theme of her vow mass was a butterfly, symbol of her growth through years of discernment and serious soul-searching. "From a caterpillar to a butterfly I grew in awareness of myself, the community and those around me," Carlette says. "I had grown both inside and out."

So how did Sista Fresh, a vivacious young woman from Belize, become SCN Carlette?

As she explains, her first encounter with the SCN Community happened through her "love of cooking." Brenda Gonzales, SCN, who now serves as the Western vice provincial, used to coordinate immersion trips to Belize. One year she needed help providing food to volunteers in her group. That's when Carlette came into the picture. "My godmother is an SCNA and she knew Sister Brenda and volunteered me. I took up the job. I was surely glad I did because I really enjoyed my time there."

While cooking up her favorite dishes, Carlette observed the SCNs in the area. And the more she observed, the clearer it became that there was a strong connection with their charism. "I felt at home and I could be myself," Carlette says. "They laughed and ran jokes and I admired them so much. They were also hospitable to me and treated me like they knew me for years. That is where the relationship first started to bloom."

It didn't take long for Carlette to begin exploring possibilities. Religious life was something that had always been on her mind, but it was now taking a tangible shape. Despite this felt clarity, the years leading up to her vow mass were full of questions and doubts as well as revelations of her faith. "To me discernment was a deeper look into myself first of all to see if I really wanted to pursue religious life and a deeper look at the community to see if I can live the life they are asking and feel comfortable shining my own light within the community," Carlette said. Her desire to have children also came into play, but she realized by pursuing a ministry of reaching out to the young ones, she'll have even more children she can care for.

She has now returned to Belize, where she runs a small preschool for children in Las Flores, teaches art classes on Saturdays, mentors a youth group and has taken up cooking classes for the women in the village.

When asked to reflect on what her commitment means to her, Carlette writes:
"Religious life for me is first of all community. The bond and care our sisters have for each other is priceless. Religious life also means reaching out to my neighbor, not just the person who lives next to me but my homeless neighbor, my abused neighbor, my neighbor who needs justice, and the earth as part of my family.

Making this commitment means that I promise to give it my all. To dream dreams and work toward letting them become a reality. To work toward justice for the poor, oppressed, and those who don't have a voice. This commitment means to me that I am part of a bigger community and it feels like I belong. It means that I am part of a group that I am proud to say I belong."

So is it clear to see that, from caterpillar to butterfly, from Sista Fresh to Sister Carlette, this SCN has found a place where her dreams will transform the world around her as well.