Mission Nombre de Dios - Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche

This is by and far my favorite part of our trip.  If a friend hadn't told us about, we wouldn't have known.  I am so glad that we knew because it was such a special and beautiful place.  There is a lot of history and information about it here.  It really is beautiful and there were many parts that were just breathtaking.  They also have a great gift shop with a large variety of gifts, statues, and books. 

Our Lady of La Leche is Our Lady of the milk.  The statue is the Blessed Virgin Mary nursing the infant Christ.  I am a mother, and I nursed all four of my daughters.  Nursing them was a natural thing, and I have always been an advocate of breastfeeding and natural parenting.  Knowing that there was a shrine with a depiction of Our Lady nursing Jesus was exciting to me.  I know how much I love my children.  I know the special bond between infant and mother, especially through the breastfeeding relationship.  I already know that the Virgin Mary and Jesus had a special and unique bond but seeing this depiction, it just....I don't even know the words really.....it just struck me.  I am well past the infant and breastfeeding years with my girls, but that bond is still there, just as that bond between Mary and Jesus is still there, and that bond between Jesus and us, and the bond between Our Lady and us.  It is truly a beautiful thing.

I am not going to post much more about our visit here, the pictures speak for themselves, but I do want to say how beautiful the chapel was.  I was able to purchase a candle in the gift shop, and light a candle for my mother, who I lost this past July.  Anything that reminds me of the bond between mother and child is especially near and dear to my heart after losing my own mom.  Even as an adult, I still need my mom, and as Catholics and Christians, we still need our Blessed Mother.  This was a great reminder, and also a reminder of how Mary can also give me comfort from the sorrows I have from the loss of my own mother. 

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the Shrine:

 

 This is the chapel:

 

 Blue candle in the center for my Mother

 

 The many candles showing the many intentions lifted up in prayer

 The rustic altar

 This large cross on the water is just beautiful

 A moment of sisterly love captured on camera:

 This is a side view of the chapel:

 The family: