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* The text below is a summary of the podcast above if you would like to hear the entire interview please watch the Youtube video or click the audio file!
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Meet the Desert Wanderers HostNatalie LairI was always Catholic, but didn't know what that meant. My family was catholic but didn’t know their faith deeply. It wasn’t until my brother crushed my facade of what I thought God and Catholicism were. To then helped guide me to build a new foundation that I even started to learn the basics of what a catholic SHOULD know.
I started to get a lot of head knowledge about my faith, but, It wasn’t until my college years that I truly began to understand the relationship with God that I needed.
Discovering Faith in College
While attending Belmont Abbey College 38 hours (Driving) from home, I Hit rock bottom, grasping at what the world could give me when what I needed was God's love. It was only after attending a theology on tap for free alcohol, that I knew I needed to change my life around.
This led me to my first general confession (although I didn’t even know what a general confession was) a new spiritual director, encountering Jesus in adoration, and changing my friend group, which allowed me to start to heal.
Through these experiences, I realized that faith is not just about attending church every Sunday but living out the teachings of Christ in everyday life.
You are what you consume my mom would always say! My life needed to be for Christ.
I decerned religious life for a small period but with the help of Adoration, and a spiritual advisor I could confirm that it wasn’t the path for me.
When I moved back to Idaho (Ketchum Idaho) not having a foundation in the community crushed me and I started to struggle with old sins again. In a way, I still feel like it robbed me of all my progress in North Carolina at Belmont Abbey.
After attending a Caritas retreat I decided that a good faithful community is more valuable than any other asset.
Vocation to Marriage
Being in Boise I dated a lot but nothing stuck. I knew I wanted to marry a Catholic. Not any Catholic but someone who understood and practiced their faith well. After a while, I started to look at Catholic dating apps and magically got connected to a man named Aaron, who lived in Ohio.
Despite the distance, we quickly formed a deep connection. He was interesting and intelligent, poetic and extreamly Good Looking. ;)
The best part of the distance was the time we spent in conversation, getting to know each other there were no temptations to distract us from getting to know the person for who we were.
After 4 months of long-distance, Aaron visited me in Idaho for 2 weeks, I went to visit the following month for an additional 2 weeks, and then the next month Aaron secured a job and moved to Idaho to pursue a relationship with me. 4 months after he moved we were engaged, we then completed 6 months of marriage prep then we celebrated our wedding, 3 months following that, we were expecting our first child, and 14 months later we had our second.
What a whirlwind.
A Mission to Connect and Inspire
Desert Wanderers is more than just a podcast; it’s a mission to connect people from all vocations within the Diocese of Boise. I hope to bring you stories that inspire, encourage, and deepen your faith. Stories that will help guide you to your vocation or help inspire you to live your vocation more fruitfully.
Join us on this incredible journey as we explore the rich tapestry of Catholic life in Idaho. Whether you’re new to the Diocese of Boise or a long-time member, Desert Wanderers are here to help you connect with your community and grow in your faith.
We will release a podcast every Wednesday at 12 am MST. Thank you for Tuning in.
God Bless,
Natalie Lair
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