Monday morning we woke up ready for a full day of nothing.

We left the day open to wander aimlessly in Geel and learn everything we could about this incredible place.

Did you know they are world famous for their community approach to mental health?

We wandered to St. Dymphna’s Cathedral to say goodbye. I wanted to pray for every person who has ever or will ever walk through the doors to see how much Jesus loves them – those with mental illness, caregivers, family, friends, or curious academic.

We noticed that most of the town was closed on Mondays. We found a beautiful bench by the church to rest on while we waited for the church to open at 1pm.

The lady from the day before came out of a side door and locked the door behind her. Brian asked if they would be opening in a while and she explained that they were closed on Mondays.

He told her we had come to say goodbye and we thanked her for such a lovely day yesterday. She smiled and waved for us to come inside.

I could have stayed in Saint Dymphna’s cathedral all day. I wanted to memorize every nook and cranny. I wanted to sing loudly with my eyes closed. I wanted to fall on my knees and beg for my desires to be replaced completely by His Will.

I tried to squeeze every prayer into three minutes and balance absolute gratefulness with respect for the kind lady’s generosity.

I turned around and saw her there – and knew we needed to go ahead.

As I hurried towards her, she motioned to the area behind the altar. She said she wanted to give us a gift.

In the first picture, if you zoom in you can see a statue of Saint Dymphna. She gave this to us and it now sits on our mantle!

Oh the extravagant hospitality!