Bagels

Good Morning / Afternoon / Evening / whatever time you read this!

I hope and pray all of you are doing well. I'm doing great over here in the Holy Land. Things have been pretty go go go the last few days, so I'm sorry I have not written more for my blog. I have been able to see and do a lot of amazing things since the last time I blogged. So I will share some of those with you.

I got to participate in the actual Stations of the Cross. Every Friday, at least during Lent, the Franciscans pray the Stations outside along the actual path Jesus would have walked to Calvary. I have to admit, it was hard to pray with so many people and with life in the city just continuing on around you, but to say I participated in it was the grace. To walk where He walked to Calvary is quite special.

Another thing was we visited the coastal city of Ashkelon. This was a long day since we hit a lot of traffic, but it is in such a beautiful area. It was right up against the Mediterranean Sea and the water was so blue!  We saw some bricks that were dated 4,000 years old and yet we're still intact, which is amazing that they lasted that long. We also saw some Crusader walls and visited in the park where I believe a Basilica would have been.

Today I saw 3 churches. We saw the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Mary Magdalen and the church in the Mt. of Olives which is the Church of the Agony in the Garden. The church of Mary Magdalen was nice to walk around. It had many many relics. The Church of the Agony was beautiful too. We were able to have Mass there. The person who built the Church made it in such a way that with the windows, art, and architecture, that it would seem almost night like, and as a result be able to set up a scene similar to what Christ would have experienced in His sufferings that night in the garden.  In front of the altar was the rocks where it is believed He prayed. The same person who built the Church of the Agony built the church of the Raising of Lazarus with stone that absorbs moisture so that the church feels cooler and almost like you're in a tomb to represent the tomb of Lazarus. Very unique and neat churches for sure. It's neat how they can build them to mimic what they are dedicated for.  Also, while on the topic of churches, I visited today too the Church of the Flagellation of Jesus. This I believe is where He would have been beaten before He made the Way of the Cross. It was powerful to be in there and to pray a little.

Now for another important part of the trip, the food!  The food has been pretty good in Jerusalem.  I have had Kosher McDonald's now. The frys are still the same!  I also found a cheap pizza place. This place is cheap cheese or vegi pizza, but it does the trick until I can get home to some Home Rum Inn Pepperoni pizza!  I also tried "Holy Bagel" today. It was delicious!   I love bagels. One of my favorite foods, but I hadn't had one since I arrived. They were pricy, but well worth it!  Overall as I mentioned, the food has been good, but I'm starting to miss home food. It'll be nice to get back to that, and to pay less money for it too!

Please keep me and my class in your prayers. We have a midterm on Monday. It will be a lot of material, but hopefully will be pretty straight forward. I can't believe we have just about two weeks left. The time has gone by rather fast. It'll be good to be home, but I'm going to try and enjoy these last days as much as possible. Take care everyone!

Oh, I almost forgot, here is the link to photos. I've updated it. Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/66858764@N08/with/9112948990/


-Chris  

Jerusalem

Hello everyone!

I pray that everyone is doing great.  I'm doing much better than I was.  I had a stomach bug for the last week and haven't been able to do much with the blog.  Thanks be to God with all the prayers and rest I feel much better than I did!  A lot has happened since my last blog.  We have finished our time in the north and we have moved down to Jerusalem for the final part of the trip.  It is really neat to be here.  It is a big modern city.  They have tons of stores going down the street just like at home, lots of great coffee shops, and even some of the main names you would see at home.  I was surprised to see a Skechers store for example.  Of course they have McDonald's here too!  I have not yet been in Jerusalem, but I know I'll try it.  They also have 3 Kosher McDonald's I heard.  I'm gunna have to search for that too, just so I can say I tried it.

The first full day I was here I got to visit the Holy Sepulcher.  This is a huge church.  It is the church that was built around Calvary and the tomb where Jesus was placed.  Right when you walk in they have the stone he was on where they prepared His body for burial.  The tomb is very small.  Only a few people can be in it at a time.  The Orthodox priests also keep you moving, so you get about 15-20 seconds in the tomb, but it is quite a peaceful few seconds.  The site of Calvary is quite beautiful too.  You can actually place your hand down in a star under the altar of Calvary and touch the actual stones of Calvary!  What a blessing to see and touch all these Holy sites.  Just in reflecting as I type this, the Bible is already starting to be seen differently by me.  One reason is I can say I have been to these places...they exist...they are much more "real".  Another thing is seeing how things are written in the Bible, and then seeing how it is.  For example: I thought the area of the crucifixion and tomb weren't so close together.  Sure in I think John's Gospel it says the tomb was close by, but what's close by?  A five minute walk?  But this tomb is within a couple hundred feet I'd say.  Sorta cool to just visualize it in a new way.

We also have resumed classes.  The first class on Gospel of John was a test and the Prophets class was lecture.  Interesting stuff.  I'm looking forward to the Gospel class the most.  Today we visited the history museum here in Jerusalem.  I'm not one for museums, but it was actually pretty cool.  Seeing things thousands upon thousands of years old, or how weapons for hunting developed over the ages, it was neat to see some of those things.  Tomorrow we have Mass at St. Anne's.  I believe it is supposed to be the house of Sts. Joachim and Anne.  Should be neat.  Some of us also plan to explore tomorrow too.

I can't believe the trip is almost over.  With class and all the movement, it goes by fast.  I'll try to keep you all updated as much as I can in the next couple weeks.  Things will pick up class wise and work load wise since we have reading for classes that we begin when we return.  Hopefully I'll get through it all.  AND ORDINATION.  SUPER EXCITING!!  Only about a month to go.  I can't wait!  Alrighty, please pray for me as I pray for you.

In Christ,
Chris    

Later Nazareth

Hello Everybody!

We just finished our tour of Nazareth. What a beautiful town. It was way more modern than Bethlehem, and the Church of the Annunciation was beautiful!  The past 24 hours have been very exciting. We visited the Mt. Tabor where the Transfiguration happened and also had a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Being on the boat was neat. We had a brief meditation time to ponder all the various stories of Jesus' ministry out on the sea. For the next couple days we will be visiting the other various sites in the north where Jesus lived and did a lot of His ministry. By the end of next week we will be in Jerusalem and back to a regular class schedule. We will be resuming our Gospel of John class and Prophets class.  Let me tell you. It's super cool opening the Gospel of Luke and reading the first 4 chapters give or take and being able to say I've been to those places. What a blessing!  Talk to everyone soon. 

-Chris

Photo Link

http://www.flickr.com/photos/66858764@N08/with/9112948990/

That link should take you to my photos. It has Holy Land photos and all my Guatemala photos. I should be able to put more up eventually. Enjoy!

Eternal Rest Grant Unto Him O Lord

Hi everyone,

First and foremost I want to express my sympathy to the Foys family after the loss of Deacon Frank. Eternal Rest Grant unto Him O Lord, and Let the Perpetual Light Shine Upon Him. Deacon Frank actually trained me how to be an altar server. Learning how to be an altar server was a huge blessing in my life and a gift I have used ever since. Deacon Frank would always call me to serve weddings and funerals too. I also remember how he talked about wanting to deacon my first Mass as a priest as well. I always felt very loved and cared for by him. I'm going to miss him a lot. One of the last times I got to speak with him he told me the story of how he became a deacon. What a privilege to hear.  Thank you Lord for the blessing of his life and help me to be a good and holy deacon as he was!  Though I can't be home for the funeral, my prayers will be there. I'll be praying here in the Holy Land.

In the past few days I have been able to visit a lot of neat sites. What stands out the most is the Church of the Annunciation. What a beautiful church!  In there is the grotto where the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and she made her Fiat to becoming the Mother of God. It's really neat seeing as the parts of the church that you can go in are on various levels. The big main church is on the "3rd" floor and the grotto where Mary met Gabriel down below. We also got to visit what was believed to be the home of the Holy Family.  We also visited Armageddon. This is the place where the "last battle" is supposed to happen. It was actually an old city inhabited for thousands of years that is now a lot of rocks. People have come though and excavated the site and it had some impressive features for its time.

We also visited by the Mediterranean Sea at Caesarea Maritima. This is the place where the Angel freed Peter from his prison chains and where Paul waited to be taken to Rome to be tried in a Roman court. Very cool to be there and quite beautiful!  The water was super blue!  So far I have seen many beautiful sites and holy places.  It will be a blessing to keep seeing these places and to keep seeing the Scripture in new light.    

Alright everyone. Talk to you soon and know of my prayers!

-Chris

...And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Good Evening (or Afternoon for everyone at home),

I hope everyone is doing well!  I'm doing very well. Today was an "ordinary" day. It started off beautifully with 7:30am Mass in the Manger grotto at the Church of the Nativity. The Franciscans  who run the Roman Catholic part of the church were very nice and let us take their Mass. It was beautiful to get to experience Mass there again.

Today was also a class day. The lectures today were on the Spiritual Direction course I'm taking.  It was a good chance to get some good pointers for being a future spiritual director.  If you have never experienced spiritual direction, I highly recommend it!  What a gift!  As a seminarian I'm required to have a spiritual director. However, required or not, it is such a blessing in my life. As we are learning, the purpose of a director is to help the directee grow in their relationship with God. That is the primary task of a spiritual direction relationship. Having someone to walk with you on that journey and assist you spiritually is a total blessing.

Free time today was spent just hanging out with the guys. I got to go to my favorite coffee shop too. I was able to have mocha and read my book for class. A nice way to spend the afternoon.

Tomorrow we visit the site of Jesus' Baptism and the Mount of Temptations. These are going to be two great sites!  They are very "human" sites I would say. In Baptism, Jesus sanctified the waters of the Jordan allowing us who are Baptized to receive the Holy Spirit. With that comes immeasurable graces and virtues. The Mount of Temptation is also a key site for you and I. In being tempted something happened to Jesus that happens to you and I...He was tempted!  The only difference, He never gave in. He never sinned. One of the things we can take from this though is that Jesus understands temptations and understands we as humans get them. We can turn to Him in our time of temptation and ask Him for the grace to overcome them just how He did. This isn't to say this is easy, but He is with us. The Holy Spirit is with us. And the grace is with us to overcome the temptation and defeat the sin!  A little prayer I was taught to pray when temptations arise, whatever they may be, is "Jesus, Saver of Souls". That's it. That little phrase. I've come to make it my own little prayer by adding, "Jesus, Saver if Souls, save my soul so I can save souls for you." The "image" of whatever was tempting you may still be there after this prayer, that's only normal and how our brains work. If we try not to think of something we start to think of it. But it won't have the power over you. Jesus deflates temptations power by His grace. It just takes our part of asking for the grace.

Alrighty it's getting late over here. Please know of prayers and please pray for me.

-Chris

Instant Coffee

2/2/15

Hi Everyone!

Sorry I haven't blogged for a while!  I have been doing lots of different things during my stay and I would like to give y'all an update.  First I will mention the stars.  Living at home in an area with a lot of light pollution and other things in the air, you don't get many opportunities to see the stars.  Well here, that's a little bit different.  The stars are super clear at night, and the moon is the brightest I've ever seen it!  It is neat to be outside at night and just look up and see a beautiful night sky full of lights.  OK, time to complain a little.  Instant Coffee.  No me gusta.  That is really all they have for us though.  Coffee by the pot I have come to find out isn't that common here, at least where we are staying and the places I've gone.  I have found a way to mix one of the instant packs with some Nesquik powder.  This allows me to make the coffee more tolerable and relive my childhood at the same time.  There is a coffee shop though which is close by that makes a pretty good mocha.  That's a great place to go and study while I'm here.  It also has great wifi internet which is a gift!  The internet where we stay isn't the greatest, so to be able to stop and browse the net or Facebook like at home, while drinking a mocha, is pretty legit.  The other day my classmates and I had a night time Holy Hour at the grotto in the exact place Jesus was born.  That was super awesome!!  It was a beautiful prayer experience and a blessing to pray there.  I actually was essentially sitting in the Manger while praying looking at the star marking the place of His birth.  Super cool!  Another cool place that we have visited is the tomb of the Patriarchs.  Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Rebekah, and Leah are all buried there.  Sarah might be also, I don't remember exactly.  To be at the tomb of Abraham and Isaac, for me, was super cool.  Classes have been pretty good so far in the Holy Land.  I have a Spiritual Direction course and a course on Ecumenism.  Both have been interesting classes.  In a couple weeks my classmates and I will begin some more classes that will continue into the school year.  It is a class on the Prophets and a class on the Gospel of John.  Today was a pretty good day too.  We visited the birth place of John the Baptist and had Mass there.  We also visited the monastery of the wilderness which is believed to be the location of "the wilderness" John the Baptist spent his time in.  Oh!  speaking of this reminds me of something funny during Mass.  Tons of stray cats are in the Holy Land.  They are everywhere!  I like cats, so I'm OK with it, but what was hilarious was during the homily, a cat actually walked into church and into the sanctuary during Mass.  Now I've seen bugs before in Church and Mass, but a cat...this was new!  We had a real nice lunch after Mass.  I was worried originally that the food wasn't going to be that great in the Holy Land.  It has far surpassed my expectations.  I have really liked the food, and the breads!  The breads, let me tell you. I love bread.  To explain, if Olive Garden Breadsticks were an option on the menu at Olive Garden with say a Coke, I'd be set.  So here they have a lot of fresh breads and pita breads.  They have all been super good on their own, but the "salads" they have given us to dip them in...super delicious! OK everyone, enough about food, or I'm going to need a late night snack, and we don't have any bread laying around or Portillo's close by, so that may be problematic. I'm going to get ready for bed.  The internet as I mentioned isn't great here, so I haven't been able to load many photos on my Flickr page.  However, if you want to see my Guatemala pictures in the mean time, scroll down into some older blogs and you will see the link.  Pax.

AMDG

~Chris    

Shepherds and Cats

1/22/15

Hey everybody!

I hope everyone is doing well back home. I'm doing very well in the Holy Land. It has really been a blessed experience so far. This week we started classes. I have a spiritual direction course and an ecumenism course so far. Some other courses will begin later in the semester and when I return back to school for classes in April.

We visited the Shepherd's Field today and had Mass there in one of the caves. It was super neat!  To have Mass in the space where the Angel appeared to the shepherds and let them know about the Birth of the Savior was really cool.  Fun fact about having Masses in these various locations. The Mass used in those locations is the Mass for the location. So for the Gospel at the Shepherd's Field they use Luke 2:8 which is the story of the shepherds so you are able to be in the exact spot of what is being proclaimed in the Gospel!  After Mass we had some prayer time and time to explore the grounds. The distance too between the field and Bethlehem isn't really as long as I imagined it. I imagined that they saw a star and would take a while to arrive, but in reality it isn't that bad of a walk. Kinda cool to put it in perspective.

We went for lunch to a place called the Shepherd's Tent. It was awesome!  We had a ton of great food. There were different salads for the first course. It was hummus and other things to dip bread in. Then came the meat and potatoes course. Then a small dessert. Was quite filling and delicious. I admit, I miss Portillo's, but the food here is doing an OK job filling in. A unique part to the restaurant was that wild cats are allowed to walk around the restaurant. Now in America that would be a major health violation, but in the Holy Land these guests are acceptable. It was kinda cool just having a cat walk around your feet while eating lunch in a nice restaurant. Not something I can say I've experienced back home.

The weather here has been beautiful. It has been in the 60's and sunny. I'm not gunna lie, I'm happy to be missing the cold and snow. I've been lucky in my international travels. When it was super hot back home I was cool in the mountains in Guatemala, and now here in the Holy Land I'm warmer as it's cold back home.

Alright everyone, please know of my prayers. This weekend we will have Mass at the study of St. Jerome where he translated the Bible.  I hopefully will get a chance to see some more places and explore too. Talk to y'all soon!

-Chris

Merry Christmas! (1/18/15)

1/18/15


Hola Amigos!

Como estan?  Well I guess I shouldn't be using Spanish for my blog right now since I'm no longer blogging in Guatemala, but blogging from the Holy Land! We visit Bethlehem as part of the experience, and what a blessing it has been.  Today (January 18th this year) is Armenian Christmas Eve, so it is still Christmas time here!  One of the coolest things I have done so far is have Mass at the grotto at the Church of the Nativity.  In this grotto they have a star marking where it is believed Jesus was born and also a few feet from it the manger where it is held they placed Jesus after he was born.  The Mass was at the altar in the area where the manger was.  It was such a beautiful Mass.  The area can only hold about 20 people standing around it, but what a blessing!  As the priest elevated the host, it was so cool to be looking at Jesus in the Eucharist, and to know the very same Jesus lay there over 2,000 years ago.  That I kinda, in a sense, had a role of one of the Shepherds or Magi.  That I was at the manger truly adoring the Lord how they did.

The food here has been good so far.  We have had meat, fish, potatoes, hummus, cheese, and lots of bread, just to name a few!  A beautiful thing jumps into my mind about bread.  Bethlehem means "House of Bread."  How beautiful that at Mass, I'm receiving the Bread of Life in the House of Bread...that's cray cool!  The culture is very different here from the United States, but in a way does remind me of Guatemala.  This reminder is especially true with the street vendors and the shops.

Some of us came across a "Starbucks."  I put it in quotes, because it isn't Starbucks, but they took the name, the logo, and sell coffee.  It's not half bad!  In fact it was great sipping on a mocha watching the Armenian Christmas parade going to the Church of the Nativity.  Tomorrow begins a full week of classes and touring around.  Time is going to start to go by fast I'm sure while we're here, but it will continue to be a blessing as it has been already.

Please know of my prayers for all of you, and please know I feel very safe over here.  There has been nothing here to cause me real fear or anxiety.  I ask for your continued prayers for safety, and prayers as I prepare for ordination.  As you know, I will be ordained less than one week after I return home from the Holy Land!  I hope all of you will be there!  I'm not sure how often I will get to blog since the internet is pretty bad, but please know I will keep you informed as much as possible.  I also hope to upload photos on a flicker account again when I get the chance.  When that gets set up, I'll add a link.  OK everybody, talk to you soon!

~Chris Lankford

El Ultimo Domingo

Buenas Tardes!

I pray everyone is having a wonderful Sunday back home in Clarendon Hills!  I can't believe it, but today marks mi ultimo Domingo aqui en Quetzaltenago. The time has truly gone by fast, and I thank God for the wonderful opportunity he has given me. This past week was really quick for me. With my final exam practice Mass this past Monday and making pizzas for the teachers on Thursday, time just ran away.  I'm looking forward to this week, but it's going to blaze by as well!  We have three practice Masses this week, a trip to the city, my final written exam Thursday, and graduation!  Friday I will be spending the day in Antigua.  Antigua is an old tourist site here in Guatemala. I'm told its very beautiful and it will be a great way to spend my last full day in Guatemala.  Then Saturday around noon I fly to Houston and then from Houston to Chicago, arriving mas o menos ocho de la noche.

So as you can see time is moving and like all good things, my time here is coming to an end too. I have made many great friends, and have received a true gift. I'm anxious to use the Spanish I've learned when I get home.  Es mi espanol perfecto?  No, not at all.  However, to be able to communicate with Spanish speakers, or to be be able to pray the prayers of the church in Spanish is amazing!  It blows my mind that I can listen to my teacher talk for an hour or have a conversation with some of the Benedictinos aqui por 45min. and understand 90% or more of it.  It's truly amazing the grace Our Lord has given me aprender esta idioma.  

In this last week, I ask that you continue to pray for me.  That I continue to learn as much as I can in my last 4 classes, and make the most out of the time I have left. Also please pray for me as I prepare to receive Candidacy in 2 weeks.  Candidacy is another major step towards Holy Orders. The church will officially be recognizing me as a good candidate for Holy Orders, and I will publicly promise to live my life in a way that prepares me to be a worthy candidate of Holy Orders. This is really exciting for me as it has been described as getting engaged to the Church so to say, so please pray for me as I take this next step!

Know of my prayers and I look forward to seeing everyone soon!

-Cristobal

http://www.flickr.com/photos/66858764@N08/with/9112948990/

Really...Russia

Hola Amigos,

Sorry I haven't been able to post a lot recently.  Things have been busy here, and this message will have to be short to. However, I wanted to just say hello to everyone and send out a quick update. First the title of my post. When I logged in, it said I had viewers of my blog in Russia. Why?  I'm not sure, but I thought that's pretty neat!  Maybe that's where I will learn my next language :)

Things have been going well here.  I have been here 8 weeks today.  I have to admit, I'm starting to get ready to come home, but I'm making the most of my time during these last 10 days. Since my last post I have said my practice Mass (which I got an A on...photo proof to come), one of my close friends has returned home, have visited a university in Guatemala, saw mi villano favorito 2 (Despicable Me 2), and conversed with people I never met before at the Centro in Spanish!  So lots has been going on, and lots continues to go on.

Coming up tomorrow we have a full day here. My buddy graduates and we make pizza for the teachers.  Yes, the American pizza has become a sensation for everyone in Guatemala. My friends and I are waiting for an offer to open a restaurant at the mall :). Some how I think we could manage evangelization and pizza making.

Speaking of the pizza I have to go make sauce for 7 of them and also get in my prayer time.  I'll try and post again this weekend. Until then, I hope everyone is well, and please know of my prayers. I'm looking forward to July 28th when I'll be back at ND for Mass and hopefully get to see a bunch of you!

-Cris

San Andreas

Hola Amigos!


¡Yo espero todas personas estan bien!  Yo estoy bien, pero yo estoy consado hoy.  I'm tired because today we visited the church of San Andreas. This is a very beautiful church here Guatemala. It was the church I wanted to visit most during my time here, and I finally got to today.  It was a little bit of a journey to get there, but it was well worth it.  Believe me, you haven't ridden on a city bus until you've ridden on an over packed (and I mean OVER packed), old, multicolored, dirty, loud, school bus, with stickers, and a sound system.  Oh yes, and the first ride, livestock attached to the roof. Yes...the chicken bus.  I knew why it had the name it did, but living the experience is a whole different adventure.

I'm approaching 7 full weeks here.  It has been a true blessing to be here. I've really enjoyed learning Spanish, and I'm blessed to have learned the Spanish I have. I'm excited to start using it back home once I return. Speaking of returns, I come home in about 2 and a half weeks!  I'm excited to see everyone and spend time with everyone too!  Plus, that comida de America, esta llmando mi nombre tambien!  I've been getting my fix each week in the food court, so my internal systems haven't reached the critical levels of withdrawal yet :)

This Thursday is the feast of St. Benedict. We are having a huge day of celebration at the monastery!  Since the are Benedictines, I believe this is a Solemnity for them. Entonces, after Mass on Thursday, we are having a big basketball game with the other seminarians, and I believe a large festive lunch too.

Everything keeps moving along here smoothly as I'm sure it has back home. I think of Notre Dame a lot out here, and how blessed I am to have the parish that I do. Many seminarians don't have the love and support from their parishes that you all show me, and for that I'm truly thankful!  Please know of my continued prayers for each of you who read this blog, and I look forward to chatting again soon!

-Cristóbal

Ps, many new photos!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/66858764@N08/with/9112948990/

Happy 4th! ¡Feliz Cuarto de Julio!

Hola Friends,

¡Feliz Cuarto de Julio! ¡Yo espero todas personas en Los Estados Unidos estan teniendo un buen dia hoy!  Aqui en Quetzaltenango yo estoy teniendo un buen dia. Yo extraño Los Estados Unidos hoy, pero mis amigos vamos a celebar esta noche.  My teacher for class today brought firecrackers to shoot off before we started our lessons. During the break she let me drive her motorcycle around campus too!  I kinda want one now....sorry mom :)   My diocesan brother Juan and I also celebrated the best way we could as Americans in Guatemala....by eating McDonald's!  If I can't be in America today, at least I can have a taste of it!  Later tonight we are grilling hamburgers and hotdogs here at the monastery.  My teacher also bought me additional fireworks as a gift, so tonight we will at least get to see some. Fireworks are very popular here. If my alarm doesn't wake me up in the morning usually fireworks do. In the very early hours of the morning people set off firecrackers to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries.

This week has gone by pretty fast. I found out I celebrate my practice Mass next Wednesday and have a test on Monday. We are also planning on going to the zoo tomorrow!  The grammar I have been learning this past week has been pretty easy too.  It's basically past, present, and future progressive. Yesterday I also went to the movies. My friends and I saw Monsters University. It was all in Spanish, but I understood a lot of the words and got the overall concept of the film. I highly recommend it!

Nothing else major going on here. I can't believe I only have 15 days of class left before I come home. Time is flying by!  Even though I'm excited to return home, I know I'm going to miss Guatemala in the future. I have learned so much here, it truly has been a blessing. These next 3 weeks I'm sure are going to seal everything together too.  I hope everyone is doing well and that everyone enjoys the holiday today!  Know of my prayers for all of you, and we'll talk again soon!

-Cristobal

Ss Peter and Paul, Pray for Us!

Hola Mis Amigos!

Como estan?  Estoy bien!  Esta semana estuvo muy emotionaldo. The highlight of the week was visiting the oldest church in Central America. This church is pretty small, but it's very beautiful inside. It was a privilege to pray in same church that Jesus was present in the Eucharist for the very first time in this part of the world. It also was the church of the first wedding and baptism too. We also got to take a chicken bus there and back. For those of you who don't know, a chicken bus is an old USA school bus totally, as the kids say "tricked out."  It's painted and has loud music and some even have TVs. It's quite the experience, and not like taking the PACE bus. From what I read, it gets the name chicken bus because sometimes people will bring on animals for transportation. There are also no safety regulations like the US. If there is space, more people can come on. It is very cheap which is nice. 2 quetzals. That's about 25cents of our money.

Fr. Elmer from Mundelein also made a short visit this past week. It was great having him here, especially because he is my spiritual director. He had meetings with all the Mundelein guys, took us out for a fancy dinner, and then said Mass for us this morning. I guess it's a good sign that I'm learning Spanish when he said "peace be with you" and I forgot the English response for a moment.

I leave four weeks from today. I can't believe how fast it's going. This week will be pretty low key. Fr. Mike Warden, recently ordained from Mundelein, joins us this week for a month. It will be great to have a new priest here with us, seeing as some guys classes have already finished and have gone home.

I wish everyone a blessed solemnity of Ss. Peter and Paul. We are going to be having a good fiesta tonight with all the monks, so I hope everyone is able to celebrate back home. Know of my prayers, and thank you for yours!

-Cris

http://www.flickr.com/photos/66858764@N08/with/9112948990/

(Photos of the trip to the oldest church now uploaded)

Un Mes Aqui

Hola Amigos!

Today marks one month in Guatemala!  I can't believe it's already been that long. In this month I have learned a lot and have also grown a lot.  Sure parts have been difficult and I have had some days that I really miss home, but overall it has been a very positive experience.

This weekend is pretty relaxing here. No formal events are going on.  I do have a test to study for, however.  It will be my first exam here covering all that I have learned so far. I'm a little nervous, so if you want to pray for me as I take my test Monday that would be greatly appreciated!

This past week we had some visitors from Marmion Academy.  Abbot John and Father Marcos came with them. It was great to have some new people around here. They were here for the week doing mission work for habitat for humanity.  We also got to play basketball and spend time together.

We also made American pizza again!  We made it for everyone here and the Marmion visitors. It seemed to be a big hit again. I was told we are having hamburgers Monday too.  I hope those turn out just as well as the pizza.

This week we also have a priest from Mundelein visiting. His name is Fr. Elmer. He is my spiritual director at the seminary, so it will be great to have him come visit and to meet with him.  He plans on spending a few days with us, sitting in on some classes, and having meetings with all the Mundelein guys. I'm sure it will be a great visit.

I have to celebrate a practice Mass in about two weeks here as part of my final exam. I con celebrated a practice Mass with my friend Keith last Wednesday. It was a lot of fun!  Granted I didn't have to write the homily like he did, but I felt pretty comfortable with the Spanish. I'm sure with more practice I'll be all set in two weeks!

Please know of my prayers and I'll talk to everyone soon.

-Cris

http://www.flickr.com/photos/66858764@N08/

Chillin'

Hola Friends!


So right now I'm just relaxing outside. The weather has been perfect here for most of my trip. I don't think it has been over 80 degrees aqui. Most days you actually need a jacket.  This past weekend wasn't that exciting in terms of adventures. Some friends and I walked to the Walmart. We had to pick up the essentials. You know....Oreos, pretzels, sour gummy worms, etc.

Yesterday after Mass the language started to click a little easier. I lost a lot of my fear and also started understanding a lot more. Feels really good that its clicking for me. For dinner last night tambien we had beef ribs. One of the Spanish students made them. Very tasty!  "Our Crew" was also asked to make pizza again this Thursday, which I'm 100% OK with.

My teacher and I for class tomorrow are planning on walking to the bakery. Now I think you'll agree...class...bakery...this has to be good!  My friend Keith also celebrates his practice Mass this week as part of his final exam. He is having me be a con celebrant for him.  My final Mass exam won't be until the end of my time here probably.

Other than that, nothing else is really going on. Well one more thing. Visitors from Marmion Abbey are here. I think us seminarians are going to challenge them to a basketball game later in the week!

OK everybody, talk to you soon!  And keep checking this other link for photos of my trip as well.

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/66858764@N08/

-Cristobal

Photos

Hola

So here is a link to my photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/66858764@N08/

I only have a few uploaded right now, but when I get a chance many more to come!

-Cristobal

1/3 complete

Hola Friends!

Well, we have reached the 1/3 mark. I've been here for three weeks today, and it has been quite the experience. I want to first thank everyone who has been reading my blog and praying for me over these past three weeks. The prayers have truly been a blessing, and please know of my prayers for you!  In these three weeks I have had over 500 page views on my blog, American pizza 3 times, 4 spiders in my room (3 in my bed), seen movies in the theater twice, visited the Cathedral twice, had two days without rain, been in class for aproximaldamente 42 hours, and learned countless new words in Spanish!  I guess that was a small 3 week stat review :)

The past few days have been pretty good aqui. My teacher started cookin' with gas en mis clases. Some of the concepts have been very challenging, but once I master them it will make my spanish much better.  We also started going over the past tense today. Let me tell you, things make a lot more sense knowing some words in the past tense. My homework the past couple dias has been to write stories in español using only the present tense. I was amazed at now much I was able to write!  I look forward over the next six weeks learning more and more so I can become much better with the language.

As I mentioned in my stats review, I have seen movies in the theaters twice. They have been in English which is nice, but have Spanish subtitles which helps.  My seminarian brother John and I went to the centro commercial aqui en Quetzaltenago today to have lunch and watch a movie. We were able to have a good Spanish conversation, and we also talked to some kids in Spanish waiting outside the theater.  Plus I can't beat the price for a movie here. 15 quetzals. That's just over $2!

I'm looking forward to tomorrow when we play the seminarians in basketball again. Thursday is probably one of my favorite dias aqui. We have Mass at 9am (instead of 5:45am) and then play basketball after lunch. Last time we beat the seminarians, and I hope we win again tomorrow.

Also in my stats I mentioned American pizza. Pizza is my favorite food, with steak and Portillo's right behind it.  Well last Friday we made American pizza for all the monks and seminarians. It turned out perfect!  It was really well received and tasted great. Fr. Juan Francisco asked if we wanted to make it again this Sunday. We are going to let another Spanish student cook something he knows this Sunday, but I will be cooking again soon!

Speaking of food makes me think of dinner. Speaking of dinner makes me think of when I said in an earlier post I will share some traditions. So here is one of them. For dinner every night in the monastery, it starts off in silence. When the bell rings one of the priests leads a prayer. After the prayer one of the Benedictines reads from the rule of St. Benedict. After the reading we are allowed to sit down, get our food, and begin eating. Breakfast also is in silence everyday here. As some of you know, (and I know those who do know are about to laugh ) I'm not a morning person. 5:45am for Mass and breakfast at 7:30am is an early beginning for me, so I welcome the silence in the morning. It's a great way to just start off the day peacefully with our Lord and to prepare for classes.

I hope everyone is well back home. I'm thinking about all of you. Please know of my prayers and we will talk soon.

-Cristobal

Ps. I want to share some photos, so eventually I will be making an online photo album and I'll post a link so everyone can see them.

An Amazing Day

Hola!

So today has been a pretty awesome day!  Our Lord has clearly been working overtime for me!  Let me explain a little bit. Yesterday during basketball I hurt my foot. I was limping pretty bad yesterday and earlier today, and it hurt pretty bad to put my full weight on it. Well today, June 7th, is a very special day for me.  This year especially. Today is the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  One of my favorite feasts and along with Divine Mercy, my favorite devotion!  AND it was on this day in 2008 at the Ordination Mass for Joliet where I heard that inaudible voice of the Holy Spirit call me to seminary!  So yes my foot hurt, but none the less it is a pretty special day for me. Well that pain before I knew it was about to disappear too!  During Mass for the Sacred Heart of Jesus, my foot hurt almost all the way through. However, after I received communion I noticed when I was back at my pew the majority of the pain had disappeared!  I could put full weight back on my foot again and walk like normal, and still so far today can walk normal. I can't explain it, but God truly gave me a grace today. So as you can tell between being one of my favorite feasts and devotions, the anniversary of my call into seminary, and having the pain in my foot go away, this has been an amazing day!

Along with all that awesomeness, I had a great class today too. I feel I was able to understand a lot, and we finished up with grammar for the present tense. I have a lot to review this weekend, but it's slowly starting to click. Also today I got to try horchata for the first time!  It was quite delicious. If I understand correctly its rice milk and sugar. Whatever it's made of, I like it!

Tonight some of us Americans are making American pizza for the monks and other seminarians. We made a small rookie mistake when we realized their system of measurement is different than the one we use in the US, but we think we have a recipe ready to go!  I'll have to let all of you know how it goes.

I'll talk to everyone soon!

-Cristóbal

A Little Update

Hola amigos!

Como estan?  Yo estoy muy bien. It has been a pretty good past couple days. The weekend for me was very relaxing!  On Sunday we celebrated the Solemnity of Corpus Christi aqui at the monasterio. I was very excited because one of the Benedictine brothers asked me to help altar serve. It was great to get back in the saddle and altar serve again!  Mass is very similar to how it is at home, however, they give very long Sunday homilies here. They average around 30 minutes each.  Mentioning Mass also made me think about this past Saturday. I got to be at my first quinceanera. A quinceanera is a celebration for a 15 year old girl on her birthday. It is sort of her moving from being a girl to a woman. They had a Mass for her and a big party after. There wasn't much different at the Mass. She answered some questions and then publicly thanked God for all the blessings she has received in life.

Classes keep going well. I have to admit, it is very difficult to be in class from 8am-12:45pm Lunes a Viernes, pero it's paying off!  As you can see here and there I'm using Spanish words in my blog, and I understand A LOT more than when I first arrived. I still can't speak it very well, but that is just going to take time and practice. However, I can understand a lot better what people are saying. Por ejemplo, hoy during the homily at Mass, Padre talked about, "where is your heart?" and "It's always the time to start up...to start reading Scripture..."  I'm only able to catch little parts, but it's nice to start understanding individual words and getting basic concepts.

We had 4 new students arrive today. Some are here for just over 3 weeks and another one leaves the day after I do. What's great is we are all seminarians ( but one) and all are trying to learn Spanish together to help our local church in the future as priests.  I'm still super excited that part of my final exam is to celebrate a practice Mass in Spanish!  What a blessing that will be in the future.

I hope everyone is doing well in the states. I really missed American food all day yesterday, but that's bound to happen. I explained to my teacher today in Spanish all about Portillo's, so I definitely earned some when I return home. Please know of my prayers from Guatemala and if you could please pray for a priest at my Seminary in Mundelein. I got emailed the other day and found out he has stage 4 cancer. His name is Fr. Oakes. I know he would greatly appreciate the prayers through the intercession of Fr. Augustus Tolton!  Thanks everyone!

-Cris