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)