Nathan Jennings came to Seminary of the Southwest in 2005, returning to his hometown. Currently, Nathan serves as the J. Milton Richardson Associate Professor of Liturgics and Anglican Studies. Nathan's academic interests include liturgical theology, dogmatic theology, ascetical theology, and theological hermeneutics.
This year will be the third year that we, as a community, will be celebrating the “Triduum” together. In the past, we have expected students to attend their field parishes for formation in the Triduum. We decided to give it a go for a few years here at Seminary of the Southwest, to see if the Triduum might not become for us an important part of our own formative traditions.
But what is the “Triduum,” anyway? It is not a word found in our Prayer Book. It is Latin for “The Three Days.” These “Three Days” refer to the three focal days of Holy Week surrounding Christ’s Last Supper, betrayal, death, burial and resurrection. It comprises four services over three days. The four services are: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and the Great Vigil of Easter. These take place from Thursday evening before Easter Sunday through Saturday night (or, in some places the Great Vigil occurs just before sunrise on Easter Sunday itself).
Greg Garret (@Greg1Garrett) currently serves as the Writer-in-Residence at Seminary of the Southwest. As a member of the adjunct faculty of the seminary, Greg helps future leaders of the Church to write, interpret, and communicate effectively.
I had such big plans for this Lent. After past seasons where I temporarily renounced things (Diet Coke, meat, dessert) or took on things (like the Lent when Cathy Boyd, Billy Tweedie, and I decided to take on bluegrass as a spiritual discipline), I had isolated a practice I thought would be a good fit for this stage of my life, one full of joy and difficulty: I was going to read and re-read the Psalms, and simultaneously to read N. T. Wright’s book The Case for the Psalms, a book on praying and living the Psalms back into the center of our spiritual lives.
Austin Rios is an alumnus of Seminary of the Southwest currently serving as the rector for St. Paul's Within-the-Walls, Rome, Italy. Austin was born in Texas and grew up in Texas, Louisiana, and Wisconsin. Austin describes his life's journey as a journey in "adapting to new cultures and growing in faith through the Episcopal Church in all its wonderful manifestations."
Over the last few weeks, Italy and the world have been abuzz about Suor Cristina Scuccia, a 25 year old Sicilian nun, whose YouTube clip is the new world record holder for “fastest to 10,000,000 views.” Her rendition of Alicia Keys’ No One on the Italian version of The Voice passed that mark in a mere 3 days, and has risen to over 38 million views since March 19. It’s hard to tell if viewers are drawn to the clip because of its popularity, are impressed by the performance itself, or simply intrigued by the format of the show. In this first, “blind,” stage of competition, judges were positioned with their backs to the habit-clad nun about to erupt on stage, unaware of her true identity. Once the judges decided that they liked Suor Cristina’s voice, they turned their chairs around and came face to face with the diminutive, R & B belting sister. They stared. Their mouths hung open. And when they interviewed her, asking why a real nun would choose to sing on The Voice, she responded by saying that Pope Francis “says we should go out and evangelize, proclaiming that God doesn’t want to rob us of things, but to give us more.” In short, Suor Cristina felt bold enough to risk making a fool of herself because she was convinced that spreading the Gospel widely was worth that risk.
Jane Patterson is the Assistant Professor of New Testament at Seminary of the Southwest. In addition to teaching Bible courses at the seminary, Jane serves as co-director of The Workshop, a ministry that guides laity in using the Bible to discern how to live faithfully.
Lately I’ve noticed that what I thought was an elite club of which I was the only member turns out to be a very popular club, with each member assuming he or she is the only one. This is the club of people for whom Lent is their favorite liturgical season. In whispers and asides, we are beginning to locate one another and to proclaim our allegiance: “I don’t mean to sound weird or anything, but really, Lent is my favorite season.”
Dr. Claire Colombo has served on the seminary's adjunct faculty since 2012. As a freelance educational consultant, she develops religion curriculum for Loyola Press of Chicago and is a regular contributor to their Find God magazines and newsletters.
Writer Dorothy Sayers takes the Genesis story at face value, but not in the usual way. She notes that before human beings are made in God’s image in 1:26, little is revealed about the mysterious maker—only that “God created.” Therefore, she concludes, being made imago Dei must mean having “the ability to make things.”1
Dr. Steve Bishop is the Associate Professor of Old Testament at Seminary of the Southwest. Steve served as an ordained minister in the Church of Christ prior to undertaking graduate studies. Steve's academic interests include the poetry of the Hebrew Bible and literary translations of it into English.
The week of Spring Break in Austin is one that brings visitors from all over the world. They don’t come for our beaches because we have none. They come for the South by Southwest technology, film, and music event known everywhere as SXSW. The cost of the event and the press of crowds however prevent many from attending ‘showcase’ events. Happily there is a group of Austin residents whose love of music and creativity combined with a disdain for the corporate opportunism that funds the event offer a free alternative. As you might guess it is dubbed Not-SXSW!
The Rev. David Peters is currently studying in the Master of the Arts of Religion program at Seminary of the Southwest. David comes to Seminary of the Southwest from the Armed Forces and Federal Ministries of The Episcopal Church.
Snapshot #1
The teenaged boy dove into the ditch as the bombers came into sight and started releasing their payload on the German town next to the concentration camp. He crouched there with the other prisoners and pressed his body against the side of the ditch closest to the sound of the bombs. Sometimes, in the ditch, he imagined they were riding the subway in New York City, like he had done with his parents and sister four years before the war. Just like the subway riders, the prisoners didn’t look at each other in the ditch.
The boy dug the ditch with the other prisoners during their first weeks in the camp. It used to be deeper, but in the last weeks they had been filling it in with wheelbarrows full of ashes.
Lucy Strandlund is a Middler in the Master of Spiritual Formation program at Seminary of the Southwest. Lucy and her husband Daniel come to the seminary from the Diocese of Alabama.
The Seminary of the Southwest’s BBQ Showdown benefitting Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) this past Saturday was a complete success. My first impression was amazement at how many new faces I saw. While it was a seminary event, it was truly a community affair. Professors, priests and seminarians mingled with neighbors and friends, some of whom traveled across the state of Texas to attend the BBQ. People biking or walking by had to stop and check it out. Kids jumped in the bounce house, ran around barefoot and greeted the farm animals in the petting zoo. Dogs sniffed hopefully at the air, and even the vegetarians found cornbread, several varieties of excellent coleslaw, and some delicious local brew. The live music was reason enough to have a good time; Tessy Lou and the Shotgun Stars make it hard not to kick up your boots and dance, whether or not you have BBQ sauce dripping from your chin.
The Rev. Glenice Robinson-Como currently serves Christ Church Cathedral in Houston, TX as the Canon Pastor. Ms. Robinson-Como received an MDiv from Southern Methodist University and a Diploma of Theological Studies from Seminary of the Southwest in 2010.
Fifty years ago, the civil rights act was enacted as a means of ending discrimination. Today we stand at its anniversary perhaps pondering the question how much has really changed? As I reflect upon those she-roes and heroes who lived and died for the sake of freedom, I tremble at the same time about events in Florida and throughout the world. These are reminders that we must continue to move forward until the bells of liberty clang loudly and until truth and mercy pours out into all people in all places.
Alex Easley is a Middler in the Master of Divinity program. Alex comes to Seminary of the Southwest from the Diocese of Texas and currently serves as the Middler Seminarian Intern at St. Julian's of Norwich Episcopal Church.
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’ (Matthew 9:35-38 NRSV)
Last Thursday, February 6th, the Rev. Jimmy Bartz gave a lecture at Seminary of the Southwest entitled “Fear, Risk, Courage, Failure, Intimacy, Change, Mission, and the Kingdom.” Throughout his lecture, Jimmy urged his hearers to live courageously, taking risks and following Christ into uncharted territory.
The Rev. Miles R. Brandon, II is the vicar of St. Julian of Norwich Episcopal Church, a four and a half year old church plant of the Diocese of Texas located in far Northwest Austin. Miles is married to Ashley Brandon, chaplain at St. Andrew's Episcopal School and graduate of Seminary of the Southwest. They have two children Amelia (4) and Mary Ellen (1).
As I reflected on the Rev. Jimmy Bartz’s thoughtful and engaging Payne lecture, I was left wondering what is the actual tiny push…the soul bracing moment…that empowers our courage and quickens our resolve just enough to step over the edge into the unknown…the undiscovered future…the potential life-giving relationships we are yet to form.
Mrs. Ora Houston is a member of St. James Episcopal Church, Austin, serves on the Black History Month planning committee at Seminary of the Southwest, and is president of the Myra McDaniel Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians.
WOW! Can you really believe that 50 years ago the federal government had to enact laws to give equal rights to people who were born in the United States of America? These are the same rights that another group of Americans have had since the signing of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Sadly, others were denied those basic rights because of their ancestry – until 50 years ago.
Dr. Claire Colombo has served on the seminary’s adjunct faculty since 2012. As a freelance educational consultant, she develops religion curriculum for Loyola Press of Chicago and is a regular contributor to their Finding Godmagazines and newsletters.
It’s been a wordy month. It began with the Christmas season—the Word made flesh and all that. Then came a flurry of words to meet some professional deadlines. And then came an invitation to take myself, in the flesh, to one of those wordy events you see listed in the Happenings column of the Chronicle and proceed to ignore. In this case, it was a launch party for a new literary journal in town. Not only would I attend it, the invitation went, but would I write some words about it, too?
I would. I had already planned to attend another wordfest—a reading by poet Naomi Shihab Nye—so I promised to blog about them both.
Lecia Brannon is a junior in the Master of Divinity program. Lecia and her husband came to Seminary of the Southwest from Diocese of Camino Real.
Southwest’s Master of Divinity Program requires a January Term course entitled Encuentro: Mission in Latino Contexts. Encuentro or encounter is a keyword to what this course is about, however there is so much more. Over the three weeks of this course our class was presented with people and experiences that will require us to absorb, process and discern. Where might we fit in?
Cynthia Briggs Kittredge (@cbkittredge) is the 8th Dean and President of Seminary of the Southwest and professor of New Testament. Dean Kittredge holds degrees from Williams College and Harvard Divinity School.
In 2002 I took a sabbatical in South Africa where I lectured in Pietermaritzburg and in Cape Town. On my last Sunday I decided to go to church in a prosperous neighborhood of Capetown. I had heard that one of the priests was leaving; it would be her last Sunday and she was a friend of my friend, Beverly. Wilma Jakobsen was a chaplain at the University and she was leaving South Africa, her homeland, to go to work in Los Angeles where she had spent time as a seminary student.
Meghan Vail is a middler in the Master of the Arts in Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care program. Meghan comes to Seminary of the Southwest from the University of Texas Catholic Center.
On the tenth day of Christmas, I was stranded at the airport in southern Florida (I'll admit, not the worst place to be stranded) along with hundreds of other holiday travelers en route to reality after the restfulness of Christmas vacation. Every terminal gate blinked "cancelled" in bright red letters due to winter storms. As I stood in line to rebook my flights, trying to recall my sense of humor and shed my crankiness, I found myself humming the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas," trying to insert gifts for airport travelers that would come in handy in the midst of airport chaos. Three cafe mochas (french hens), two Apple product chargers (turtledoves), and a voucher for a latter day flight.
Madeline Shelton is a middler in the M.Div. program and comes to Seminary of the Southwest from the Diocese of Texas.
In our reading for this eleventh day of Christmas, Christ heals a man who was born blind. Christ does not say a few words and instantly open the man's eyes. In fact, leaning down to the ground, Christ spits his very own saliva onto the dirt and makes a paste with the mud. Once applied, Jesus orders the man to wash in a pool, and the man sees for the first time.
Claire Cowden is in the Diploma of Anglican Studies program and comes to Seminary of the Southwest from the Diocese of Northwest Texas.
My offering to you this Christmastide is this poem by 17th century Anglican priest and poet, George Herbert. This is a poem about song, not necessarily the musical kind. As you move through the poem with him, may you feel your own soul’s song recalled, revived, nourished, empowered, and, finally, in an exchange of gifts with our Redeemer, blazing with the light of Christ!
Lucy Strandlund is in the Masters of the Arts in Spiritual Formation program and comes to Seminary of the Southwest from the Diocese of Alabama.
As I sat in church on Christmas Eve, my brain full of a semester’s worth of new Biblical Studies knowledge, I felt very distant from any Jesus who might be found sleeping in a wooden manger. In the two Gospels that mention the birth of Jesus, only one spends much time on the story of his infancy. To me, the Jesus of the Gospels is a grown man who meets us where we are but invites us to be more than we have been. So who is this little baby? Where is the challenging and radical man from the Bible? This baby can’t tell cryptic parables or invite sinners to dinner. I wondered what Christmas meant to me as someone who is very much fascinated by the adult Jesus.
Ashley Freeman is a middler in the M.Div. program. Ashley and his family come to Seminary of the Southwest from the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast.
John 1: 1-18 The true light, which enlightens everyone, has come into the world.
2013 is almost over, in a few short hours 2014 will be upon us. Many of us will celebrate tonight with friends and family. We may watch the giant ball fall in Times Square, or see fireworks, or pop the top on a bottle of champagne, or perhaps we will share a good luck kiss with our significant others at the stroke of midnight. Regardless of how you celebrate the coming of the New Year, 2013 is history. The best and worst of 2013 is now part of your story. As you reflect on the last twelve months of your life, where did “the true light, which enlightens everyone” shine?
Thom Temperli is a senior in the M.Div. program. Thom came to Seminary of the Southwest from the Diocese of Texas.
Today’s readings invite us to honestly ponder our heart’s deepest desires. In the midst of the Christmas season the heart of today’s scriptures address our deepest fears and greatest yearnings amidst a time when our culture has already disposed of the gift wrapping and empty boxes whose contents and whose giver’s intentions may have fulfilled some desires and disappointed others. We are left to examine honestly what it is underneath all of our outward cravings and pursuits of little “happinesses” that leaves us yearning, and what leaves us still afraid that our deepest longings will not be met.
Christine Havens is a senior in the Master of Arts in Religion. Christine came to Seminary of the Southwest from the Diocese of Iowa.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”
How do you recognize a gift? Gifts are objects of love and affection, given freely, right? We have a Christmas carol that celebrates them—“on the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me. . .” Toward the end of my marriage, I learned to recognize when my ex was seeing another woman—he bought me things that were fairly thoughtful, that reflected my taste. Reflecting on this right now, I keep my distance from the image of an iridescent black stone dragon given to me for Christmas one year and from the gratitude I recall feeling at the time—despite the affair, my husband remained my true love. There were other such “gifts” before we finally separated. To say the least, this definitely skewed my ability to recognize gifts. I loved what my friends since then have given me—candles, a pair of earrings when my ears were not even pierced at the time. I do not mean to suggest that these gifts had no meaning. How can I say it except to state that they were easily recognized, safe, and not painful? I can see now just how much relief and gratitude I felt then—I did not have to go near that dark place inside me that helplessly viewed thoughtful gifts with trepidation and suspicion, a darkness that, until very recently, I carried around within me.
Rob Harris is a senior in the M.Div. program from the Diocese of West Texas.
‘Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.' (Matthew 18:4-5 NRSV)
The greatest moments in my life have been defined around moments where life suddenly and dramatically breaks in from darkness, from the womb which bears it. My own journey, as a son adopted at birth, is a love note left by my birth mother which read, "I love you. You are mine. Always remember my love." I was welcomed.
Ashley Urquidi is a middler in the M.Div. program. Ashley comes to Seminary of the Southwest from the Diocese of Maryland.
This holiday season has been bittersweet for me, in many ways. There is a tear in the family I was born into, one I fear may be irreparable. And yet, despite this, I believe I now see more clearly than I ever have before. Christmas is about love. This makes sense, right? But sometimes it takes a travesty to see that Christmas isn't just about any kind of love, it's about the love God offers us through the birth of His Son. That is deep God-love, the kind of love that our language fails to convey in single (or multiple) words. It is self-sacrificing and self-emptying. It is the courage to make yourself vulnerable to pain and sorrow, to move from safety and security into chaos simply to better the lives of those you care for. Giving and receiving this love requires, demands, the giving of yourself.
R. Scott Painter is a Junior in the M.Div. program at Seminary of the Southwest. Scott comes to Seminary of the Southwest from the Diocese of Texas.
My wife and I were married in 1995. It was a summer wedding in the Pacific Northwest. A beautiful day in a beautiful place. We celebrated with lovely friends and cherished family. It was the day for which we had been waiting and preparing over the course of months and months. The culmination of those preparations went off without a hitch. Everything was perfect on the big day. Our lives would not be the same from thence forward.
The next morning, I was overwhelmed with a feeling that I’ll never forget, summed up in the words that rushed through my head as I looked over at my sleeping bride: “Oh my God, what have I DONE?!”
Cynthia Briggs Kittredge (@cbkittredge) is the 8th Dean and President of Seminary of the Southwest and professor of New Testament. Dean Kittredge holds degrees from Williams College and Harvard Divinity School.
The Christmas pageant was the high point of the year for us as kids growing up in my church. Wordlessly Caesar Augustus unrolled a scroll (a decree). The boy who played Joseph stood a bit too far away from the girl in the role of Mary to make a convincing depiction of her as his partner (espoused wife). Everyone was relieved that the delivery of the first born son and wrapping him in swaddling clothes happened off stage, but the story resumed when Mary, in a large readable gesture and with studied deliberation, placed a bundle into the triangular wooden box at the bottom of the chancel steps (laid him in a manger). Shepherds clad in burlap headed up the aisle carrying crooks. Sheep toddled alongside.
Jennifer Shadle is a junior in the Master of Divinity program at Seminary of the Southwest. Jennifer's home diocese is the Diocese of Colorado. Prior to coming to seminary, Jennifer served as the department chair for the Music Department at Colorado State University – Pueblo.
Every year, I greet Advent with the heightened excitement, and undertone of dread, that we have come to associate with the month of December in postmodern America. My defense against the rampant commercialism is to deny its existence, refuse to participate in “sales events,” and inevitably discover with a shock of chagrin that I have something like four days left to do any of the traditional baking, decorating, and card-writing that I really enjoy doing.
Dr. Micah Jackson (@FrMicah) serves as the Bishop John Hines Associate Professor of Preaching and the Dean of Community Life at Seminary of the Southwest. Micah also serves on the faculty of the Episcopal Preaching Foundation's Preaching Excellence Program.
Those of us who are careful observers of the Church Calendar know that there are several kinds of days. There are the ordinary, or ferial, days. There are days of fasting or abstinence. And, of course, there are feast days. These days of joy stand as a reminder that even in the midst of trouble and difficulty, there are always reasons to celebrate.
Rising senior William "Rod" Clark spent two months in Peru learning about the mission of the Anglican Diocese of Peru. We invite you to read and view his adventures and reflections on mission.
T.J. and Annie Freeman enjoy Austin, even in the hot summer. Follow their We Heart Austin posts for their favorite places to hang out in this great city. T.J. has completed his second year towards an MDiv. They came to us from the Diocese of Indianapolis.
Seminary of the Southwest's 5th #mySSW chat was with guest, Meredith Gould (@MeredithGould). Meredith's new book, The Social Media Gospel: Sharing the Good News in New Ways, was released this summer. During the #mySSW chat, Meredith shared basic tips about social media.
Our fourth chat of the #mySSW Summer Chat Series was with Jason Evans (@JasonEvans), Young Adult Missioner to the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. We talked about evangelism and it's misconceptions. Thank you to Jason and everyone who participated. There were many resource links shared, so be sure to check out the transcript!
Today's #mySSW chat was jam packed with great information about how the Church can create space for young adult leadership. A big "THANK YOU" goes out to Jason Sierra (@jaSiYammer), Officer of Young Adult and Campus Ministries for the Episcopal Church, for being our guest and providing us with great examples of successful young adult programs.
Be sure to check out our #mySSW chat every Wednesday at 11:00 am CDT on Twitter.
This post was originally published on the MyMinistry.org website. MyMinistry.org is a program launched by Seminary of the Southwest. MyMinistry.org seeks to assist young adults in nurturing Christian vocation and discerning their vocations as lay and ordained leaders in the Episcopal Church.
Yesterday's #mySSW chat was focused on planning and promoting events for your campus ministry during academic breaks. Huge thanks to our guest, the Rev. Matt Wise (@putridjones), Campus Missioner for Texas A&M University. Checkout our #mySSW chat every Wednesday at 11:00 am CDT!
This post was originally published on the MyMinistry.org website. MyMinistry.org is a program launched by Seminary of the Southwest that seeks to assist young adults in nurturing Christian vocation and discerning their vocations as lay and ordained leaders in the Episcopal Church.
The first #mySSW chat was a huge success! Today's chat focused on strategies and ideas about how to attract students to your Episcopal Student Center. Many thanks to our guest, the Rev. Erin Warde (@therevEJ), Campus Missioner at Baylor University and Southwest alum. Be sure to check out #mySSW chat every Wednesday at 11am CDT this summer!
Seminary of the Southwest will host a Twitter Chat every Wednesday at 11:00 am CDT from June 12 – August 12, 2013. The #mySSW Summer Chat Series will have topics about Young Adult Ministries, Campus Ministries, Latino Ministries, etc. The #mySSW Chats are to encourage conversation about topics of interest and to help provide a platform to build relationships with others in the Episcopal Church through social media.
Rising senior William "Rod" Clark will spend two months in Peru learning about the mission of the Anglican Diocese of Peru. Rod's blog is launched and we invite you to follow along.
MDiv seniors Jodi and Christian Baron and Eric Holloway will blog this month from the Dominican Republic thanks to a grant from the Seminary Consultation on Mission (SCOM).
You are invited to follow them here and on Twitter @baron_jodi
T.J. and Annie Freeman enjoy Austin, even in the hot summer. Follow their We Heart Austin posts for their favorite places to hang out in this great city. T.J. has completed his second year towards an MDiv. They came to us from the Diocese of Indianapolis.
T.J. and Annie Freeman came to Austin in 2011 from the Diocese of Indianapolis. T.J. has just finished his second year towards his M.Div. degree, and we asked them to share their favorite spots in this great city.
We hope you enjoy reading, and we'd love to hear your favorites too.
As Boston continues to recover from Monday’s terrorist attack, we at Trinity Church continue to pray for our city and especially for those who were maimed, killed, or who lost loved ones in the bomb blasts. A day of happy celebration—Patriots Day, a winning day for the Red Sox, and above all the Boston Marathon—was turned into a nightmare of screams and bloodshed.
Laundry might seem like a silly thing to write about, but today it has been on my mind. I take my wonderful big washing machine and dryer for granted. But, the ladies here take great pride in cleaning the laundry.
Smokin' for Mission: Students Plan BBQ Competition to support Episcopal Relief & Development
On February 2, the community at Seminary of the Southwest will gather for an afternoon of fun-filled BBQ competition at the seminary campus. The teams have been preparing for weeks, honing their BBQ skills around the grill and are now ready to show each other who the real grill masters of the seminary really are!
The best part of the event: all of the profits from the event are going directly to support the mission of Episcopal Relief & Development!
In three short days, I have settled in to Haitian life. My body is covered with mesquite bites, I am enjoying the slower pace, and I am just plain dirty!
We’re staying in the rectory of St. Simeon’s Episcopal Church in Croix de Bouquets. St Simeon’s sits within a high wall with its school at the back and the rectory across the parking lot. I am working on drawing a map of everything inside the wall for you, but it isn’t finished yet. The wall between the parking lot and the rectory is topped with broken bottles and two guards stand watch over the gates at night.
Haiti Blog Post 5- January 6, 2012- The Feast Day of Epiphany
Ricardo…
Ricardo was one of the first children in the Nutrition Program. He is from Crochu, a small, poor town in the Mountains. Carmel brought his mother, baby sister Crystal and his other siblings to Croix-de-Boutique to try and save his life. Carmel and her team were very successful and his is thriving! He is now 10 years old and in the 3rd grade. He has befriended Kellaura and they play lots of cards together!
Haiti Blog Post 4- January 5, 2012- the 12th Day of Christmas
We have now been in Haiti for a full 24 hours. It has been so wonderful to see all of my friends and introduce them to Kellaura. I just feel comfortable here and very at peace. The pace is slow, there isn’t an agenda, and even though this is so against my personality, I am just with fine with going with whatever happens.
Haiti Blog Post 3- January 2, 2012- the 9th Day of Christmas
We leave for Haiti in less than 48 hours and I feel lots of emotions. I have never been for three weeks and I think I have a little anxiety about that. I know it will all be fine and I will love every second of my time there. I had the opportunity to Skype with Pere Val and Carmel yesterday. It was wonderful to see their faces and also the excitement in their eyes. They kept repeating to me, don’t worry. Just come down here, we can’t wait to see you.
