I thirst for you...

On the first night at the seminary, I was thirsty. After dinner and the orientation meeting I went back into my room. I began to unpack my things and put them away. When I saw the bed, there were no sheets. I did not pack them with me. I ended up sleeping on clothes and used a towel as a blanket.

Just before bed, I wanted a drink of water because I was thirsty. When I went to turn on the sink the water came out brown. In Hawaii, the water from the tap comes out clear. I never saw tap water that dark. I figured that since no one ran the tap for a whole summer, it came out that color. So I went out side of my room to the fountain. The water also came out brown. Aye SOS! I ran back into my room and jumped into bed. I was so thirsty, that I savored the every drop of my saliva.

Then I realized, I experienced my first spiritual exercise. I was thirsty physically, but I was also thirsty spiritually. Jesus, I thirsty for you!

College Beach Weekend

One of the first events that is held every year with the whole undergraduate college is the College Beach Weekend. It was held on Sept. 11-13 in the Oregon Coast. I come from Hawaii so my perception of the beach is different. I was expecting to see beautiful calm blue "Hawaiian" water. Isn't it the same Pacific Ocean. Boy was I wrong.

It was cold that I could not swim in it. There were cliffs with tall pine trees. I thought that I was in a forest rather than a beach. Overall, my weekend was very fulfilling because I the bonds of brotherhood grew stronger. These strangers that I only met a while ago became my friends and brothers.

On the first night we had Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Evening Prayer. After getting settled in, I took a stroll down to the beach. I was just in time for sunset. Oh it was breath taking. God's creation is much greater than I thought.

On the second day, we celebrated Mass then bonded again. After lunch, I started to dinner. The Filipino Community sponsored the dinner. Our very own EJ Resinto was the head cook.

Our weekend ended with the Sunday Eucharist. The mass was so profound for me because no matter where we were, Jesus was made presence. Jesus is the center of our lives!