Ascent

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord. (Isaiah 2:3)

At the He Cares end-month intercessory a few weeks ago, I thanked God for giving me rest and giving me direction anew, and asked Him to give the same refreshment and renewal to His full-time servants. Praise God indeed, for this prayer was answered - for six days He Cares' full-time workers (except Kuya JD and Ate A, who is very much pregnant and unable to make long trips) and the boys' household spent time in the mountains I now call my own. For many of them, it was a week of firsts: first time in BC, first time to see fog or feel this cold (in a BC summer!), first time to celebrate a seder meal or venerate the cross or attend an Easter vigil Mass. As for myself and the P(h)ad, it was the first time to entertain such a large number of guests (14 in all, ages 11 to 30plusplus), and the first time to spend so many days on end with the household and the other members of the He Cares family. And what a blessed experience indeed! God guided this trip all the way: from making it possible in the first place, to keeping our interaction with each other peaceful and loving, to giving us excellent weather (it rained hard only when we started our descent, ensuring a cool travel climate even in the lowlands) and even perfect parking spaces (an impossible feat in the summer, especially during Holy Week!). All of these blessings were summed up perhaps during the last evening's sharing session which went into worship: these dear boys, who have had such a hard life growing up, finally had a week's worth of a REAL vacation. And how they relished it: sleeping late, eating well, creating art, discovering BC, "chilling" out. They played hard these last few days, but unlike many who are more privileged than they are, they worked hard too, and with cheerful dispositions (Ryan's morning greeting "Good morning, all!" with matching wave): they did their share of the chores, and more. By being such pleasant company, they unwittingly invested in the JJ P(h)ad: they will be welcome any time they wish to return.

It's been quite some time since I've seen BC through first-timer's eyes, and it's made me appreciate this city even more. Although I don't think I'll ever set foot in the meat market that is Mines View, ever again.