A to Z

In the down time between the end of exams and the beginning of the new semester, there have been a number of reasons to celebrate here at NAC.  And though we will share the other major one with you in the next post, the first was the anniversary of Great State of Arizona.  The 100^th birthday of AZ was a unique opportunity for Fernando and me to make our mark on the community here and show that this young, up and coming state has a lot to offer. 

On the eve of the anniversary, we cooked (ok, Fernando cooked and I gave the moral support) some Mexican food, and it was delicious.  Though there are only the two of us official from Arizona, there are a few other seminarians that lived in AZ at some point in there life, so we made sure they were around to celebrate with us.  Then we also thought we’d invite our brother from the bordering states, so we were happy to have seminarians from New Mexico and Utah as well. 

The next day, what came to be know around here as Arizona Day, was simple enough.  We made a giant Arizona style rice crispy treat that seemed well received by the rest of the community, because it did not last long.  Then we put on the movie Tombstone to give them some perspective on Arizona culture.  I think they have a new respect for us....

Though all in all it wasn’t much more than a good excuse to have party, I think it meant a lot to both of us.   It was good for us to reaffirm our connection to our home and think about again the people we will one day return and serve.  Though I know I have said this before, drawing nearer to the people we are going back to, allows us to draw nearer to Christ, the motive and strength of our service.  Ultimately, our whole seminary journey, our whole formation, has an AZ flavor; it is all influenced by our home, from beginning to end, or, if you will, from A to Z.