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Forgive me for missing yesterday internet access is infrequent on this trip.

"So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all people." (Acts 2:46)

This verse has definitely been the theme of the day. Most of us came on this trip as good friends, former classmates, people we have grown up with. Yet truly, today, we felt as though we are in one Spirit, in true fellowship of Christ.

We began our day with Matins, followed by an agape breakfast. Although each of us is assigned one day to prepare all the meals, we often find many helping hands in the kitchen, which lends to the spirit of fellowship and love that is growing on this trip.

After breakfast, we went to the church and Abouna Shenouda's house, where our task for the day was weeding a green pepper field on the church grounds. Weeds had grown all around the plants in the large field, and the task was more difficult than we anticipated, but we sang hymns as we worked, and did not let the periodic rain hinder us. (Because of the rain, we have no pictures of the weeding activity.) At one point, however, the sky looked as if it were about to pour a flood upon us, so we ran back to Abouna's house and weathered the storm on his front porch, singing hymns.

The rains came down heavily for almost two hours (we later learned this storm was the outskirts of Hurricane Emily). Yet, even as we crowded on the porch and sang hymns, our spirits were not dampened by the weather. I thought everyone would be frustrated that our service had been cut short for the day, that we were covered in mud and muck, or that we were stuck waiting on the porch (it was too muddy and dangerous to walk down the mountainside). To my surprise, everyone was content with the simplicity of sitting together and singing hymns. When the rains pounded harder, we moved in closer together and sang even louder, laughed, and felt the joy of children singing and splashing in the rain.

Upon our return to the house, I imagined everyone would be tired from the day's work, or would want to change out of their wet clothes and shower. However, everyone stayed in the kitchen to help prepare lunch, and some volunteered to do laundry and wash our muddy clothes. Although it was a simple meal, everyone enjoyed it, happy to be together and thankful for the blessings of the food. Again, I was reminded of the verse above. I once thought that no one could live like the Apostle's in today's age we are always in a rush, always preoccupied. Who could live with "simplicity of heart and gladness" of heart? We did this very day. God blessed us with contentment and joy and fellowship in the simplest things. Gone were the complaints, the tiredness, the crankiness, the feeling of always feeling unsatisfied. We filled up on Christ.

In the afternoon, we turned the downstairs of the house into a makeshift church and prayed vespers. (Every day, we begin with liturgy or matins, and then vespers in the evening, with late-night Tasbeha.) After that, we spent some quiet time to reflect on our favorite psalm, so that we could discuss it among the group in the evening. Abouna Shenouda and Tasoni gave us the blessing by joining us for a simple dinner, and we discussed our favorite psalms and Bible verses. Abouna Shenouda gave us a wonderful sermon on Psalm 50, and told us of other wonders and miracles associated with the service on St. Kitts.

May the Lord's name be glorified forever, Amen.

Many thanks to Mark Michail in transmitting this entry to coptichymns.net for us.