Diary Of A Hermit: Intimacy With GOD

Day 15 Steward Kenneth

4 Jul 2016  6:16:12 AM 
I woke up with such a terrible headache.  I think it was because of the lack of sleep.  Bro. El came to visit my hut and with Kenneth, they opened one bottle of mass wine, just for a chat and fun.  I have learned their stories, their past experiences, their struggles were shared in details, their love life and experiences.  I have noticed few expressions of pride, but that is very normal.  Kenneth is here not as a hermit but as working scholar.  I hope he will try his best to change and do good.  He is already a good man.  I always admire his availability and hard work.  As I was listening to their sharing, I tried to imagine too their own difficulties in the family.  They are just making fun of it as it was the past, and now facing a very different life here in D'Sanctum.  Truly, the Lord calls in mysterious ways.

In spite of the severe headache, I went for the rosary.  I was alone at first, so I just stayed in silence.  My head was like turning everywhere, so heavy though, and my eyes were not also feeling better.

4 Jul 2016  10:15 am
I just woke up!  You can imagine how lazy I am this morning.  I was not able to bear the pain, so right after breakfast, I went to sleep again to gain a bit of energy.  I think I rested well. I am feeling a bit lighter by now.  I had a little walk around the place.  D'Sanctum is very small, but I haven't moved around actually. It is too bushy and I feel afraid of insects or snakes around.  I long wanted to do a rosary around the place.

4 Jul 2016  4:54:00 PM 
Right after lunch, I went for another siesta to complete my rest.  This is the goodness of being here, the luxury for rest and prayer and solitude.  Their is also the luxury of time and personal things.

I saw Kenneth removing the newly made soap from the molders.  He was just alone, working silently.  It is amazing!  I love the dedication of this young man.  You don't have to tell him what to do.

I invited him for a walk around the village.  It was a little bit hot, but I sacrificed also for a change.  I have been here for half a month, but I haven't seen actually the houses and villages nearby.  I confined myself in silence in D'Sanctum, which is also a good thing.  At least I am very focused.  I bought some soap for washing my dirty clothes, bread for the community and rice.  We don't have rice anymore!

Coming back, I finished removing the the soap from the molders alone.  Then, I went for my personal silence and reflections of the gospel.  My life here is becoming simple and simple, and I am very much at home by now.  I am happy and very contented.

My mind wandered a lot in this past days, going back to the mission and to work and pray a lot in the mission.  I have a lot of opportunities there of solitude than in Manila.

9:20 pm
We had a very nice mass, a sharing again.  I see now that they are free to dig deeper into their lives and articulate them into prayer.  There are still a lot of family hang ups, and I hope that they would work it out inside.

We also tried to finish packing the last batch of soap, so that they would be ready for delivery.