L'Arche Log- Day 2

Hey everyone! Nathan here. Today was our first full day here in Hamilton, and it was awesome. After waking up at a leisurely pace, we shared an informal breakfast at the Sherman House (our HQ/base of operations) with the core members and the assistants. Shortly after, we departed for Mass at a local parish named after St. Joseph. One of the core members from the Cornerstone House named Michael, got to be an altar server and he did an awesome job! He said he serves in that capacity every Sunday. I really had a great experience at Mass! I enjoyed the homily the priest gave and the music reminded me of the music at my home church. After Mass, we split up to visit several different homes. Anna and Zack went to Charbonneau, Megan and Emily stayed at Sherman, and Jeb, Kara and I went to Cornerstone. I had a great time at Cornerstone! The house assistants cooked lunch and dinner for us, and the food was amazing! I got to meet four core members: Michael, Charles, Brian and Laurence. Each one of them is beautiful in their own way. We toured their house and their rooms showed each of their personalities so well and in such an expressive way. At about 2:00ish, we went on a spontaneous trip to the Hamilton Bay and walked around awhile before stopping at a cool, hipster cafe and enjoyed some nice beverages with the core members. We returned to the houses, hung out with the core members. I colored a Star Wars coloring book with Brian as we watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for a bit. Then after a scrumptious meal, we headed over to the Holton House to celebrate Mary's (one of the core members there) birthday! There was a cake, balloons, and fun fellowship. It was really cool to have almost all of the core members and assistants from the Hamilton houses in one place. And instead of singing the traditional "Happy Birthday", there was a special L'Arche birthday song we sang! We thanked God for Mary, and it was really touching. After the party, we all went our seperate ways. The Gannon crew and I all ended back up at Sherman, where we had a mini jam session and concert, which Alice really enjoyed - she didn't want to go to bed! All in all, it was a busy day spent with great people who I can't wait to get to know more. Peace, and please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers!