End of the year

Kev and I survived our first year as directors of the ESM. Towards the end of June, we started to prepare for the end of the year. We had a special dinner to thank all the people who had helped with the formation of the students - teachers, companions, etc. These generous people were honoured with various performances by the students that showed how much of an impact they had had on the students - basically, the students impersonated them...it was hilarious and was received in good humour.

Like last year, we also had Cardinal Rylko over for dinner. He likes to meet the students before they leave the school, to encourage them in their mission to evangelise when they return home. He is in charge of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, and is the person who requested that the Emmanuel Community run a School of Mission in Rome.


Cardinal Rylko with the ESM

On the last day of school, the students gave Kev and me a surprise after lunch. A couple of them impersonated the two of us at the pearly gates, trying to convince St Peter to let us into heaven. Then they showed us a video that they had made to prove how much they had listened to everything we had taught them over the year - it was a video of them doing everything we asked them NOT to do. Once again, it was great. They presented us with a chain of cut-outs of their hand-prints with a message from each of them. It was supposed to look a bit childish, as many of them referred to us as 'mum and dad' througout the year.

That night, we had our end-of-year party on the terrace. It went until about 3:00am. Then Kev and I had to finish off some work, and headed home at about 4:00am. We decided not to go to sleep, knowing that the first group of students would leave at 6:00am. We made use of the time by packing for our trip home. Then we went back to the School and said goodbye to the students. It was very very sad.

We went to 7:30am Mass, and had to try very hard to stay awake. Then we went home and waited for our taxi which took us to the airport. We flew out of Rome at midday on July 1st.

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It has been an amazing year. There have been some major struggles, but these were out-weighed by the blessings which poured down on us over the year. Our students were an incredible group of people, and we will really really miss them. We already do....