Just Got to Phat Diem

I get off the plane in Ha Noi after a long flight (on which I slept the entire time except for eating and watching one movie) and get whisked off to the countryside. It's time for playing, and at left you can see some of the seminarians relaxing after an exhausting hour of soccer.

Here are some of the summer school music students. There will be over 200 by the end of the week. It's good to see them after a year.

Badminton is always a fun way to exhaust yourself in the heat. Here are two doubles teams going at it.

It's penalty shot time. 'Nuff said.

There's always one guy who hogs the ball. Come on, Quyen, kick it already.

The three sisters who cook for us every day. Aren't these the best smiles? And the food is always the best. Love them spring rolls.

Fr. Bo's feast day was 10 days ago, but the sisters next door decided this was the day to celebrate it. Everyone was partying when I arrived and the sua chua (frozen yogurt) was superb as always. And mother superior was in rare form. Later this week we will visit the Sisters of the Lovers of the Holy Cross at their convent down the street.

Here are Fr. Bo and I. Bo means father or spiritual father, and he is my spiritual father here in Viet Nam. He is in charge of all of the money in the diocese and he can make a dollar go farther to help the poor than anyone I know.