They call it the Wednesday Wall. After orientation and two days of classes, you’ve settled into the rhythm: Morning Prayer, class, Eucharist, lunch, class, evening prayer, and then time for dinner, fellowship and studies. It almost has a monastic feel.

The amount of work yet to be done becomes more apparent. You see the stress starting to crack the faces of some of your new-found friends, some to the point where they start leaking around the eyes.

After my afternoon class, I headed back to my room to drop off my books and computer. I was very tired and was trying to decide whether to just go straight to bed, find something to eat, or find someone to eat with. I really just wanted to sit, surrounded by classmates, in prayer.

Then, the chapel bell tolled. I had forgotten about evening prayer. It would be starting in fifteen minutes and was exactly what I needed. I walked over to chapel. I saw the wearied faces of some of my friends who had already arrived. Behind me, I heard a body collapse into a pew with a giant sigh. I let the whole service wash over me, cleanse me, nourish me, and sustain me.

Afterwards, I walked with friends to get food, to share friendship, and to just simply walk. I do my best studying and writing in the mornings, so I went to bed and slept deeply.