Over 200 youth attend 5th TIM youth camp

INANAM – Over 200 youth attended the 5th Telipok-Inanam-Manggatal Youth Camp (TIMYC) on 24-27 June 2017 at St Catherine Church here.

Out of the 246 participants were some Chinese-speaking youths who joined for the first time.

The theme of the camp was “The Mighty One has done great things for me” (Lk 1:49).

The camp opened with Mass presided by Father Rayner Bisius with Father Paul Lo as the homilist.

In his homily, Fr Lo used the examples of Mother Mary and St Joseph who were chosen by God for His mission, which led them to leave life’s comfort and to face many challenges.

He said that the devil would try to drag us from the Mighty One with many temptations and rewards. Many would fall into temptation due to their own problems. He then gave the example of how Mother Mary lived her life following God’s will without fear and doubt.

He told the youths that life is full of difficulties and challenges, and that we wouldn’t know God’s future plan, but we need to continue to trust and stand with him no matter what lies ahead of us.

Among the activities held were a welcoming session, Lectio Divina, theme-sharing session, screening of Mary of Nazareth movie, various talks by speakers, and compline (night prayer).

Serena Wong guided the youths to know themselves and to know God, the virtue of gratitude, and to identify their own dreams in a talk entitled ‘Who Am I?’

In her session, Franciscan Sister Elizabeth Munggai urged the youths to take Pope Francis’ advice to face the world’s challenges with courage and not to give up in the face of problems. She illustrated her talk with the life of  Mother Mary in following God’s will.

As many of the participants were students,  Dorin Peter introduced the Keep In Touch Always (KITA) programme to help them see the reality of campus life and how it will affect their faith.

The outdoor activities were held in Kg Kitobu, Inanam.  They went there by bus but had to make a two-km trip on foot as well.

At the site, they were given a pack of beans signifying faith. They carried the pack of beans along while  crossing a river, using a rope bridge, prostrating commando style, balancing wood crossing, making a fire using only three matches and building a fortress.

These challenges ended at Kg Kironggu, where they stayed for the night. At Kg Kironggu, the games continued with Finding the Sheep, The Longest and Paper Plane Flying challenge.

A Solidarity Night themed ‘A Night to Remember’ at Kironggu saw each group presenting a bible-based performance in the presence of invited guests and villagers.

All activities in Kg Kitobu and Kg Kironggu were handled by KUK St Michael Kg Kironggu and assisted by the TIM YC organising team.

On the last day, the participants hiked up the Kironggu Hill as early as 5.30 am to go back to St Catherine Church. The hike consisted of a rosary walk led by Kg Kironggu KUK. At the top of the hill, Fr Rayner led the prayer and praise and worship session, followed by breakfast.

Back at St Catherine, the participants attended the closing Mass celebrated by Fr Paul. He urged the youths to appreciate God’s gift to them through the camp. The Mass also saw four young men accepting God’s call to enter the priesthood.

At the closing, a flashback video was screened, alongside the sharing session and filling in evaluation forms. The organising team expressed their gratitude and appreciation to all who have sponsored and helped in the preparation of the camp and during the four-day camp. – TIM YC Publication and Documentation Team