Alive with songs and praise |
On 26 May 2012, twenty five members of our Montalban youth group, Seeds
of Faith, had a special time with the Lord at the Anawim Lay Missions
Foundation Centre. It was the eve of Pentecost, and like the disciples, huddled
in the upper room, we gathered to meet and together we welcomed the Holy Spirit
anew in our hearts.
Is my heart like the stony ground? |
We began the one day camp with a time of action song and Praise and
Worship. The core team leaders from the Seeds of Faith then performed the
Lifehouse Skit entitled “Everything”. Depicting the battle against sin and
Jesus gift of salvation in our lives, the skit touched many of them as it
highlighted their own struggle within to choose God and to overcome sin.
Ultimately, it is in and through Christ alone that we are more than conquerors.
To appropriate this truth in our lives, we need to be the good soil as
described in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13ff) and so the youth were
encouraged to reflect on the condition of their hearts as they went to
different prayer stations around the compound. They then returned to pray for
the renewal of hearts and to recommit their lives to Christ. For some, it was a
tearful moment of returning to the Lord and desiring to be the good soil
instead of being thorns where the seed falls and is quickly choked up by the
cares of the world. One member shared “In my prayer, I could see Jesus coming
to me and giving me a big hug. I felt so unworthy and so relieved as He held me
and forgave my sins.”
How is the Holy Spirit present in me? |
praying together for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit |
After lunch, we continued sharing about the Holy Spirit, the third
person of the Holy Trinity. Through short skits and a group activity, the youth
discussed the different actions of the Holy Spirit in our lives and how the He
is present in our lives through the Sacraments and in prayer. In our small groups,
we then started to ask for the same outpouring of the Holy Spirit as on Pentecost
so that the youth could be further activated to be better witnesses. In the
prayer time, all of them were led to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and
many were released to pray in the Spirit. It was a truly wonderful moment as we
ended in thanksgiving and prayed as the Spirit led us in one harmonious chorus
of praise.
One youth shared, “As we prayed, I was so happy to receive the Holy Spirit.
I have always wanted to pray in the Spirit and I’m delighted to be able to do
so now.”
As each of them came forward to share their
experience, we could only give thanks to God for making His presence so
tangibly felt.
Special thanks to Amilia Chai,
our ICPE Companion from Singapore for serving with us in the camp and members
of the Anawim Lay Missions Foundation for allowing us the use of their
beautiful chapel and grounds. God bless you all!
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