MY SYD-3 STORIES

This was my first SYD, I was not able to join the first and the second. There were many questions and anticipation in me. I wonder if it will be as the same as other youth's camp i have participated before, will i be able to make new friends, will it help my faith to grow. As these questions keep haunting me, finally SYD3 arrived and mysteriously i am one of the secretariat members for this time SYD.

Together with few others members, we arrived in Holy Cross Toboh one day earlier than the rest. To my surprised or rather shock few camps were damaged because of earlier heavy rain and storm, and as usual i quickly blaming God for what had happened. To my surprise, our main coordinator Wilfred James, told us that it was indeed good thing that this happened now, so that we may be prepared and know which part is not ready, our good Lord has shown us what need to improved before SYD3 starts. Through this, i have learnt something that we have to be firm and rooted, so that in times we encountered heavy storms in life I'll be able to stands strong against the storm. 

Through the Friendship Day, I am grateful that I am able to understand more about differences, and it was a wonderful day that because of that understanding I am able to make  new friends from other parishes, dioceses without looking into the differences. It was a blessing through that encounter I realized i will never walk alone. In that differences we have Jesus Christ in him we are unites. 

Our first catechesis " why am i proud to be a catholic today ? " , this sessions make me proud and grateful that i am born and raised as a Catholic.  , What will i be if i am not Catholic, can't even imagine about it . But for me it is pointless to only feel  proud as Catholic. I should also share it with other as there were many people who haven't experience God love yet . In the afternoon then we had an animation program call " Road to Emmaus" , through this once again I am affirmed that I am not walking alone , God is with me ,recently I lost my Grandfather after a fight with cancer and a cousin due to Heart Disease , my world is torn apart , I felt  God had abandon me , I lost the will to live . But this program awakes me that God had never left me in the first place , it is just that for some reason I am  blinded to see God presence in my life, yes He knows and understand my pain and sufferings.  He wants and ready to take it away from me but it is me who is reluctant to do so,  cause' blinded by my own thought that God has abandoned me. The road to recovery from this experience is a long and enduring journey, there will always be scar, but i know that I should be at ease as our good Lord will walk with me till I reach the end. At the end of the 3rd day of SYD-3 is Youth night , here we once again refresh how Jesus died on the cross to wash away our sin. Thank You Jesus ! without You there is no us.

Our second catechesis " me , Him and you " , this session made me realise that I must put God as my  root in any relationship I had. Without God in my relationship, I tend to follow my own lust , ego and judgments whenever it  comes to relationships and decision making.  So now i understands more how to have good relationships, and the vitality to let God live as the third person in any relationship because He is love and His love unites us. At the end of the 4th day of SYD-3 is Family night , here we get to see a live acting on the reality crisis in modern family , it helps me to relate it with my own stories , it helps me to realise that every member of the family had it own purpose in order to build a happy and loving family and of course without God in our family there will be no peace, loves and family.

Day 5 of SYD-3 ! my favourite day of all , today we had our 3rd and last Catechesis" Go and be firm in faith " , in this session we were asked to recall all of the catechesis and experience we had experienced during the past few day of SYD-3. Then we were shown some of the modern day crisis that our church are struggling with at the moment , this session help me to realise that I do learn a lot from SYD-3 so now it is up to me to share it with others. But to do it i must firstly strongly rooted and firm in Jesus Christ!

Then it is time for my favorite program of all which is the "Pilgrim Walk " , there is 7 station in our walk and in each station we were given bookmark and it  is about the 7 most important event in a Catholic life which is the Seven Sacraments. What I like about this walk is we could relate it with our life, and here are some of my faith reflection on this Pilgrim Walk. At the first station we were given the bookmark for sacrament of baptism. I symbolized it with my experienced at that time. Reaching the first station we all still fresh and strong and couldn't wait for what lies ahead of our journey and happily we walk to reached the second station.

In the second station we receive bookmark on Sacrament of Confirmation and the third was Sacrament of Eucharist / First Holy Communion. This was a joy feeling during the walk, we were happy and strong, full of energy and enthusiastic. But at the middle of the journey we start to get tired, I relate it with sin, now we were tired and thirst for God, so the only way is to fix our relation with God by going to a confession the fourth station and the fourth sacrament, Sacrament of Reconciliation. Reflecting on this sacrament, through reconciliation we obtained new strength to keep on walking. It was a wonderful Journey.

Then we were given the bookmark of for me the most beautiful sacrament of all which is the sacrament of marriage as through marriage we continue God's beautiful creation. Then came the  Sacrament of Priesthood, without Priest the other sacrament could never be performed as the priest is the one who Baptist us, confirm and celebrates the Eucharist, hear our confession , bless our marriage , ordain priest (bishop is of course still a priest ) and give us our anointment of the sick.

During the walk, there were many of us who couldn't finish the walk , I simply relates it like this, that many Catholic who either by their own fault, ignorance or circumstances was not able to received all necessary sacraments in their lifetime. And finally the last station reflection is about the sacrament of the anointment of the sick , at that time we were very tired and almost pass out which I can symbolize it with the moment when we are at the end of our life, we all tired, full of anxiety, anxiousness and question what is next. And at that time is about surrendering to God... then we finally reach Holy Cross Toboh (our heaven in this case ). That is my faith reflection of the walk. 

Then we reach our final activity of the day the "Vigil Night" ,during this program we had a holy hour outside the church , rain start pouring again but I had learn to not to blame God. My reflection on the rain was God used it to "wash" us ,  He baptize us once again so that we will use our new found strength from SYD-3 to bring and spread His love to others, what a the best way to end our SYD-3 ! 

Finally the last day of SYD-3 , after mass we all greet farewell to each other , I am very happy and grateful to be able to join SYD-3 as it help me more rooted in Christ , more firm in faith and much ready to be risen in Christ , the happy joy joy period had come to an end as it is now time to focus on sharing what I learn from SYD-3 to other . Thank you SYD , Thank you Jesus!