Joint meeting of Desert Flower 1 and 2 in Der Rafat

In the week end 15th-16th of February, in Der Rafat monastery, took place a joint meeting of our two youth groups named Desert Flower. 32 youth were present in total (from the age of 14) and 6 counselors.

This was the first meeting in which the two groups met together to have shared activities. The common program was: prayer (a Taizé vigil prayer on Friday night, morning prayer with meditation on Saturday, Holy Mass and conclusive prayer); games, meals and a discussion meeting in small groups around the question: “who is Jesus for you?”. In this meeting the senior members offered their personal witness and encouraged their younger fellows to answer this question by means of a discussion time and a drama that was later on played in the presence of all.

Besides the activities in common, each group had its own meeting. The older ones continued their study of the 10 Commandments (this time it was the 7th Commandment “you shall not thief”).

On Saturday morning fr Rafic, the priest in charge of all our communities, visited the groups and met them separately, giving them a specific message aimed to strengthen their belonging to the body of Christ, the Church.

We all experienced a beautiful atmosphere of commitment, collaboration, fellowship and prayer. Little by little we feel that we are building and being built up.