Never, Ever Give up!
It all started with Endgame! While the superheroes decided to take a final stand against the enemy, 33 super boys from our neighboring barrios decided to “Put on the Armor of God”! This is the theme of the St. John Boys’ Camp this year, taken from Ephesians 6:11. The camp kicked off last May 13-19, 2019, with great excitement among the campers. The first day began with a Holy Mass at the Chapel in Ayala Mall. Followed by the most awaited movie “Avengers Endgame”. The next day, the whole troop led by Br. Samuel Mary, Fr. John Louis Marie and other volunteers travelled all the way to Sibonga, about 53 kms. away from Cebu City, to set up the week-long camp. Daily workout, camp dance, bonfire, exciting games, hiking, swimming, manual work, uplifting talks, extra challenges, good food, smiles and laughter were among the many cool stuff we had for the camp. The main goal was to help these young boys (mostly coming from poor barrios), to withstand life’s challenges and to never ever give up! They learned the value of forming genuine friendships, practicing discipline, hard work, cooperation, and of course having a life of prayer and a personal relationship with God. The most important highlight for each day is the Holy Mass and Eucharistic Adoration. After all the enlivening and often tough experiences during the day, the campers are guided to always go back to Jesus in the Eucharist – the source and summit of our Christian life.
The boys would say that this year’s camp is one of a kind! Exhausting? Yes! Inspiring? Double Yes! Do you love it? Very much! Why? Because we were all in this together and Jesus and Mary were with us along the way from beginning to end.
We have great faith and hope, that the boys left the camp with the armor of God in their arms, and the joy and love of God in their hearts. See you again next year for another AWESOME summer camp! Kudos to all the campers! Great Job Boys!