DYA First Recollection and Meeting for the Year 2014

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LAHAD DATU : Members of the Diocesan Youth Apostolate (DYA) team converged for their recollection and meeting, held once every three months. The recollection and meeting was held from 4th to 6th April 2014 at Bukit Silam, Lahad Datu. Out of the 18 members, 15 made it to the gathering.  It's time to take stock of our achievements and setbacks. It is also a time for us to be refreshed, recharged and renewed as a child of God. Building up relationship bond among members is an integral part of the gathering.

On the 2nd day, 5th April, during the recollection, members were asked to reflect on the last three months and to list out the ups and downs in life in a  creative way. We were asked to reflect not only on our spiritual life but also on our personal life as a child in the family, community, friend, co-worker, and team player. Beside that, we were also given a time to think of six (3 positive and 3 negative) epitaphs over our tomb. Epitaph is a short, concise sentence to be engraved on a person's tomb, which summarizes a salient trait of that person's life and character. Not only that, we were asked to count our blessings and write a thanksgiving letter to God.  It was a wonderful time for us to reflect and to have our time alone with God. Last but not least, we ended our recollection with affirmation and reconciliation among the team members. In the evening, we had our thanksgiving celebration. 

On the third day, 6th April, Fr. David Garaman, the Spiritual Advisor for DYA celebrated the mass together with us. It would be the last mass presided by Fr. David for the team as he would be leaving for studies in Rome this coming June. It was a touching moment for all of us.
In the 16th meeting, we talked about the second Catholic Campus Student Gathering which will be held on 6th - 8th June 2014 in Tawau and will be coordinated by Esther Albert. Apart from that, we also dwelled on Sabah Youth Day 4 (SYD4) which will be held in the Diocese of Sandakan in 2016. Anna, the coordinator for DYA and SYD4 invited all team members to be part of the Main Organizing Team (MOT) for SYD4.
It was a great time for all the team members and it was also a time to remind ourselves that we are not alone in this mission. May God bless us all and grant us the wisdom and strength in our mission. 

"Do not abandon old friends, for new ones cannot equal them. A new friend is like new wine; when it has aged, you can drink it with pleasure" - Sirach 9:10