Since arriving back from Africa, I’ve had so much fun on all the retreats!

Thank you to Our Lady and St. Bede’s Year 11, St. Leonard’s Year 9, St. Mary’s Year 7 and St. Joseph’s Years 5 and 6!!

I’ve had so much fun, and I’m so happy to be back at the youth village on retreat.

I hope everybody enjoyed reading the blogs we sent through and liked our photos. They’re all still on the YMT website so flick back to “Step into the Gap” to read more about the project and also our time out in Africa.

When I was a young lad, I loved watching the movie “The Polar Bear King” and the main reason was the snow. It was also the snow which enticed me to watch the movie Narnia.

Growing in a tropical country, I thought snow was just a dream. However, with mere innocence of a child, I actually prayed to God pleading to snow in the Philippines, which is absolutely impossible. I could vividly remember that it would take me ages to leaf through the succeeding pages of a book or a magazine every time I would see quaint pictures of snow. I would imagine a young lad making a snowman, playing snowball fight with his mates, or a little boy waiting for Santa’s sleigh. As a child, being in a place covered with snow was a paradise.

When I went to Australia in 2008 for the World Youth Day, it was winter. I couldn’t hide my excitement for my childhood dream, seeing the snow, which I all thought was impossible, would be a reality. The temperature has gone down to freezing -4˚C. But sometimes God is a bit tricky. It didn’t snow. I went back to the Philippines without seeing the snow. Not maybe that time but in God’s perfect time.

September 7, 2009, life brought me to England. The long wait was over. The dream would be a reality. In the 30^th of November at exactly 6:45 in the morning on our way to our mission at St. Anthony’s School, in my whole existence here on Earth, I have seen the snow. My face was frozen with a massive smile on our way to the mission. That moment I was neither the richest nor the most famous but I was the happiest man alive.

Every time I introduce myself in missions and in retreats, I would always mention that I have never seen snow in my entire life and I would always ask everyone to pray for me for a white Christmas because I heard it may not snow in England during the Yuletide season. I think for every kid in this world, so as for someone like me who hasn’t seen snow ever, a white Christmas is a joy of the heart. A couple of days ago, Anna, a co-YMT member, knocked on my door early in the morning and asked me to go to our lounge. I felt something strange. I was a bit worrisome thinking that something wrong might have happened. I just followed and walk through the lounge half asleep. To my surprise as I reached the lounge, it was so magical looking out the window seeing snow flurries gently falling down the white snowy ground. It was the first time I have seen it snowed that much and the whole village nearly covered with snow. I ran outside under the falling snow only with my pyjamas and shirt and thought to myself “It’s a white Christmas!” I just realized there might be a lot of people who prayed for me. Thanks for the prayers. It only proves prayers could really move mountains.

I danced under the snow with Joy and Morena feeling like the prince in The Polar Bear King and Edmund in Narnia. I took pictures with Fr. Paul. I had my first snowman with Hannah and Fran. I am enjoying my latest sports, snowball fighting with Matt. I am always excited to share my first snow experience with Michael. I went sledging with Sasha and Anna. Yes, I am living the dream.

Paulo Coelho is correct. The universe will truly conspire for the purest desires of our hearts because the God of the universe is always listening.

I rang my family in the Philippines and I told my nephews and my nieces about the snow. They told me that they also want to see some snow. I told them that they could also see snow just like when I whispered to the universe by praying to God when I was as small as them. Then I asked each of them what do they like as a Christmas present from me. One of them said in a cute tiny voice “Could you please send me a bagful of snow?”

Merry Christmas to everyone!

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Well what can i say, it has been such an amazing opportunity to come back to my old school (which i only left in June 09) and share this Mission with you all. The last St. Robert’s mission happened when i was in year9 and it honestly had such an impact on my life. I think the fact i am now a YMT team member really illustrates how much i got from the last mission, and i’d just like to say that even if only one person feels changed or has benefited from that last week and a half then all the hard work has been more than worthwhile.

Thankyou to all of mission control, i’ll not name names but you were all fantastic, and a massive thankyou to Mrs Burke, without whom the Mission would not have been all that it was.

The final assemblies and the family night really prove how much of a community feeling St.Robert’s and it’s parishes have. The turn out for the family night was fantastic and it is great to see everyone getting involved to support the young people of the school. Without the support of the parishioners, teachers and parents, i feel the young people would not benefit as much from the experience, so a thanks goes out to all who support the faith journeys of young people.

I also just want to encourage any young people to bug Steve and Tracy to let you go to Summer Festival. I went twice during my time at St.Roberts and it’s amazing!! You make so many friends, people you’ll have so much in common with and overall it’s just a fun few days!

Thanks again for letting me come back to St. Robert’s!!!

Fran x

It is saturday night, I am watching X – Factor, and my mind drifts back to the past week & a half, to the St. Bede’s Mission,  my first.  It was not easy for me being in front of over a thousand people during the mission. But the welcome we recieved from everyone at St. Bede’s, especially their chaplain Kirsty and the mission control team who were a great laugh and very kind to us all here at YMT made it all very easy. Your warm welcome was the fuel we all needed to keep us going, after all the early mornings don’t really agree with me. But when your greeted us with warm and enthusiastic faces all the tiredness fades away into insignificance. So for that I wanted to thank all the staff & Pupils of St. Bedes. Your Invited! I’ll be there! Thanks.

Matthew

Life: Live it, Love it

We moved into our new YMT Team Chalet (also known as Suite 1) just hours ago and already I feel like we have all started a very important Journey in our lives. I suppose in the first few weeks it didn’t sink in quite what committing ten months of your life to YMT meant. But a new place to live has provided me with a different perspective, not only on the Beautiful Derwent Valley countryside but also on where we as YMT are heading.

Anticipation is the emotion I think we are all feeling, along with a little excitement and I don’t mind saying a little bit of fear (maybe more than a little bit). But as St. Michaels (my old school) Year 10 retreat approaches this monday the fact we don’t have time to be scared or to think about it much at all, has helped us all deal with the whirlwind schedule. The excitement and eagerness to deliver the message we are here to deliver has gradualy increased, and as the date approaches I think we all feel an increased senseof the presense of God nudging us in the right direction and helping us to see whats infront of us. Which is always helpful when entering a new phase in life, this is an importany time for me, and for the rest of the team and for young people everywhere, so I feel confident that there are many people back home in Billingham and across the Diocese, and indeed across the world praying for me, the team, and our mission, and I want everyone to know I am praying for them too.

Matthew Brannen,

Good Night & God Bless you all.

One part of my life that has influenced me the most has been the music that I listen to and the bands that I follow, and even for the Christian faith that I have today and growing up as a teenager, Christian Music played a massive part in giving me strength and joy when I really needed it. So is there anyway Christian Music out there for you?
YES!!

What ever your genre is there is mostly likely to be a band that has your same tastes, who might also make your faith a little bit more real…

So where are they? Well In New Zealand we have the biggest Christian Music Festival outside of America, called Parachute (visit: www.parachutemusic.com) I attended this festival each year throughout my teenage life and saw bands from the music I liked to listen too.

While here in the UK,  I have attende the following festivals that you might be interested to check ot.

Frenzy09: Is a one day music festival Edinburgh, www.frenzyfrenzy.com
The Ultimate Event: This is where to spend a day out at the Alton Towers Theme park and attend a music concert after, www.ultimateevents.org.uk
Green Belt Festival: This is a four day festival that has a lot in it, a massive amount of singers, comedians, speakers and down to earth people come together to pitch up their tents on the Cheltenham race course to celebrate life for a weekend. www.greenbelt.org.uk
Soul Survivor: This a massive five day Christian youth conference in the summer break, which involves Music, Speakers, activities and fellowship. www.soulsurvivor.com/uk

There are a lot more places where Christian Music is played, but these ones pull in a huge range of artists in and not all of them come from the UK.

But if you keen on finding out now what kind on music is out there, here is some bands/artists to look at… Mutemath, Newsboys, Swtichfoot, 29th Chapter, DcTalk, Jars of Clay, yFriday, Matt Maher, Chris Tomlin, Hillsong, Hillsong United, Brooke Fraser, L.A. Symony, Toby Mac, Casting Crowns, DJ MAJ, Bandwithnoname, Relient K, Delilious?, Micheal W. Smith, Tim Hughes, Ronan Johnstone, Crossbeam, P.O.D., Grits, Lifehouse, Shawn McDonald, Skillet and much much more…

Some of these artists above have had hits in the mainstream music scene, for example Mutemath’s song ‘Spotlight’ is in the movie soundtrack of ‘Twilight’.

YouTube, Facebook and MySpace will give you good links to tracks, music videos and Christian festivals and help you open the door to a massive amount of Music for you Soul…

If your stuck about the events? What bands? Just post a message below…

(Kiwi) Paul

Day Six in the Holy Land. Friday 20^th February 2009.

Sadly my last day, but we will be finishing where it all began!!
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Day Five in the Holy Land. Thursday 19^th February 2009

Who would have thought, that on my 26^th birthday I will be celebrating it on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, in a pilgrimage trip that was gifted to me only by the grace of God through others. Today I went to some amazing places, but to be on my birthday made it that extra special. All thanks to be God!!
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Day Four in the Holy Land. Wednesday 18th February 2009

Now we are in the middle of this amazing journey in the Holy Land and what better place to celebrate is in Bethlehem, at the Church of Nativity, where the birth of a King and Messiah was born into a world that already didn’t want him. But he took it all for us. Hope you enjoy the rest of Bethlehem with me.
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Day three in the Holy Land. Tuesday 17th February 2009

The Mount of Olives.

The first port of call in the third day of being in the Holy Land was the majestic Mount of Olives, time and time again I had heard so so much about this place through the faith that I have in Christ Jesus, and now I was actually physically going to be there!!
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