Hello! I’m JewelleVillarisco. J
And this is a short testimony about Camp Calye. I’ve been attending Camp Calye for 3 years now. My first camp was Camp Calye 2012: Knockout. Calye means “Choose a Life You’ll Embrace”and believe me, it’strue. I would know.I am a living proof. Before camp, I had an okay life. I went to church because I HAD to go to church. Besides, I would receive cotton candy after, so it’s okay. I also had okay friends, they’re not really a good influence, but hey, I needed friends. So, okay lang. An okay life. It wasn’t enough though. Hindi sapatang okay lang. I knew something was lacking pa eh. Summer came and my other friends from the Feast were talking about this camp. I didn’t want to go but I also didn’t want to be OP when they’re back from camp, so I signed up (I was even late and a walk in). Then camp happened! Even though I wasn’t teammates with any of my friends, it was still amazing. It made me more open and friendlier to people I didn’t know; It made me open to change and to appreciate things more. (Seriously, 5 minute ligo time after mud sliding?Amazing.) It taught me to let go of things and people that I needed to let go of. Camp made me realize that something that I’m lacking, it was service. And, of course, Camp brought me closer to God. J I thought it was just gonna be a temporary effect of camp. One week camp fever, ganun. I was right. I did have camp fever but it wasn’t temporary, it lasted for a whole year. (Medyo even know nga, meron pa eh.)JButi pa ang camp fever, may forever. After camp, I began serving in this youth group for high school students.A year later, I became a servant of LOJ Youth.Then another year later, last year actually, I got the opportunity to serve in Camp Calyeas the emcee for the high school camp!! It’s just amazing. It wasn’t a fast growth and it certainly wasn’t a sudden change, but I wouldn’t have started serving if I didn’t go to Camp Calye. I would still be the Jewelle with an “okay lang but not really” life. Camp didn’t just shower me with blessings. Camp taught me how to see, share the blessings and to appreciate the little blessings when life seems tough. J So, I invite you to join this year’s Camp Calye: Joyride! It’s going to be life changing, God-drenching and overflowing with blessings and learnings! I guarantee you genuine happiness, ngitingabottenga,and tawa with matching head bang for 4 days!! See you there and God bless you more and more! J
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by Christl Jan Tiu, Cavite
I have daunting dreams. When I was 13, I used to write my dreams in a violet journal. I called it my dream notebook. Up until now, I still have it with me. I used to read it from time to time to remind me of my dreams. Whenever I flip through its pages, I can't help but wonder 'What in the world was I thinking when I wrote these dreams?' Let me share with you some of the dreams written there... Dream #1: To develop an efficient educational system in the Philippines where mentorship is the main instructional model Dream #2: To become a best-selling author of books that inspire people through creative non-fiction and short stories and own a publishing company Dream #8: To build foundations for elderly house helpers abandoned by their family Those are only 3 or my 28 big dreams. As a teenager, I was always worried, perhaps, afraid is a better word. In the spectrum of people, I fall on the perfectionist side. I was terrified of being wrong, of being weak, of having flaws. Whenever I start on a project, I can't help but ask myself, am I doing it right? I hated messing up. This attitude got me stuck. Instead of acting and reaching for my dreams, I was preoccupied in doing things to avoid making a mistake. I did everything to make my craft perfect. I studied, listened to audio books, took courses... But, after 6 years, I was still making plans. Nothing done. I was left with regrets. I was discouraged especially when people close to my heart, the same people who I look to when I needed strength, the same people who I want to dream with me, tells me, in good faith, that I was daydreaming, that dreaming was useless, that I should just focus on my studies and getting a job after college, that it was too dangerous, that I should do this because they said so, that I should just dream small so that I wouldn't get disappointed. It was hard. So, I gave up. I tuck my dream notebook and my Novena to God's Love (free prayer booklet given at the Feast) amidst a pile of unused notebooks. I asked God, "Why give me these dreams? If even I can't make myself believe that I can do it?" That day, I stopped dreaming. Every day after that was a drag. I just studied because I needed to. Because, my mother would go berserk if I fail. Waking up in the morning became a struggle. Sleeping was a temporary escape. And everything between those two is a battle between me and life. After 8 months, the camp was no exception. I have always wanted to join Camp Calye since 2012. But, my mother always refuses my request to join it. In 2014, I initially planned not to join the camp. I lost my interest in those kinds of events. I pretended to be excited and asked my mother for permission knowing that she will refuse. I was utterly surprised, she didn't. She just asked me to bring one other friend to accompany me as a condition. I felt a slight pinch in my heart. "Give this a chance" Despite the voices in my head saying that I would just be disappointed; that this camp is pointless, I packed my bags and prepared for camp. Lots of things happened in the camp, but the one thing that was the most memorable for me was when we were asked to partner with a friend and tell that friend who we would be years from now. I hesitated to tell my dreams but I said it anyway. "I am a writer, a published author... on and on..." What struck me the most was my partner's reaction. She didn't reject it. She didn't say that it was too big. She just smiled and said, "wow." That was my biggest blessing. That day, I decided to live my dreams again. After camp, I decided to look at my dream notebook again. I read every dream. Visualized each one. And in my heart, there was that small voice that told me, "Maliit pa yan." (Those dreams are too small) I smile to myself "oo nga eh." (yes, they are) That night, I took a pen and an unused small green notebook and wrote new dreams. Today, whenever I look at my dreams, I still find myself asking, "what in the world was I thinking when I wrote this?" But now, I also find myself saying, "I can't possibly do this... But I know You can." I realized that chasing meaning is better than avoiding discomfort. So, is started making messes. I started small with short essays, then short stories, and now, I started writing a novel. It's still in the making, but if you want to read it, here's a link http://www.wattpad.com/54817153-cheating-death I realized that it doesn't only take skill and talent to accomplish something, one needs a heart that trusts with ordinary courage to see extraordinary things to come to pass. For dreamers out there, don't just plan. Let's make a mess together. (email me: christl_jan_tiu@yahoo.com.ph) by Chin Chin Asis, PICC
I attended Camp Calye last May. And yes, it was really a blessing for me. There was no regret at all. Actually, I want a part two! Hahaha! I met new friends, well now, we treat each other as siblings. Days before the camp, I was so worried because I didn’t know anyone from my teammates, as in complete strangers. But the good thing is that they were the ones who approached me and they were so nice and loving. In camp, there is no discrimination of who you are or where you’re from. Because no matter what, they will accept you with open arms. And in just 4 days, you will have an instant family. A family who truly cares and loves you no matter what. Not just that, at camp I realized the plans God wants me to do. I want to serve him more. Just like my facilitators, I also want to touch other people's lives. Influence other youth to live life as a child of God. Camp Calye is not just about the camp activities, it’s more on getting close to God. It’s about knowing God. by Nicholson Tee, PICC
I grew up in a Catholic family. I knew God and the Church from the very beginning. Since childhood, my parents raised me the Catholic way of life. I go to Church every Sunday. They taught me how to pray and just did what I thought I was supposed to do. I didn’t know Him, I just knew about Him. As I continue to grow up, I noticed that I was living a life without the sense of direction or purpose. I was searching for myself. “What is my mission here on earth?” This was the question I was asking myself and answers were nowhere to be found. One Sunday my mom woke me up so early and I asked her why? And she said get up we are going to PICC. I said “what?!” with my surprised face. “May graduation po ba ngayon? Sunday ngayon ahh?” Then she explained that we are to attend mass there, The Feast. We went there and I tell you my first time in the Feast was really life changing. Live music, bright lights, great worship songs, you can really see people expressing their faith to the Lord in a very bold way. The following Sunday I was the first one to wake up and was very excited to go to PICC. Then we, my parents and I, decided to serve and joined the warmth ministry. The feeling of serving the Lord at least once a week is just wonderful. Yes it’s tiring but at the end of the day you have that sense of fulfillment in you, and that gave me the purpose I was seeking a long time ago. Then I joined Camp Calye 2014. It was my first time to join a camp and at first I was uneasy and I was nervous. At the camp I met wonderful people and made friends but the real highlight of it was I became closer to God. After the camp, I can say that I knew God wholeheartedly. The camp alone is enough for me to say that it was the best summer vacation I’ve ever had in my life. Since knowing Him, a lot of things had changed. He has given me fulfillment, purpose and joy. I am still messed up, but now I know that God loves me despite all my flaws and imperfections. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 3:14. This is now my inspirational push every day. God will always be there for us no matter what, we just have to believe and have faith in him. by Paul Francis A. Dela Cruz, Sucat
Who would have thought that the 4 days and 3 nights of Camp Calye would be my one of the most unforgettable moments with God? Everything there inspired me! New friends, new experiences, new life! Some moments were expressed by tears while some were expressed by smiles, but all were expressed with God. Everything there was wonderful! I always heard sweet laughter and saw inspiring smiles. It felt like God was hugging me every time. Everywhere I look, I saw God. I couldn’t help myself but smile. And because of that, I felt very special. Everyone lent an ear for me which made my problems disappear. There in Camp Calye, I believed that Philippians 4:13 is indeed true—that ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ I just always believe in Him because God will provide—always. So whatever problems we have, it’s okay. Just pray and bond with Him. Why? Because the real miracle is Jesus Himself. God bless! O :)) My Journey to Realizing 2 Essential Aspects That I Needed To Grow in My Dreams and Relationships
by Anton Aguilar, PICC My name is Anton, and I’m going to share a few things about myself before describing what I felt during the past 4-day all-teens summer event, the Light of Jesus-hosted Camp Calye: Lipad!. First, I’m a 15 year old teen, a son of two greatly amazing and loving parents, my dad a Supply Chain Group Head and my mom, a homeschooling teacher, helping manage our school schedule every day of the week, except during Wednesday, when we go out to do my schoolwork and spend the rest of the day with my classmates. I’m the second in a family of 4 kids. I also have 3 other siblings, one who is older than me by 1 year, and the other two, my younger brother and sister. We started attending the Feast, on November 13, which was my brother’s 2nd birthday, a few days before the K-Con that year. Now, I came to camp trying to find out why I was created by the Lord, what my purpose was in this world. Therefore, to ease my pain of deciding for a place to spend my last month of summer with, He just told me in my heart, “Go to LOJ Youth. They have a place for you there, and trust me; it’s going to be more fun at their camp than you would ever expect.” So I believed God’s words and prepared myself to go to Camp Calye - Knockout and I knew that what He became true as I enjoyed so much. Therefore, when I went home, I immediately knew that I had a growing urge to come back, as I couldn’t bear to leave my friends alone after a fun-filled journey with them. And, ever since that day, everything in my life changed and took a 360 degree turn… When the pre-camp for the high school batch returned this past April, I didn’t expect to see myself as someone welcomed again by those who gave me tremendous love. So, I just smiled out of gratitude at them and said hello. It’s a miracle that every one of them shouted out of joy at the sight of me, but I never regret that, because I know that God would say, “I do this for you because I love you so much and I want you to bless the world with your gifts and your winning smile.” Now, show them who you are!” All of this occurred out of God’s plan, but I accept it because I know that He planned it to happen because of my surrender to Him. So, from my point of view, camp this year was similar to that of last year although there was a slight difference in the way that it was planned. The activities were intensified and made more challenging to make it more connected to the theme, LIPAD. Anyway, so that the events may be arranged in an orderly sequence, what I did on the first day is of course get to know my teammates before I did activities with them such as the flag - making, cheer making and the discussion about the team name, which Jewelle and I thought beforehand, and named Dark Green Rises. Basically, the point of the first day was to get to know my team in order to establish a close relationship based on teamwork and friendship and that was exactly what I did on the first day, which I would like to call, the warm-up day, and honestly, my favorite part during that day was the long trek I went through, because even though I perspired a lot, I learned that a true hero, even to the point of wounds, never gives up. The next day was where the action began, the day my strengths were tested and put to the extreme limit along with the others. It all started when the sun rose up in the sky and hit high noon and there, it was a time where we all had to participate and share as the DG team and I overcame our fears of insects, worms, and other little creatures like rats, plus extra stations like drinking mashed duck’s egg. Of course, Brother Chris urged me to join while drinking it, for he knew it wasn’t fair if one member would be excused, such as me, and so I tried it, and found out that it wasn’t as hard as I thought. This activity was called Fear Factor and I noticed that, surprisingly, all of us campers of Dark Green had similar fears of these animals, because our faces had the same expression, indicating that we didn’t want to face these seemingly creepy creatures and drink. Wow, facing insects and rats plus a drink made with hair and other stuff, disgusting but overcome. I admit that as I faced the these challenges, all of my teammates were cheering me on as I did the Fear Factor, except I excused myself from doing the final station which had to do with blood. When I saw that part of the FF as I like to call the activity, I felt like I was going to faint because I saw what my friends did, like dunk their heads in order to search for a single pebble. Some teammates of DG even cried when they did it, like Jewie, Cyla and Nicole but I knew how they felt and I decided to keep quiet about it instead. Afterwards, my teammates I did other fun undertakings which relieved all of us after doing the extremely challenging FF like the Bible Quiz, where I helped a lot, with my knowledge of the books from Genesis to Revelation, where, basically the Bible Picture Quiz which we didn’t complete due to limited time but we still had fun because of teamwork and bonding. Next, Dark Green Rises joined the War Games, where all teams fought for points and position. At that point, I became the audience, cheering for them and watching as the action unfolded and went on throughout the game. The team continued to participate in all activities during that day, some of which I did not join and where I waited for them to return, such as the unity walk. When they were done with the union walk, I saw that it was time to transfer place to catch up with DG. The last thing they did as a team, on the second day was the Zombie Outbreak, where each of them had to do stations without getting caught by zombies. So, the point of all that happened on the second day was conquering my fear of everything that I was afraid of but with the help of God through my friends. And came the third day like a bird swooping in sky, a day that made me think, Wow, Lord, camp may be halfway through, but I still believe and trust in you. We faced the day with all the energy we got from resting the other night, never giving up in the face of the challenges that we needed to conquer, thus facing them with strength and determination, and the belief that all of us could do it. And so, the team and I did what was expected of us to do: to tackle the mud crawl which came with a matching consolation prize of dirty and muddy clothes afterwards. So, my friends and I sacrificed all that was clean about us just to complete the task. On my part, it took some encouraging getting me to play the game. When I was done, I came out all covered in mud, with slight scratches on the legs as a result of dragging them a few times to be able to move forward, but other than that, I had fun because I knew that I had conquered an obstacle with the power coming from God’s strength. Fast forward and comes the time of preparation for as I would like to call it, the most epic part of camp, the ministry time plus the sharing given by one camper of each team on how they felt about camp. When it came to me to rise as a representative sharer for Dark Green, all of them shouted, because I was their idol, but because since I was the only English-speaking person there, I almost felt embarrassed that I did it, but afterwards I told myself, “Don’t worry about it. Next year, you’ll do much better, because you already know how to speak in Tagalog, and that became true after one month. Anyway, skip to the last day, and there my teammates and I were doing the last activity, the E-day, along with the awarding ceremony and group pictures. It was great by the way, thanks to the power of God, ha-ha. To sum it all up, I had a great time in camp, not just because of the games, but also because of the sharing made by the different campers, the worship and the awesome time I had with the Lord, immersing myself in His tremendous love and fire. Of course, my joy wouldn’t be complete without the servers, who have been helping me since day one, so I thank all of them, especially Ate Chai, who made it easier for my Tito Rico and I prepare at 8 am of day one. Now as I write this article, I begin to realize that I love writing and I know that it’s one of my special talents, aside from speaking in front of huge audiences. So, all in all, I’ve realized that the 2 essential parts that I needed to grow were the discovery of my dream and speaking in Tagalog, because I saw that my life, when moved by the Lord to action and talking to my friends in my mother tongue really was much happier when I made the choice to turn the tables in my life. When I didn’t start going to Y2 yet, I heard Bro. Bo say before that there were two dreams in existence, the one out of purpose and the one out of pride, and to reach dreams that came from God, I had to adjust my resources to reach writing, one of my gifts. Truly, being in camp and going to meet up with my friends every Sunday has made me one of the happiest teens in the world. Ready to change the world once more, Set to touch those who need to know the Lord And finally to soar high with Him and His Son Jesus, I’m ready to give all I’ve got for those I love. LIPAD! by Mong Montances, Cavite
Camp Calye is where I started to believe in myself again. It has unleashed the leader within me. Taught me to be more assertive, responsible and committed. It made me a more loving person, all by God’s grace! by Kulas Basilonia, Cavite
I believe that Lord Jesus used Camp Calye wayback 2011 to redirect my path. Sa camp ko naranasan ang pagmamahal ni Lord. Dito Niya sinabi sa akin na may purpose ako. by Ariel Olaes, Cavite
Camp Calye blessed me a lot especially in learning and continuously building up into myself two big factors-- independence and trust. Independence to do the things, surpass any obstacles and solve big problems on your own. And trusting other people and of course, trust in God. Because He always knows what is best for you. |
AuthorThese articles were written and sent in by young people who experienced Camp CALYE. They were blessed immensely. And they want you to experience that same blessing too. Archives
April 2016
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