6 SUMMER FORMATION CAMPS WITH THE BROTHERS IN ADDIS ABABA
“This is my commandment: Love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)
When people ask if the Brothers had a nice summer vacation, we smile… Indeed, we have organized 6 camps in various regions of Ethiopia and at the priory, with the aim of training all the human dimensions of our young people (holisitic training). Let me tell you about three camps in particular.
We started with street boys at the Don Bosco Center and focused on “Forgiveness” as the main goal of this camp. What for? Because these boys picked up in the streets of Addis Ababa by very zealous Salesian Fathers, true spiritual sons of St. John Bosco, need to forgive in order to free themselves. Their story is often very sad due to a terrible childhood. It was beautiful to hear that many boys agreed on the need to forgive those who hurt us, if we wanted to find some hope to move forward in life.
Another camp took place in a Catholic orphanage in Kidane Mihret, where we were able to help the children to adore Jesus in his Eucharistic Presence.
The Charity Camp reached 200 poor children and adolescents in Gambo, about 6 hours south of Addis Ababa. It was a very intense 7-day camp, with Mother Teresa’s sisters and two very dedicated priests.
The next two camps, with many university students, were focused on “Formation” and “Vocation.” Finally, two camps were held at the priory with Ethiopian families and teenagers.
May God especially bless our benefactors for all these camps!
Father Antoine du Désert