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Well World Youth Day! What to say! It was an amazing journey of
Faith, Fun, Friendship, Love and a time of being with God.
It all started with all the NATSICC mob meeting in Darwin and
starting our journey with the Darwin and Broome mob.
Our mob was Maree McCarthy ( Youth Councillor, NATSICC),
Teyana Edwards (Vic), Tamara Walker (Vic), John Winch
(Vic), Matty Sheilds (NSW) and myself (Tasmanian NATSICC
Councillor). We travelled to Brunei for the day which was an
experience that i don’t think anyone will forget.
We were then off to France!!! First we when to Caracassone, then
Lourdes and then PARIS!!!.After this we headed off to Luxemburg
and then it was off to our final destination Cologne, Germany.
On our journey we had many experiences all which have touched
us and left a mark. I will write about my highlights as it is so hard
to speak for everyone else because we all had different highlights.
My first highlight was in Lourdes. We did a pilgrimage around
the Brascillia at night with candle light. There was about 00
people coming from various nations, but through the power of
the Holy Spirit we were all connected. It was amazing we were
all singing songs and praying and it didn’t matter where you were
from. Another highlight from Lourdes was when Bishop Saunders
said to look in the faces of people and see God, I urge anyone to
do that and it is amazing because you do see God.
My second highlight was in Paris! Yes Paris is know for being the
shopping capital of the world, although I must admit I didn’t step
inside a shop. We instead went around the churches. Yes they are
amazingly beautiful and old, but when i thought of home and it
occured to me that I’m standing on land that my ancestors have
occupied for 40,000 years. That was a simply amazing feeling!
Yes they have worshipped there for hundreds of years but our
people have worshipped on our land for thousands of years. My
third highlight was the atmospere of the World Youth Day Vigil,
the feelings of anticipation and the Holy Spirit flooding people’s
hearts. WOW.
However one of my most memborable experiences of the whole
trip was before we even before we left Australia. I when to church
at St Martin de Porres in Darwin and the power in that room
coming fron Song and Prayer was amazing. They didn’t just read
a prayer out of a book but they said it with meaning. ‘The Holy
Spirit is Awesome’ is what I thought when I came back from that
church.
For me World Youth Day 005 was a journey of Love and Faith
and Joy in the Holy Spirit.
I would like to thank: Bishop Saunders, Fr Matt Digges, Fr Dan,
Maree McCarthy, All the NATSICC, Broome and Darwin Mobs,
Craig Arthur, Melissa Brickell and all the NATSICC Council, Our
Families and Friends for supporting us and God!
Thankyou
Kara Williams