Verbum Dei Family Camp 2023
By Diana Ho and Michelle Lim. Posted on 21 Nov 2023.
From 1 st to 3 rd September, 14 families (27 adults and 36 children) went to Le Grandeur Palm Resort in Senai, Johore Bahru, despite the coincidental polling date that was announced after all the preparations had been made. By God's grace, all the families made it, some even braving the 8-hour heavy traffic across the checkpoint!
The Sunday couples missionary disciples organised the event and the theme of the family camp was God, Are you Home?, reflecting the passage in John 14:23, " Jesus answered, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him." After a short introduction by Sr Leticia about the Verbum Dei Missionaries Fraternity, the missionary disciples of the community and the participants introduced themselves and shared what they desired of the camp. We concluded with prayer, and everyone turned in for the evening in our comfortable hotel rooms. Of course, all were well-fed beforehand with a sumptions Chinese dinner (We are Singaporean after all.)
Most of the action took place the next day on 2nd September. The adults heard inputs from Sr Leticia, reflecting on each individual's personal call of Jesus through the Zaccheaues in Luke 19:1-10 and Michelle, a missionary disciple, on the challenges of living out our Christian identity through the passage on Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42). The adults were then given time to dialogue with each other to reflect on where Jesus was in their marriage and their homes. It was lovely to see the couples enjoy their much-needed couple time in the lush resort compound. Everyone resonated with the challenging realities we are living in today.
Concurrently, the children were split into three different age groups (pre-schoolers, 7-10, 11–18-year-olds) and cared for by our other missionary disciples. They were actively engaged along the same themes, exploring their identities as a child of God and where God is in their families and homes. Activities varied according to age groups and included decorating tea-light candle holders, making a family collage and discussing and illustrating the gifts of their own lives. The kids then gathered with their families to discuss which values formed their own families' foundations and how each member felt loved. Each family then built versions of their homes with materials provided, illustrating what they called "home". It was a great family bonding activity, listening to each other and creating their home together.
To burn off all those calories (yes we were all very well fed), the families then had some R&R time with an outdoor tele-match in the lovely green field, and some took to the pools to cool off later. Day 2 ended with the children presenting their handmade gifts to their parents at the closing night prayer session.
On Day 3 and the final day of the camp, we had an input from Mark, another missionary disciple, on the need to belong to a Community and what it means. We were also blessed to have Fr Krish Mathavan, MSC, to celebrate Mass for us. We concluded the camp with a buffet lunch (yes, more food!). Some families headed to other destinations in Malaysia to continue their family time and the rest of us headed home to Singapore. Thank God we were home quite soon after!
God spoke to all of us in this camp – He is indeed in our homes, and the sharings from the adults were enriching and affirming.
Some reflections from the participants:
"Overall, it was an enjoyable and memorable family camp, and I'm so glad that it is our first-ever family camp. It's very precious knowing other Catholic families going through similar phases in our lives and journeying together. We certainly hope to make this an annual event for the family!"
"I appreciated the time to discuss our faith with my husband while the children built their own community."
"Learnt the importance of God and family prayer and accepting and loving our kids as they are."
"The home is important to build a solid foundation for our Faith. We need to recognise the gift of God is already present in our lives. God's Word can be fun and relatable too!"
" We need to slow down in our lives and focus on our spiritual life and walking with God."
" To have couple time away from kids is needed. The family that prays together stays together."