July has been a very intense and special month for 25 young people who are participating in the Shalom Leadership retreat in Brazil. The retreat began on July 3, with participants from many regions of Brazil as well other countries such as Argentina, Cape Verde, Colombia, Panama, Poland among others. They are expected to participate in many moments of the “July of Peace” program which is sponsored by the Shalom Catholic Community in honor of its anniversary.
The retreat includes moments of fraternity, prayer, talks as well as moments for the participants to learn more about the Shalom Vocation. The group were present at the Acamp’s Youth Camp in Fortaleza on July 16 to 21. During the event they had a chance to evangelize other young people through their service. Another opportunity for evangelization is the Halleluya Festival that is happening on July 25 to 29. The group will be serving in different spaces of the Festival where they can share their testimony, thus evangelizing and reaching out to other young people.
Leadership Retreat: An experience
Maria Eduarda Furtado is from Florianópolis, last year she was participating of the Leadership Retreat. For her, the experience was remarkable because in one of the moments of prayer, God called her to leave on mission. Today, Duda, as she is known among her friends, lives in Diaconia Shalom, Fortaleza, and was one of the hosts of the people for this year’s retreat.
Magda Majek is from Poland. She had to travel more than 8,000 miles to attend the Leadership School this year. Magda expects to spend more time near the Lord and to discover His will for her life. The young woman wishes to live this time open to God’s newness. She was left amazed after her visit to Shalom’s headquarters in Fortaleza.