At the beginning of the year, dozens of Acamps were held throughout Brazil and in Latin American countries. One of the best words to describe Acamps is “encounter”. The days of Acamps are marked by encounters: the encounter of the youth spending time together, and the encounter with God through prayer, sharing, fraternity and in the celebration of the sacraments. The format is designed to foster these different encounters: times of catechesis, the celebration of the Holy Mass, sharing and dialog, alternating with time for entertainment through sports and theme parties.
Melissa Cáceres, 22, says she was encouraged to participate in Acamps after she found the description of the Youth for Jesus Project on Instagram and a pamphlet caught her attention: “young people, do you want Jesus to change your life?” The young woman recalls: “in those 4 days, Jesus manifested himself with love and mercy. In each of the preachings I felt as if He spoke to me and showed me that I really needed him. I definitely found Him again. I could feel Him in every person, in every song, and in every prayer. Acamps was a rebirth for me and I am sure it is the beginning of endless love.”
Cecilia Varonilia, a missionary from the Shalom Community tells of her experience of serving the youth: “I felt very privileged to be able to touch God acting in everything – in the midst of tiredness, sleepless nights, a lot of work, and many challenges – to see them come, to see each one of them there having an encounter with God.” The missionary concluded: “To see them at the end of it all is extraordinary! To be able to see a young person being transformed is wonderful… it’s priceless!”
As Melissa and Cecilia testified, Acamps is a precious opportunity to encounter God and others, both for the youth who experience God’s love and for the missionaries who are renewed in their life offering.