From June 22 to 24 (Friday to Sunday), the second meeting of the Missionary Youth for Peace took place, in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The event is part of the Youth Campaign for Peace. It gathered about 30 youths who, enthusiastic with the opportunity of service, responded to the call with the fullest energy and joy.
Giving continuity to the first meeting, held at the end of May in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, the youths from São Paulo developed a broad schedule, which included assistance to the Human, Animal, Plant and Mineral Kingdoms. They had the support of the Missionaries of Fraternidade – International Humanitarian Federation (FFHI).
On the first day, there were tasks of cultivation, as activities included in an agro-forestry project carried out in the Nucleus-of-Light of Figueira in Sao Paulo.
Animal Sanctuary
Shamballa: music therapy
On the following day, the group transferred to a farm near the city of Sao Paulo, where they shelter domestic and wild animals with physical deficiencies or health problems (blind, paraplegic or quadriplegic): the Shamballa Sanctuary.
In this place, the participants mustered forces around various services, such as the repair of fences, harmonization of a shed used for storage, building of shelves, organization of recyclable trash and of medicines, walk with dogs under rehabilitation and music therapy for the animals. Before the farewell, the youths made a commitment to keep helping the place once a month.
As happens every Saturday, at 5 p.m. (Time of Brasilia), the group participated in the Youth Prayer for Peace on Youtube, another initiative of the Youth Campaign for Peace.
On Sunday, the will to serve led them to the Parish Hall of the Church of Saint Michael Archangel, in Carapicuíba, Sao Paulo. There, the volunteers dedicated the day to paint the walls of the two floors of the multi-use hall.
Youth magnetism
Saint Michael Parish, Carapicuíba
The Missionary Youth Event had the support of countless collaborators of the Network-of-Light of São Paulo. “The youths manage to attract family members, relatives, friends, peers of study… and the movement, thus, gradually expands, because the schedule elicits a lot of interest”, said Imer, a humanitarian missionary who coordinated the institutional support from FFHI.
“I have always wanted to do something like this, but I would leave it for later, and by participating in this moment, I was able to see how important it is to think of our fellow beings and to do some good action, without expecting anything in return. We always do something expecting to see a positive change, but the most important thing is to see this change within us”, shared Luana Zanolini, who participated for the first time in a voluntary activity organized by the youth group of Sao Paulo.
“Here we feel in practice how the group force has such a good energy and how, when we open to a greater purpose, the needs appear and so do the solutions”, said Natalia Miyazaki, the coordinator of the youth group of Sao Paulo.
“It is such a restorative experience that we feel vibrating the missionary seeds that are scattered in all of us. Regardless of the task that is given to us, or how we can help, if they are just a few minutes or many hours, the important thing is to light a pure white light that will brighten the darkness in which the planet is, and as a result will attract other light from everywhere”, reflected Victoria Lueken, another young participant in the missionary event.
The next Missionary Youth Peace Event will take place in São Carlos, state of São Paulo, on June 29 and 30, and July 1st, 2018.
For additional information about the activities of the youth group of São Paulo,
(+55) (11) 99567-9546
