Manual - Youth Meeting in The Spirit

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MEETING OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE SPIRIT

What is EJE?
The EJE program (Youth Encounter in the Spirit), is designed as an experience of growth in the Christian community. It
is based on the principles of communication; In it, the person encounters himself, others and God. It is fundamentally a
youth program serving youth. In effect, the leaders are young people who have lived through the program, who have
been previously prepared and who have demonstrated that they have the qualities for it. These leaders do not
necessarily have to be extraordinary people, but rather they have been chosen because they have a great desire to help
others.
They must serve as models for increasingly positive behavior; since their attitude is positive, with respect to
themselves and life; They are open, eager to share and have a solidly rooted Christian faith.
The meeting uses different means to create a positive atmosphere of trust. It reaches each participant at their
own level of development, encourages them to open themselves to new experiences and thus helps them grow in their
ability to share with others, without seeking their safety, maintaining their distance and staying on the surface. Everyone
has the same place and the same responsibility in the group; and, each one is encouraged to share their sorrows,
worries and joys, participating in a conscious, delicate and loving way. To create this environment, communication
channels are opened that reinforce the positive image of themselves and the uniqueness of the person; They favor the
acceptance of abilities, knowledge, needs and concerns, as an expression of a sensitive conscience and promote trust,
openness and love.
This is how the possibility of having an experience of Christ in and through mutual relationship opens up for
each one.
To create this environment of growth and love, five factors are required:
1.- The participant.
2.- The leading team, made up of the coordinator, the assistant, advisors, group co-advisors and the spiritual advisor.
3.- The kitchen team, which is the spiritual backbone of the weekend.
4.- The service team, which includes the reception team, cleaning team and general assistants.
5.- The external support team and the community of parents and friends who send letters and offer their prayers so that
the Lord acts throughout the weekend and guides him.
The result of the joint work of all these people is not only the success of the FdS, but also the growth of the
entire Christian community, the body of Christ.
At the bottom of this environment of growth and love, there are two basic factors:
A) Some solid principles of psychology.
B) A solid theology.

A) The psychology underlying FdS can be described in terms of four steps or levels:
1.- The self.
2.- The others.
3.- God.
4.- The Christian community.
At the level of the self, each person is helped to come to know, love, understand and accept themselves as a
good person.
At the level of others, to get to know, love, understand and accept the community, to communicate with others
and to develop that trust that I allow to share with the entire group.
On the level of God, to come to know, love, understand and accept Christ as personal savior.
At the fourth and final level of the Christian community, the previous three culminate in a strengthening of the
believing community.
However, it is necessary to remember that although the fourth level has already been reached, the ascension
towards God is not complete, since it is an ever-changing and never-finished search that must be constantly
renewed.
Great emphasis is placed on achieving positive self-acceptance and positive friendship. Much emphasis is given
to methods that allow us to avoid prejudices and closed-mindedness. Just as each person must gain a foothold
at each level, so the entire group, during the encounter, must reach each of the four levels before moving on to
the next.

B) The underlying theology can be explained by the formula “baseball meeting”; In that “baseball match”, each
one, to go into bat, must desire to grow in their relationship with themselves, with others and with God.
1.- The first basis is that “God does not make garbage”; This first foundation is reached when one comes to
know, love, understand and accept oneself through a positive and realistic self-esteem.
2.- The second base represents being open and giving oneself to others as members of the body of Christ with
a Christian love that has overcome selfishness. To reach this second base, each one must get to know
themselves, love, understand and accept other people, in an environment of openness, generosity and without
prejudging.
3.- To reach the third base, you must come to know, love, understand and accept a personal and loving
relationship with God as a father, who loves each person as they are.

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4.- The final objective is achieved at the base of one's own home, when full acceptance of oneself, of others and
of God, leads to forming a Christian community that grows, shares, worships, considering itself as a family of
God full of love.
A focal point of great interest in the weekend is trust and faith in Christ during everyday life, and underscoring
the idea that love is a daily decision and requires that it be truly demonstrated to all. family members, as well as
friends and other people who are important to us.
Throughout the weekend, five areas of growth are accentuated:
1.- Acceptance of oneself.
2.- Positive friendship.
3.- Personal prayer.
4.- The sacraments as a source of grace.
5.- Solidarity.
The idea of growth can be summarized in the following way:
c With daily prayer, rise towards God.
R Reflect every day on the word of God.
AND listen to him and obey him at all times.
c With life and word bear witness to Christ.
AND In every circumstance of life, trust in God.
R Renew our commitment every day, letting the Holy Spirit guide our lives and encourage our testimony.
Finally, integrated into the weekend and accentuated in the concluding Eucharist, are the four ways in which the
Christian can encounter Christ: the first is, through creation, since the Christian is called to continue the creative
process, living as a servant of God.
Secondly, we encounter Christ through the sacraments. Third, through our solidarity in the church, God keeps
his promise to be present when two or three people gather in his name. Finally, Christ is found in scripture,
which is a source of inspiration and wisdom for the Christian.
Concluding, AXIS Tend to improve both the person and the group in the relationship with oneself, with others
and with God, with the final objective that the Christian community, family of God, body of Christ, becomes
stronger and more united, working at the service of God to carry out his plan.

Suggestions to make the experience

1.- How to prepare it


Even if some of us don't really like writing, think that it will be a wonderful act of love on your part that the Lord will know
how to value.
A.- Be calm, find a moment to be completely serene and communicate in prayer with the Lord.
B .- Begin to “disseminate”, letting off steam. Free yourself from what could be binding you; write it well or badly,
but write it.
C.- Then you will organize your experience and/or you will mature it according to the scheme.
D .- Share what you have written with your reviewer, he is neither a professor nor a prosecutor. You will make
him happy by giving him the joy of sharing your life. The only thing he wants is to help you deepen it.
E.- Try not to lose the meaning of the title of the experience.

2.- Way of writing it


A .- On a computer, double spaced and on one side only (leaving the back part free so as not to bend the page
and distract the participants when you turn it over) Be careful, when you write it be yourself, do not theorize, do
not escape the opportunity that the Lord gives you to find your true self.
B.- It is not strictly necessary to fill out all the points in the development of the experience scheme, as stated in
the manual, since each person is different.
C.- Use your own everyday language, do not use fancy words. The fact that it is natural is what everyone will
like the most.
D.- Don't forget that it's about sharing your experiences and not giving a talk; an x-ray of your life and not a
photograph.

3.- Way of giving it


A.- An experience is an expression of one's own life; It must be given in the most natural way and with the
greatest simplicity, both in terms of diction and expressiveness. An experience is something embodied and
questioning. A practical suggestion: it should be read by looking up and making eye contact with the
participants. You do not have to go to the extreme of memorizing it and giving it as if the written paper did not
exist.
It is necessary that you write it so that you do not stray from the topic and what is meticulously pursued in its
preparation. It is also obvious that time must be regulated.
B.- When giving testimony of your experience, address the participants, with a clear, confident voice, sharing
with the joy that you have searched and discovered something wonderful. May the participants be convinced
that your opening is sincere and that they say to themselves: “look how he loves us.”

EJE Program Manual – “Ntra. Mrs. of the Miraculous Medal” JM - Page 2


C.- If possible, the experience should have a negative peak moment (search stage) and another positive peak
moment (the happiness of the encounter), ensuring that it is not monotonous.
D.- Relate your feelings and reactions to the situations and circumstances you experienced. How you felt. How
that made you feel and react. In what way, in what way did you express your reactions. Tell your desires, hopes,
sorrows, thoughts. Pour your heart and your mind, but, preferably, do not judge, do not become a judge. Rather,
seek to find yourself through facts. Try to treat the people you name in your experience with affection. This must
be the result of your conversion and your belonging.
E .- At the beginning of the experience, you must introduce yourself by saying your name, age, family structure,
what you do and something about yourself that you think is interesting to communicate. It is also up to you to
say how you feel at that moment, if you are nervous or if you feel happy to be in front of the participants sharing
something about your life that is so important to you. Another practical suggestion: never start until there is calm
and silence in the auditorium. Look at them all, turning your sight; This will give you security and help you
establish non-verbal communication. Please don't have chewing gum, it's distracting... and it's not very correct
either.
Also don't play with the pencil or anything you may have on hand; This takes attention away from the
participants.
Don't forget, you are going to be an instrument of the Lord, so don't put obstacles in your way!

What is the question?

I.- Objectives
1.- Discover that I cannot fulfill myself alone, but in my relationships of belonging with others.
2.- Understand that belonging is not based on possession, but on the mutual and free gift of self.
3.- Feel the need to abandon the egocentric attitude (which sees everything from the angle of the self) to move
on to an attitude of encounter (which implies self-giving love and the communion of the self and the you in the
we).
II.- Summary of the experience
A.- Introduction: personal presentation in the family context.
B.- Egocentrism: (non-belonging)
1.- External circumstances of my life (briefly).
2.- Selfish attitudes. Evasions, illusions, failures.
3.- Internal questioning.
C.- Meeting others: (towards belonging)
1.- External circumstances (briefly).
2.- Who helped me.
3.- Internal conversion process.
D.- Conclusion: the fight for belonging continues.
1.- Due to the passage of time, the maturation of people and the updating of the program, it is advisable
to update the experiences.
2.- For this it is preferable that the same person who guided it the first time, updates it giving it the
desired continuity and projection. There is only one counselor and no one else should intervene.
3.- If the same person cannot do it, another person will do it but coordinating with them the criteria and
actions that gave rise to the experience at that time. This coordination will avoid different criteria and,
above all, that the giver becomes disoriented and loses security when sharing.
4.- For obvious reasons, people who review experiences must seriously commit to completing their
work. The team coordinator will ensure that this is fulfilled.
5.- The counselor must appreciate to what extent those who prepare their experiences tell the truth and
how the environment influences them.
6.- It is understood that whoever is going to testify must be selected. The program should never be
subordinated to people.
7.- When helping someone through their experience, it must be taken into account that this is not a relief
nor an opportunity to appear. We must avoid frustrating him and not violently mutilate the experience.
This is an opportunity for growth also for the counselor.
8.- It is necessary to determine if the person is suitable for this specific topic. It will be a reason to help
her grow and find the right moment.
9.- The counselor must deserve that the person chosen for the experience gives it to him first. To do this
you must share with him with a lot of love.
10.- The counselor in the first preparation meeting must evaluate whether it is convenient for that person
in that situation to experience it in that fds.
11.- The experience should not be a photograph, a recounting of events, but above all an x-ray that
shows inner feelings and situations.
12.- Do not stereotype models: this is how topic 1 could be shared by a couple, young people could
share the topic of sex, etc.

How to give a brief testimony

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“ WE WRITE TO YOU OF THOSE WHO ALREADY EXISTED WHEN IT ALL BEGAN, OF WHICH WE HAVE HEARD AND SEEN WITH OUR OWN EYES;
WELL, WE HAVE LOOKED AT THEM AND WE HAVE TOUCHED THEM WITH OUR HANDS. IT IS ABOUT THE WORD OF LIFE.” ( 1JOHN 1.1.)
MANY, DEEP DOWN, FEEL ALONE AND LONG TO FIND INTIMACY AND EXPERIENCE LOVE. WE FIND LOVE WHEN WE LIVE A SUFFICIENTLY STRONG
EXPERIENCE WITH ANOTHER PERSON OR WITH GOD, BECAUSE THEN THE EGO DISAPPEARS AND THE EFFECT THAT EMERGES FROM THE HEART
ACHIEVES UNITY. THIS IS PRECISELY WHAT GOD HAS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH HIS INCARNATION (FLESH AND BLOOD OF MAN) IN CHRIST. HE
CAN REVEAL HIMSELF IN YOU TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU LIVE HIS LOVE AND SHARE YOUR FEELINGS AND YOUR HUMAN EXPERIENCE WITH
OTHERS.
SOME “NO”
1.- DON'T TRY TO IMPRESS OR CONVERT ANYONE; HE WAS SINCERE AND TRUSTED IN GOD.
2.- DO NOT PREACH, TEACH OR GIVE ADVICE.
3.- YOU ARE NOT A MODEL THAT OTHERS SHOULD IMITATE, BUT RATHER AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT GOD HAS DONE.
SOME DO"
1.- WRITE AT THE TOP OF YOUR PAPER, “WHAT I AM TRYING TO SAY IS”
2.- WRITE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE TO SAY, BUT WHEN YOU SHARE IT, DO IT SPONTANEOUSLY.
3.- YOUR FEELINGS ARE IMPORTANT SINCE OTHERS LISTEN TO YOU WITH THEIR HEARTS.
4.- BE SIMPLE, LIMIT YOUR SHARING TO JUST ONE THING.
5.- SCHEME:
INTRODUCTION
A.- EARN THEIR ATTENTION FROM THE FIRST MOMENT.
B.- PART OF THE REALITY OF YOUR LISTENERS.
C.- MAKE THEM ABLE TO IDENTIFY WITH YOU.
DEVELOPMENT
A.- SHARE IN A CLEAR AND CONCISE WAY AN EXPERIENCE AND THE FEELINGS THAT IT HAS AROUSED IN YOU. DON'T
DISSEMBLE, DON'T LIE OR DEFEND YOURSELF.
CONCLUSION
A.- A SUMMARY, A WISH, A VERSE OF POETRY OR A STANZA OF A SONG, BUT SHORT.
6.- MEMORIZE THE FIRST AND LAST LINES OF YOUR TESTIMONY.
7.- WHEN YOU TALK, DON'T LOSE EYE CONTACT. PICK SOMEONE FROM THE BACKGROUND AND PRETEND TO ADDRESS THEM.

RULES FOR ADVISORS

1.- IF YOU CANNOT PARTICIPATE, PLEASE NOTIFY US AT LEAST ONE WEEK IN ADVANCE.
2.- WRITE YOUR LOVE LETTER ON FRIDAY NIGHT (ADVANCE WITH GENERAL DETAILS); YOU CAN GO TO BED EARLY AND HAVE WRITTEN YOUR
LETTERS.
3.- YOU HAVE TO BE WITH YOUR GROUP ALL THE TIME. DO NOT LEAVE IT FOR ANY REASON WHILE IT IS BEING SHARED.
4.- PRAY BEFORE EACH TOPIC.
5.- YOU HAVE TO SLEEP NEXT TO THE PARTICIPANTS AND NOT NEXT TO YOUR FRIENDS.
6.- REMEMBER THAT THE WEEKEND IS FOR THE PARTICIPANTS: LEAVE YOUR PROBLEMS AT HOME. (FOR ALL)
7.- DON'T HAVE CHEWING GUM AND STAY AWAY FROM YOUR FRIENDS OR YOUR LOVER.
8.- DON'T PLAY THE COUNSELOR OR THE PREACHER. A LITTLE SILENCE IS USEFUL TO GIVE YOU TIME TO THINK.

GROUP ADVISOR GUIDE

TO.- WHAT IS THE MEASURE OF YOUR FAITH? ARE YOU IN THE FDS ONLY TO SERVE YOURSELF, YOUR FRIENDS OR OUR FATHER? AS A
TEAM ADVISOR YOU MUST:
1.- PRAY CONSTANTLY DURING THE FDS.
2.- OFFER YOURSELF COMPLETELY TO THE LORD.
3.- TRUST THAT IF YOU DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN, HE WILL DO THE REST.
B.- HOW GREAT IS YOUR DISCIPLINE? A GOOD GROUP ADVISOR:
1.- PREPARE YOURSELF SPIRITUALLY WITH PRAYER AND FASTING.
2.- TRY TO MAKE YOUR TEAM FEEL COMFORTABLE.
3.- IT IS OPEN AND SINCERE.
4.- IT IS SENSITIVE TO THE NEEDS OF THE GROUP.
5.- USE THE “SILENCE OF THE LEADER.”
6.- ASK FOR HELP FROM THE COORDINATOR AND THE SPIRITUAL ADVISOR.
7.- TALK ALONE WITH THE PARTICIPANT AFFECTIONATELY, AS IF THEY WERE YOUR BROTHER/SISTER.
C.- GUIDANCE
1.- HE IS CONSTANTLY DEDICATED TO KEEPING HIS GROUP TOGETHER.
2.- MAKES THE PARTICIPANTS CHANGE SEATS.
3.- LET THE SPIRIT OF GOD ACT IN THE PARTICIPANT.
4.- COMMUNICATE YOUR FEELINGS, SPEAKING IN THE FIRST PERSON, FOR EXAMPLE: I FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE WHEN I SEE
THAT YOU DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN OUR GROUP.
5.- DON'T BE THE FIRST TO SHARE EVERY TIME.
6.- IT DOES NOT TRY TO SOLVE EVERYONE'S PROBLEMS.
7.- DOES NOT COMMENT ON WHAT OTHERS SHARE.
8.- DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK FOR HELP.
9.- NEVER LEAVES THE GROUP ALONE.
10.- DO NOT ALLOW SHARING TO BECOME A DISCUSSION.
11.- HE DOESN'T RUN TO TAKE THE MICROPHONE
12.- DOES NOT INTERRUPT THE CANDIDATE'S CONCENTRATION WITH HUGS OR MOVING ACROSS THE ROOM
13.- HE DOES NOT PLAY THE GAME “I AM THE LEADER”

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14.- NEVER TRY TO “ANTICIPATE THINGS” SINCE THE PARTICIPANT MUST EXPERIENCE THE FDS.
15.- OBEY ALL THE RULES AND FOLLOW ALL THE REGULATIONS.
16.- GO AROUND THE BEDROOMS TO ASSIST, WHEN NECESSARY.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR KITCHEN EQUIPMENT AND OTHER SERVERS

1. DO NOT ENTER A WEEKEND WITHOUT HAVING CAREFULLY MEDITATED AND SHARED WITH THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE
TEAM ON THE FOLLOWING BIBLICAL PASSAGES (AT LEAST SOME OF THEM):
TO. “HE WHO WANTS TO BE GREAT AMONG YOU MUST SERVE OTHERS; AND WHOEVER AMONG YOU WANTS TO BE
FIRST, MUST BE THE SLAVE OF THE OTHERS, JUST AS THE SON OF MAN DID NOT COME TO BE SERVED, BUT TO SERVE
AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE AS THE PRICE FOR THE FREEDOM OF MANY. (MT.20,26-28)
B. “YOU DO EVERYTHING SO THAT PEOPLE CAN SEE YOU, BUT YOU SHOULD NOT MAKE PEOPLE CALL YOU TEACHERS,
BECAUSE YOU ARE ALL BROTHERS, NOR SHOULD YOU CALL YOURSELF BOSSES, BECAUSE CHRIST IS THE ONLY BOSS.
HE WHO SERVES OTHERS, THAT IS THE GREATEST AMONG YOU. FOR HE WHO EXALTS HIMSELF WILL BE HUMBLED, BUT
HE WHO HUMBLES HIMSELF WILL BE EXALTED. (MT.23,5-12)
C. “I AM AMONG YOU AS ONE WHO SERVES” (LC.22.27)
D. “AFTER WASHING THEIR FEET, JESUS PUT HIS TOP CLOTHES BACK ON, SAT DOWN AGAIN AT THE TABLE AND SAID TO
THEM: - DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I HAVE DONE TO YOU? YOU CALL ME MASTER AND SIR AND YOU ARE RIGHT,
THAT'S WHY I AM. FOR IF I, THE TEACHER AND LORD, HAVE WASHED YOUR FEET, YOU ALSO MUST WASH ONE
ANOTHER'S FEET. I HAVE GIVEN YOU THE EXAMPLE SO THAT YOU CAN DO THE SAME.....IF YOU UNDERSTAND THIS AND
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE, YOU WILL BE HAPPY” (JN.13,12-17)
AND. “BROTHERS, WE COMMAND YOU IN THE NAME OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, TO SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM ANY
BROTHER WHO DOES NOT WANT TO WORK AND WHO DOES NOT LIVE ACCORDING TO THE TEACHINGS THAT WE HAVE
TRANSMITTED TO YOU, WE DID NOT LIVE AMONG YOU WITHOUT WORKING, NOR DID WE EAT BREAD FROM ANYONE
WITHOUT PAYING. ON THE CONTRARY, WE WORK AND FIGHT DAY AND NIGHT, SO AS NOT TO BE A BURDEN TO ANY OF
YOU, BECAUSE WHEN WE WERE AMONG YOU WE GAVE YOU THIS RULE: - WHOEVER DOES NOT WANT TO WORK, SHOULD
NOT EAT. WELL, THEY TELL US THAT SOME OF YOU LIVE WITHOUT WORKING, VERY BUSY DOING NOTHING. WE
COMMAND AND CHARGE SUCH PEOPLE, WITH THE AUTHORITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, TO WORK QUIETLY TO
EARN A LIVING. BROTHERS, DO NOT GET TIRED OF DOING GOOD. IF ANYONE DOES NOT PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT WE
SAY IN THIS LETTER, LOOK WHO HE IS AND HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH HIM SO THAT HE IS ASHAMED. BUT DO NOT
CONSIDER HIM AS AN ENEMY, BUT ADVISE HIM AS A BROTHER. (LETTERS OF SAINT PAUL)
2. TAKE CARE OF THE MATERIAL USED ON THE WEEKEND:
A. THAT NOTHING IS MISSING. CHECK THE LIST IN ADVANCE, DON'T RUSH TO GET THINGS AT THE LAST MINUTE.
B. MAKE SURE THAT THE DEVICES, SOUND EQUIPMENT, BATTERIES, ELECTRIC LIGHT BULBS, ETC., WORK; THAT THE
MOST NECESSARY MEDICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE AND THAT IT IS KNOWN WHAT THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY ARE FOR;
WHO TO GO TO IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, ETC...
C. AVOID WASTE, LOSSES (OBJECTS, MONEY), DETERIORATION (ESPECIALLY OF THE PREMISES AND THE MOST
EXPENSIVE DEVICES).
D. AT THE END OF THE FDS, EACH PERSON IN CHARGE COLLECTS ALL THE MATERIAL THAT HAS BEEN ASSIGNED TO HIM
(CHECK THE LIST AGAIN) AND DELIVERS IT AND REPORTS TO THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE AXIS COORDINATION TEAM
(ECE)
E. THE PREMISES MUST BE LEFT IN PERFECT CONDITION IN TERMS OF ORDER AND CLEANLINESS.
3 . THE FDS SERVICE. IT REQUIRES FULL-TIME DEDICATION . ANYONE WHO IS NOT PHYSICALLY ABLE TO WORK HARD OR WHO
MUST TAKE BOOKS TO PREPARE FOR EXAMS OR PLAN TO ENGAGE IN OTHER TASKS DURING THE FDS SHOULD NOT
PARTICIPATE.
4. THE SERVERS DO NOT LIMIT THEMSELVES TO SERVING MATERIALLY , ALTHOUGH THIS MATERIAL SERVICE IS THEIR MAIN
TESTIMONY OF BELONGING TO THE PARTICIPANTS. MORE THAN RESTAURANT WAITERS OR HOTEL WAITERS, THEY SHOULD
RESEMBLE THOSE GOOD MOTHERS WHO, IN ADDITION TO BEING IMPECCABLE HOUSEWIVES, KNOW HOW TO INTUIT THE
EMOTIONAL STATES AND DEEP NEEDS OF THEIR CHILDREN, TO HELP THEM DISCREETLY AND EFFECTIVELY.
5. JUST AS EACH ADVISOR IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS OR HER GROUP, THE SERVERS ALONG WITH THE COORDINATOR, THE
ASSISTANTS AND THE SPIRITUAL ADVISOR ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THE PARTICIPANTS . ON THEIR ATTENTIVE AND DISCREET
MANNERS, ON THEIR PROMPTNESS, JOY, KINDNESS AND SPIRIT OF SACRIFICE, ON THE LOVE AND HUMILITY WITH WHICH THEY DO
EVERYTHING, DEPENDS LARGELY ON WHETHER THEY LIVE THE FDS IN A TRUE FAMILY ENVIRONMENT AND EXPERIENCE THE
LOVING CARE THAT OUR FATHER OUR BROTHER JESUS AND HIS ENTIRE CHURCH HAVE FOR THEM.
6. THEY SHOULD NEVER SIT IDLE OR CHAT WITH EACH OTHER ABOUT ANYTHING . THEY SHOULD LISTEN TO ALL THE
EXPERIENCES (FROM WHOEVER THEY CAN). IF YOU HAVE FREE TIME, SPEND IT WRITING LETTERS TO YOUR SECRET FRIEND OR
PRAYING.
7. PRAY INCESSANTLY, OFFERING WORK IN AN ATTITUDE OF THANKSGIVING . PRAY ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WHO ARE GOING
TO GIVE OR ARE GIVING THEIR EXPERIENCE, FOR THEIR KRIS KIN, FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIFFICULTIES, DISCOMFORTS,
PROBLEMS AND FOR THOSE MOST RELUCTANT TO ENTER THE FDS (YOU CAN WRITE TO THEM EVEN IF IT IS NOT YOUR SECRET
FRIEND). ESPECIALLY SUPPORT ADVISORS WHO ARE IN DIFFICULTY WITH YOUR PRAYERS.

EJE Program Manual – “Ntra. Mrs. of the Miraculous Medal” JM - Page 5


Server Organization

Auxiliary 1: Animation Server and Internal Support. (1 PERSON)


Animation Server:
- Welcome animation for participants
- Moments of animation
- Group bar, presentation, the positive quality and “the weeds”
- Ceremony of Light - Time of Joy
- Parents' Talk (Animation and bar)
- Reunion with Parents (Barra)
- KITCHEN (5 Rotating Members for each day on a permanent basis)
- Serve Lunches - Responsible for internal support services
Internal Support Server: (2 people / 1 Man and 1 Woman)
- Recognition and care of Rooms, SS.HH.
- Breaks - Movie
- Cleaning of rooms and SS. H H. From the Servers (Before and after the FdS)
- Cleaning the kitchen and dining room (Before, during and after the FdS)

Auxiliary 2: Correspondence and External Support Server. (A PERSON)


Correspondence Server:
- Gate (Keys to the retirement home)
- Parent Reception – For Information and Chat
- Youth Reception – To enter the retirement home (Help with your suitcases and firewood)
- List of participants by family on paperwork
- Review all materials to develop a good correspondence on Sunday.
- Communication with the parents of the participants
- Trust test 2
- Holy Hour
- Reception of letters – Delivery of letters and other details.
- STORE (5 Rotating Members for each moment on a perennial basis)
- Responsible for External Support services.
External Support Server: (1 Person)
- Cleaning of the passageways, corridors, gardens and front of the retirement home.
- Serving Dinner – Cleaning the Chapel
- HOLY MASS - Reception for mass (UTILERIA)
- Sacristy Cupboard - Preparation of the altar and credence
- Thanks to the priest, the parents and the ECE
- Support in moments of animation (Optional)

Auxiliary 3: Advisors and Props Server. (A PERSON)


Advisor Server:
- Reception of participants – Presentation of participants to their families.
- Welcome presentation
- Report details of the participants to the coordinator and the advisor
- Accompany participants with their families throughout the FdS
- Confession - Readers for Mass.
- Inform of the day of the reunion
- Room Cleaning Themes
- Cleaning of the rooms and SS. H H. From the participants (Before and after the FdS)
- Serve Breakfast.
Prop Server: (1 Person)
- First aid kit and inform the coordinator or general advisors of any incident
- Reception of participants - Filling out personal files.
- Overlap and poster – Trios – Secret Friend
- Prayer for the family - Forgiveness ceremony - Reunion with parents
- Cleaning of the participants' SSHH. ( During the FdS )
- Responsible for group advisor services.

Assistant 4: Kitchen and Store Server. (A PERSON)


Kitchen Server: (1 Person)
- FdS budget for each meal - Make purchases for meals

EJE Program Manual – “Ntra. Mrs. of the Miraculous Medal” JM - Page 6


- Direct the 4 support members of the animation group who will be constantly in the kitchen every day.
Store Server: (1 Person)
- Budget for the store in the FdS - Make purchases for the store for each day
- Direct the 4 external support group supporters who will be constantly in the store every day.
Server Tasks

Group 1 – Auxiliary 1: Animation and Internal Support.


1.- Receive the participants in animation calling them by their respective colors.
2.- List of varied songs for each moment of animation (songs cannot be repeated)
3.- Music and videos from the FdS (1 or 2 people per day, is responsible for being the program's DJ on a
permanent basis)
4.- Cleaning, care and exclusive handling of audio and video devices
5.- Staging for all dramas (Clothes and accessories of the characters and setting)
6.- Singing and choreography of the social song adapted to the Christian message
7.- Presentation of the EJE Program bar
8.- Personal presentation of the animation team, for the moment of “Positive Quality and Bad Herb”
9.- Prepare the cross that will be used for the light ceremony and remove it and clean the space after.
10.- Encourage parents with praise before their talk and then show them their bar
11.- Help the kitchen team, with 5 of its members permanently for each day and the entire animation team when
necessary, upon the end of the EJE Program.
12.- Serve lunch as much as on Saturday and Sunday exclusively perform this task.
13.- Clean and prepare the dining room for each meal (Breakfast, lunch and dinner) changing the location of
each family in each of the moments of sharing.
14.- Two of this group are responsible for internal support in charge of the order, cleanliness and discipline that
the FdS participants must maintain. They take the Participants to recognize their bedrooms and SS. H H.
15.- Care of the rooms of the participants and SS. H H. (Men and women) during the FdS, reporting any details
to the coordinator or general advisors.
16.- Take care of the actions of the participants during breaks, the participant cannot enter their room during the
break and cannot leave the patio assigned to them. Nor should you have contact with another server other than
your group advisor.
17.- Distribute the participants in their respective rooms and cabins, identifying each bed with the respective
name of the participant who will occupy it, correlatively by groups and considering their advisor.
18.- During the film, the participant takes care of them as it will be the time when their advisors will be absent.
19.- Cleaning of the rooms and SS. H H. That they would use all the Servers, only before and after the FdS.
During the weekend each server will keep its used space clean.
20.- Cleaning the kitchen, before, during and after the FdS, especially the kitchen utensils, leaving everything
clean before leaving the retirement home.

Group 2 – Auxiliary 2: External support and Liturgy.


1.- Management of the keys to the retirement home, one person will act as a doorman throughout the FdS
2.- Reception of the parents on Saturday in order to inform them in a prudent manner without the young person realizing
about the faces of love and other details, as well as obtain the telephone number and address from them.
3.-call each parent of the young people to remind them of the love letters and/or look for them if applicable.
4.- Verify data from the registration forms and personal files, especially telephone number and address.
3.- Parents' reception on Sunday for the parents' talk
4.- Make the list of members by family on paper to be pasted at the entrance on Sunday to receive the correspondence
and on sheets to facilitate the call and subsequent search and know if the correspondence was delivered.
5.- They will take care of the trust test on Saturday night after the light ceremony. Pre-rehearsing that moment
6.- In charge of correspondence, they receive the letters, separating them by family member, naming each package,
avoiding mistakes, and deliver the packages after lunch. They will make a good classification. Does not allow
participants to view mail before delivering it
7.- Help the general advisors who will perform the holy hour.
8.- Cleaning of the passageways, corridors, gardens and front of the retirement home.
9.- Cleaning of the chapel to receive the young people in animation on Saturday, receive the parents for the talk on
Sunday, perform the closing mass.
10.- Support in store (2 Rotating Members for each moment on a perennial basis)
11.- Serve Saturday Dinner exclusively.
12.- Those responsible for liturgy services.
13.- They will perform the Monition of the mass
14.- They will be in charge of providing chairs for the participation of family members and young people for the mass
15.- He will be in charge of taking care of the Key to the sacristy closet
16.- Preparation of the altar and credence
17.- Readers for mass (group advisors)
18.- Thanks to the priest, the parents and the ECE

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Group B – Auxiliary 3: Group advisors and Props (Co-advisors)
2.- constant attention to any need of the participants and the team in the room, throughout the entire fds.
3.- collect, store, return the participants' watches, cell phones and others. (trust test 1)
4.- place the posters with which each group is presented and the fds' own posters.
5.- distribute the flyers used in the fds, personal file, the letter of Jesus and the love letters.
6.- carry the first aid kit and have within reach all the necessary supplies for each group in the fds.
7.- prepare, arrange and reorder all the Kris Kin material.
8.- contact with the correspondence team and those in charge of the closing Eucharist.
9.- contacts between the coordinator, emergency advisor and the kitchen team for meal and snack times and
with the rest of the server team for other presentations.
1.- arrangement and cleaning of the room with the help of the group
2.- prepare the banners with the mottos and messages of the fds with the help of the group
3.- opening dance presentation.
4.- constant attention to any needs of the participants, never leaving them alone.
5.- Contact the props team for any need inside or outside the room.
6.- contact with the coordinator and advisor for any emergency or specific help with the participant.
7.- prepare the readings and requests for the closing mass.
8.- distribute the fish. (on the day of the reunion)
9.-prepare the day of the reunion with the help of the group

GROUP 4 – Assistant 4: Kitchen and Store


1.- Attend and prepare the store especially during the participants' breaks and lunch.
4.- Sell souvenirs and make crafts for sale (papers and envelopes for the secret friend and other sizes)
5.- Serve the participants' orders in the dining room (soft drinks, mineral water, etc.).
6.- Scrupulously keep track of everything that is sold, taking care of the money and never leaving the store uncontrolled,
especially soda and water among others (everyone must pay for what they consume). Collect and deliver what is left
over to the coordination team.
7.- Make the budget to stock the store, make purchases and present the balance.
6.- Direct the 2 supports from the external support group who will be constantly in the store every day.
7.- Cleaning of the store space.
8.- clean the kitchen, dining room and prepare meals, especially.
9.- change the arrangement of the groups in the dining room.
10.- take care of and control the dining room stock (especially the cutlery).
11.- serve the meals and then clear the plates.
12.- make the budget and find a cook, make purchases and present the balance.
- Notify the assistant in charge of serving when each meal is ready.
- Coordinate the cleaning of the dining room with the assistant in charge.
- Coordinate kitchen cleaning, especially after FdS. (All kitchen utensils)
- GIVE THE EXPENSES TO THE COORIDNADAR

Common obligations of all servers

1.- before the weekend:


A.- the day before go to the premises to receive the material of your responsibility as support: check it and prepare it for
the weekend.
B.- clean and fix the sector of your responsibility.
C.- clean the bedrooms and put the names of the participants on each one's door.
D.- Prepare spiritually with a meditation or a Eucharist.
2.- during the weekend:
A.- move very quietly (wear slippers) and do not speak loudly even outside and far from the room.
B.- listen to all the experiences (arrive on time so as not to disturb).
C.- help others to pray in free moments (never idle!).
3.- after the weekend: deliver the material received (and the leftover material) and the bazaar accounts to those
responsible for support. Leave the premises clean (especially the bathrooms). Check all water outlets. Make sure that
all windows and doors leading to the outside are tightly closed and all lights are off before leaving the premises.

Material that servers respond to

Server 1:
1. Telephone numbers of the coordinator, advisor, doorman, kitchen manager. (a cell phone for the props
manager or the coordinator's assistant)
2. First aid kit.
3. Envelopes and case for watches.
4. Envelopes for the offering. (parents)
5. Two flashlights.
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6. Toilet paper.
7. Useful for every family:
Pen, clipboards, sheets, papers for the secret friend raffle, packing tape, pins, eraser, scissors, stapler, hole
punch, cardboard for lapels and banners.
Presentation material:
a. Threads for each group (sheets ready for overlaps)
b. A sheet of sheet paper for each group.
c. Markers and crayons for each group.
8. Flyers: share – letter to Jesus – being a woman – personal files – baskets for secret friend
9. Signs: secret friend - servers - priest - chapel - dialogue room

Server 2:
1. Battery-powered megaphone.
2. Computer and image projector.
3. Audios and videos of each topic.
4. Two flashlights.
5. 3 best wireless microphones.
6. Stereo.
7. Recorders and batteries (if the power goes out)
8. Extension (2) and triple sockets (2)
9. Audio and video connection cables
10. Audios from: reception. Entry, trios, intervals, agape, silence. Awake- time for joy, pampering, we can change
the world)
11. Guitar, cajon, tambourine, songbooks.

Server 3:
1. Previously selected illustrations and cutouts for love letters to your participants
2. Cardboards, for banners and signs
3. Pins, scissors, glue, crayons,
4. Signs: secret friend - servers - priest - chapel - dialogue room and welcome in large letters.
5. Wooden fish as badges for each group.
6. Box lined with the color of each group to receive supplies.
7. Bible and rosary.
8. Pescaditos: (souvenirs for each participant)
9. 10 posters: welcome to axis, I sin when I let myself be carried away by my impulses instead of following my
vocation - God does not make garbage - it is easy to love life, the difficult thing is to love my life - being a
woman is being a person - the best way to to have a friend is to be one - what can you give your mother in
exchange for her blood, her milk and her tears - respect your father - a friend who never fails - explanation of
stroke - we can change the world.

Server 4
1. Air freshener, garbage bags, bins and brooms.
2. White sheets, pencils and notebook.
3. Notepaper, pens, large boxes for correspondence, rubber bands, stapler and staples
4. A cell phone just for the goal and to notify parents of love letters and parent talk.
5. Metal cross for the light ceremony.
6.
7. Tinsel paper. Matches.
8. Pins, packing tape, scissors, glue.
9. Candles for everyone.
10. What is necessary in costumes for performances and theaters.
11. What is necessary for the Eucharist.

Server 6
1. Toilet paper, bleach, air freshener.
2. Garbage bag and bins.
3. Cardboard in squares to identify cabins and signs; bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchen, dining room and store.
4. Cleaning supplies, brooms, dustpans, dusters, flannels, mops, etc.
5. Candies and souvenirs among other details for the store and price tickets.
6. Notebook and pen for store and kitchen notes
7. Chest to store money especially from the store.
8. Kitchen cleaning supplies, sponges, grease removers, detergent, brushes, polishers, dryers, etc.
9. Kitchen utensils, plates, cutlery, cups, knives, etc. and necessary appliances, kettle, blender, etc.
10. Stiker to make decorative sheets for secret friend letters and other souvenirs for sale.
11. Napkins and badges for the table.

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Functions of the coordination team (delegates, coordinator and advisor)

1) Prepare the material used on the day with the help of the other available equipment. Deliver it one day before to
the servers responsible for the meeting. Likewise, once the withdrawal is complete, request the respective
material. The support team is the one that guards all the materials.
2) Maintenance and cleaning of the premises with the help of other available equipment. Deliver the house fully
decorated for the retreat with slogans and drawings appropriate to the day.
3) Keep the inventory of all stock in it up to date.
4) Provide everything you need for the weekend.
5) The day before the fds, deliver the material to those directly responsible for the server team and receive it from
them at the end of the fds.
6) Mental and spiritual preparation of the team of servers. Have a moment of prayer with them the day before. (see
recommendation sheets for servers).
7) Observe and review the organization of the correspondence already ordered according to the list of
participants that must be multicopied that same day.
8) Keep someone available to attend to emergencies, throughout the fds.
9) Provide prayer support (dinner, holy hour, etc.).
10) Assist with grooming and cleaning before and after the fds.
11) Make sure that all water outlets, windows and doors leading to the outside are tightly closed before leaving the
premises.
12) Make sure that the parking method does not prevent cars from leaving in front of the premises.

information day
Two former participants
A marriage
A.- experience (two former participants)
1.- how I found out about the program.
2.- how I felt when I arrived at the weekend.
3.- How my mood evolved during the weekend.
4.- What I discovered in it and how I reacted to those discoveries.
5.- How having lived a great weekend is helping me in my daily life.

B.- instructions (marriage)


1.- reinforce the experience if necessary.
2.- time, place, mobility, fee.
3.- what to bring.
4.- other notices: health conditions (physical and mental).

C.- talk to the parents present (apart)


1.- inform them about the love letters they should write and the goal to be pursued:
A.- write them with feeling, in a loving way and highlighting the child's qualities.
B.- when and where to deliver them.
C.- the participants must not find out about the love letters (they must be a special surprise).
2.- It is advisable that the parents and relatives of the participant go to the closing of the meeting, on Sunday.

Axis weekend schedule


Reception:
External support team, props, animation and coordination team.
Objective : welcome the participants, control their arrival, insert them into their group and place them in the bedrooms.
Topic: welcome!
Material: reception table, list of groups, pens, markers, lapels, pins, welcome sheets, background music. (it is
preferable that the animation team perform).
Reception: 1.- The first thing the participant must do upon arrival is mark their attendance at the reception table. As
they arrive, they arrange their things in the bedroom. (at the time indicated in the fds schedule)
2.- When everyone has arrived, they are called to enter the room and the entertainer entertains them with songs and
games (name bingo, etc.)
3.- before entering the room:
A.- Everyone has already taken their things to the bedroom. Enter room number
B.- the problems of absences have already been resolved.
C.- all groups are complete:
- 6 – 8 participants who do not know each other;
- balance in the number of young men and women. Let them not be friends.
Note: in order not to encounter insoluble problems at the last minute, you must ensure participation beforehand and
close registration well in advance and study the composition of each group some day before the fds.

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To avoid unforeseen absences that always occur, you can form groups of ten and/or bring reserve co-advisors (there
can be two in each group).
4.- the external support team takes the final list of actual participants in the fds, to make the mimeographed copies that
are distributed at the end of the meeting to each participant and to call and motivate the parents (for the letter of love
and their participation in the closing Eucharist. With this list the correspondence team checks the letters.
Observations:
1. Make the overlaps.
2. Give the advisors the list of your youth group indicating the grade and room and bed number.
3. Make sure that there is a person available to tell the children the distribution of rooms and prevent them from
changing. At the same time, be aware of the time when it is appropriate to call the boys to the singing animation:
coordinate with the animation team.
4. The advisors write a love letter to the participants they have been assigned.
5. Manage to talk to your parents and invite them to go to school on Sunday at 3:00 pm to receive your daughter (or)
6. Make sure that parents send their letter to their child and that it is a loving letter. You can leave it all Sunday morning,
until 12:00 pm. See if the young man does not have parents and predict who will receive him. Commit to supporting the
young person until the end.
7. This team also ensures that children do not carry cell phones and other objects that disturb and distract them.

Entrance to the living room. Presentation


Material :
1.- a platform with a table and two chairs.
2.- welcome poster.
3.- circles according to the number of group members with their respective identification color in each one.
4.- inside each circle:
A.- papers for personal lapels.
B.- pins, clips, threads.
C.- crayons and/or markers; pencils.
D.- a sheet of sheet paper for each group's poster.
5.- small table with sound system (high fidelity) and cassette:
A.- “entrance”.
B.- trios – themes.

Activities :
I.- see fds schedule

1.- participants enter the room with musical background.


2.- the coordinator greets them, introduces himself briefly and introduces the team and then goes to the person
responsible for the activity. The facilitator asks them to each introduce themselves within their group, making a personal
overlap. Put your own name in large letters in the center of the flap. In a corner put your name; in another the place that
pleases you the most; in another, the best year of your life and in the last, the name of a person who has really
influenced your life. Then go around the room so they can see them and then ask them to explain in their own group
what they have put on their flap.
3.- then invites them to put their name on the group poster, drawing what they want, expressing with a phrase or one or
two words how they feel at that moment (nervous, upset, happy, excited, etc.). They must also find a name for their
group and place it in the center of the poster.
4.- advisors have to be attentive to realize what can be induced from the poster activity or the conversation, what the
situation of the participants is at that moment and the problems that could arise.
5.- The person in charge who directs the activity and the spiritual advisor also have to go around the room and look at
the groups and their posters to capture what the group feels or what could be derived from it.
6.- You can take advantage of this moment to check the list of addresses and for each person to put their name and
the name of their group on a folded piece of paper that will later be used for the secret friend dynamic.
7.- Once the posters are finished, the servers paste them on the wall and the welcome begins.

Welcome talk i
Objectives: dispel fears and create an environment of trust.
Theme: Trust us, we love you.
Chat:
1.- introduce yourself and welcome the participants.
2.- Explain that this weekend is a unique experience that, although it might look somewhat similar to other movements
and retreats, it is actually not the same. So there is no need to compare it.
3.- Finding ourselves and others is not so difficult if we leave it to ourselves.
4.- However, it is also easy to hide behind masks or games to avoid dealing sincerely with ourselves and others.
5.- The meeting gives us the time to really listen to ourselves and others.
6.- The entire weekend depends on us listening carefully, with both ears, to the recordings and what is shared.
7.- this weekend is for you. Don't be distracted by friends and focus on your group members.

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8.- ask them to trust the team and assure them that they are not going to be asked to do something ridiculous or against
their will.
9.- emphasize that everything shared during the weekend is completely confidential and should not leave this room.
10.- explain to them that the weekend has a strict schedule, therefore, there is no need to waste time traveling and be
punctual.
11.- since everything you do on the weekend is a group sharing experience, it is vital to stay the entire weekend with
your own group.
12.- We must ask them to forget all the problems they may have had before their arrival, such as an argument with their
parents or friends, a bad day at home or at school, etc. That they dedicate themselves to living in the present moment,
that they give themselves completely “here and now.”
13.- Explain that the group is like a family. Family, means that we are more than just a group.
15.- Finally, introduce the person who will speak next, saying “..................” He wants to tell you how he felt when he first
came to this program.

Welcome talk ii
A participant who has already experienced the fds or a member of the team.
Objective: to make the participants feel among friends and create an atmosphere of welcome and trust.
Topic: It is normal to feel nervous or uncomfortable.
Talk: Encourage participants, make them laugh, and feel comfortable sharing about the following:
1.- introduce yourself and welcome the participants.
2.- Share how you felt on your first weekend, when you just arrived and found yourself among colleagues you had never
shared before.
3.- share the importance of trusting the group's leaders and advisors.
4.- the importance of giving yourself totally 110 percent.
5.- What you get this weekend depends on what you put in and the reward, on Sunday, will always be greater than your
effort.
.6. - explains that when silence is needed, someone will raise their hand using the signal to say “I love you.” As soon as
they see it, everyone closes their mouth, opens their mind and raises their hand (with the same signal).

Welcome talk iii


Spiritual advisor.
Objective: to ensure that the participants enter the weekend with an open mind and heart, since they are the only ones
to decide if they want to achieve something or not this weekend.
Theme: the reward, in the end, will be as great as your dedication to living it.
Chat:
1.- the spiritual advisor welcomes the participants again and assures them that there is nothing to fear
2.- You can explain that our entire life is like a journey and it depends on us whether it is interesting or boring. This
weekend will be an important part of our life's journey and it is therefore important to see and understand where we are
going.
3.- really listen, because only then can we capture the message of that fds.
4.- we can behave as one of these four types of travelers or participants:
A.- rock: nothing enters them, they do not allow anything new to enter their life.
B.- sponge: they absorb everything: the good, the bad and the mediocre. They want to experience everything, no matter
if it is something that gives them life or destroys them.
C.- funnel: they are open, but on both sides, what goes in through one comes out through the other.
D.- filter: they receive everything, but they discern and let in only what is good.
The spiritual advisor can conclude by encouraging the participants to always be open and sincere and telling them that
he is available at any time to anyone who wishes to speak with him.

Trios.
Objective : to get the participants used to talking about their feelings and to become aware of them. Make them let go
and get to know each other, sharing with each other, without any tension.
Theme: Sharing can be fun.
Chat:
1.- The person leading the activity tells the participants to divide into small groups of three. It is their responsibility to
hang out with people they don't know.
2.- We are going to ask you some questions to help you get to know yourself better.
3.- some of them may seem strange to you, but answer them anyway, with the greatest sincerity possible.

Special instructions :
1.- the entire group of participants must be divided into small groups of three and these must be placed as close as
possible to each other.
2.- After two questions, new trios are formed, asking their members to move to regroup with others they do not know.
3.-move quickly. This exercise must be carried out with animation and joy and not waste time in prolonging the sharing
or re-forming the groups.

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4.- The questions are chosen from the following list, starting with the least profound and progressing towards the most
personal (in no case should they cause tension).

Model questions for trios:


How did you feel when you first arrived here this afternoon?
If you had to be an animal in this world, which one would you want to be and why?
What is your favorite hobby?
Who is the person you notice the most and why?
What is the worst failure that could happen to you, according to what you imagine at this moment?
If you could change something in your school, what would you change and why?
What qualities would you like to find in your friends and why?
If you could get something for your family (other than money) what would you want to get them and why?
What is the biggest problem you have with your brothers and sisters, why?
What is the quality of your family that you really like?
Mention a quality of yours that you like.
Share the moment you felt most alone.
What are you afraid of in your life right now?
What was the last time you experienced the presence of God?

Rules and norms


Objective: ensure a peaceful and problem-free weekend.
Theme: Let us be considerate of the needs of others in this fds.
Chat:
1.- we are all guests in this place. Please respect:
a. To everyone who is speaking (do not leave the room while someone is sharing).
b. The property (do not write on the walls, tables, etc.).
c. “Audio” devices. Do not manipulate them.
d. The group itself (stay with it at all times).
e. The rest and sleep of others: we all need them very much.
f. Respect yourself: no cell phones, cameras,...
Trust us and believe that you will not need artificial means to fly this weekend.
2.- no phone calls.
3.- not chewing gum.
4.- always wear the lapel and put it back on when changing clothes-
5.- zone outside the limit:
a) The bedrooms, during the day.
b) The kitchen.
c) The areas of the community that the premises have offered us.
6.- so that you are not distracted by the clock and are not aware of the time, give it to the advisor. It will be returned to
you at the conclusion of this fds-
7.- Give the leaders some remedy that you take, so that they themselves can give it to you at the indicated time.
8.- sleep as much as you can during rest hours.

secret friend (kris kin)


Objective: to experience the gift of self, without expecting a reward.
Theme: giving without hurting.
Material:
- pieces of paper.
- pencils.
- two boxes to collect the papers.”
Music : music about friendship is played in the background
Talk :
1.- origin of this dynamic: the meaning of the words “kris kin” is Christ the child and the origin of this practice is derived
from an ancient German custom during the Advent period, before Christmas. It was a way to prepare for the arrival of
Christ. Each one did something nice for the others in secret; each one wanted to surprise their secret friend with very
simple gifts
2.- Kris Kin is not a game, but the exercise of giving to others without expecting anything in return.
3.- what to give? Use your imagination: loving messages, poems, posters, hats, things you can wear.
4.- put the name of the secret friend and the name of the group to which she belongs, on each object or message sent
to her.
5.- do not sign it, it is a secret. In order to get something for the secret friend.
6.- Have someone else take it to your secret friend or take it yourself, pretending to do it on someone else's behalf.
7.- do not destroy property.
Instructions: write your own name and that of the group you belong to on a piece of paper, place it in the respective box
and then distribute it to the participants.

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Instructions on the group bar, the presentation of the participants, the positive quality and the “weed”
Aim:
Encourage self-esteem, giving each person the opportunity to assert themselves, through group dynamics, create group
spirit. Make sure everyone can identify their kris kin.
Observe each person's reactions to the group and especially the non-verbal expression of tension or fear
Topic: I am someone . Weeds kill. Accepting praise and recognizing our positive qualities does us good and gives us
life.
Talk: Power Point can be used.
A) positive qualities:
1.- We have been taught to be “modest”, not to boast, to accept praise and to be critical of ourselves so that others do
not believe us to be vain. If we feel good about ourselves, people will believe that we are arrogant or selfish.
2.- It is very difficult for us to react positively to praise and what is worse, it is very difficult to see our goodness and we
congratulate even when we have many good things.
3.- a positive quality (cp) It is something good that someone says about us or that we can share about ourselves.
4.- share how you feel when someone praises you for a cp Yours, how you react externally and how you feel internally.
Do you reject the compliment? Do you get nervous? Do you say thank you? Do you change the argument? Does it
make you blush? etc.
5.- share a cp Yours that they have recently made you notice and how you felt on that occasion. It emphasizes the fact
that even if we turn red and feel uncomfortable, deep down it does us good to know that someone sees us as very
special.
6.- tell the participants that each one of them is a unique and special being and point out some cp That you have
already observed in them (without mentioning names or pointing fingers at anyone).
B) explain what “weed” is
1) “weed” is the opposite of cp It is like a tares that kills our good wheat slowly but surely, when we devalue ourselves
we are slowly killing ourselves.
2) emphasize that “weed” is a negative or demeaning statement about ourselves or other people; It is a way of feeling
sorry for ourselves, an excuse not to make demands on us and an attempt to excuse our cowardice and laziness to
grow.
3) every time someone says something negative about themselves, everyone should shout as loud as they can, “weed!”
Practice a few times, if necessary giving examples of what cannot be done. (“well, I don't have much to say about
myself, really”).
4) speaking very quietly is “weed” because it means that what you have to say is not very important, which is not true.
5) also emphasize that feelings “are not weeds”, it is not weeds to feel nervous, scared, “sucked”.
Give some examples of cp What we are expecting from them, like a nice smile, a special talent and things like that. The
sentence must begin with “I am............... For example: my name is ........................., and I am a very good basketball
player. My name is................................., and I am a faithful friend and I have a very loving heart
Explanation:
C) group bar:
1.- the participation of each one is required.
2.- The bars can be taken from songs, television advertisements, sports bars, etc.
Each group will be given a little time to prepare their bar or something like that. After performing it among everyone,
each one introduces themselves, in a special way, saying their name (in a loud and clear voice) and their nickname if
they have one or the family name they call them at home. After this, each one shares at least one of their positive
qualities.
.
Practice:
10 to 15 minutes will be given for this exercise and then the service and support team can lead the group bar or at least
say their names and a positive quality.
Care must be taken from the beginning to ensure that participants do not fall into statements such as “I like to dance” or
“I have a lot of friends.” Try to guide them so that what they say begins with “I am...........” Then the groups are drawn by
lot and one by one they share their group bar, they say their names and their zip code.

Sharing rules
Objective : to make participants understand how to share. Show the difference between speaking impersonally and
truly sharing feelings.
Theme: feelings best express the depth of my being, what is characteristic of my person.
Music: this retreat is yours.
Introduction: Being human is our most precious gift. To be a woman is to be a person who has feelings for herself
and for others. Play music as above.
Chat:
1) there are different ways of talking about myself:
a. From word of mouth (“hello, how are you, how are you doing? Fine how are you?
b. Brain to brain (we talk about sports, news, weather, and the like without sharing our feelings
about it).

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c. From person to person, when it is our true self that we share, by the way we express our
feelings, about things and people.
2) what are feelings? They are our interior, what we carry inside. They capture our way of being or reacting at that
moment; They are like snapshots that capture how we feel at that moment: angry, stunned, happy, furious, confused,
hurt, vengeful, loving, sad, etc., feelings express better than anything else what is most characteristic of me.
3.- feelings are neither good nor bad, neither right nor wrong, nor better nor worse, they simply are. They do not imply
morality, since your feelings and your actions are two completely different things.
4.- the “I think that” rule vs. "feel".
Example:
a) “I feel happy” – feeling.
b) “I think young people are happy – thought.
Note: all the times that we can replace the word “I think” with the word “I feel” and the sentence retains the same
meaning, then we are expressing judgments and not feelings.
Example:
“I feel like I'm going faster along the path of the republic” thought.
On the other hand, when we share a feeling, if we replace the word “I feel” with the word “I think”, the sentence does not
retain the same meaning.
Example:
"I feel hungry"; “I think” hungry.
Our environment encourages us to pronounce judgments, but not to share feelings; especially those who are
considered “negative”; such as: fear, sorrow, euphoria.
It teaches us to give the impression that we are always calm and calm. We also assign categories, according to sex.
For example: women should express weakness, fear, crying when they are sad and are tender at heart; Men, on the
other hand, must be brave and tough; do not Cry.
5) In this fds, we are going to ask you to be as human as possible and share every feeling you experience, no matter
what it is. We are not going to leave you because you feel uncomfortable, nor are we going to abandon you if you are
afraid; We will not leave you alone in your sadness. Please trust us.

Questions to share:
What feelings do you find easier to express and which more difficult?

Topic: search
Objective: help participants discover who they are, considering what they are looking for in their life at this moment.
Topic: What do I really want in my life?
Music: “I walked, looking for so many things” (a. Tower)
Prayer: “Lord, open our eyes and allow us to see who we are inside”
Talk: lc. 12,13-21.
Introduction to the topic
The first thing of all is to warn of the importance of knowing yourself well before starting to work on any other topic of the
day. We will not be able to dialogue about other things if we do not first know who we are. Therefore, our job will be to
dedicate ourselves to investigating this reality a little.

- who I am?. It is a question that I ask myself constantly and that is not easy to answer. who I am? Sometimes I'm not
too sure what the real me is.
Who am I when I am with my parents, with my brothers? how do they see me? Do you really know me? Is there a self
that I show to others and another that I carry inside and that feels in a totally different way.
Sometimes I put barriers around me, to avoid injuries and bad times... I stay closed in on myself and keep others away
from me. But then no one can know my insides, nor love what I really am. Even I can't know and accept myself and
that's why I can't give myself to others either.
1.- Sometimes what we are looking for is right under our noses, perhaps I myself am that treasure I am looking for. One
of the ways we can discover who we really are (in the position of who we believe we are) is by reflecting on what we are
looking for in our life now. For some it may be many things, but for others one is enough.
2.- some things that I searched for in the past: (share one or two of the following points and how you ended your search)
a) The love (given or received) of the father or mother.
b) True friends.
c) Sense of belonging.
d) The sense of self-worth.
e) Adventure and excitement.
f) A reason to live.
g) A happy family life.
h) Sense of self-identity.
i) Discover some talent or ability you might have, etc.
Some things I'm looking for right now are: (share one or two of the points above and say where you're at in this search,
now).
Questions to share:

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1. Is there something in your life with which you are not satisfied? what would you like to change?
2. Some that you were looking for in the past... where did your search end?
3. what are you looking for now?
4. Have you seriously thought about what you are going to do in your life? What do I hope to achieve in the next 6
months of my life?
Final prayer: “Lord, I am afraid”

The love of oneself


Objective: to help participants reflect on their own personal value (or lack of self-esteem) and give them the opportunity
to verbally express some of their good qualities.
Topic: “God doesn't make garbage”
Music: “why don't I love myself”
Biblical text: mt 12,12
Stage: the vase
Introduction:
1.- We don't seem to feel very comfortable when it comes to sincerely accepting the praise we receive.
Do we have others thinking that we are conceited?
The fact is, most of us feel uncomfortable and tend to change arguments quickly. Or could it be that they are lying to us
or that they are telling us just to make us feel good?
2.- Imagine that you are looking at yourself in a full-length mirror, a mirror that reflects not only your body but your
intelligence, your mentality, your personality, your emotions.
Try to honestly describe yourself and see how you feel.
a) Do you feel happy and content?
b) Do you feel angry with God or with Mother Nature for having played the trick on you by giving you a not very
pleasant face or body, an unintelligent mind, a poorly gifted personality and things like that?
c) If you were in the realm of possibilities, what one thing would you want to change about yourself? (pause)
3.- Now look closely in the mirror and force yourself to see something pleasant in yourself, something that you like about
yourself: some quality or something special that perhaps only you know. (pause)
4.- one way we can grow in self-love is by discovering something unique and special in ourselves, or when another
person leads us to this; perhaps a gift, a hidden talent, etc. But we must not limit ourselves to discovering these talents,
we have to accept and use them.
5.- one or two things that make me feel worthy are:
a) The one who trusts me.
b) Knowing that other people need me and love me.
c) Being able to give love to someone.
d) Helping someone who needs it.
e) Being authentic with my ideals.
f) Feel proud of who I am
g) Being sincere
h) Have friends who like to be with me.
i) Knowing that my parents are proud of me and that they love me.
j) Know that God loves me; etc-
(from your own personal experience share about some of the points mentioned above saying how this helped you grow
in self-appreciation and how this in turn changed your life in some way).
6.- One thing is certain, that God does not make garbage and he has created me just as I am. Therefore God must think
I'm worth it. (very good). Share how this makes you feel.
Staging: “how much you are worth.”
Question to share:
Do you want to share with your group things about you that really make you feel good about yourself?

what is a person? (ii)


Objective: help participants reflect on what a personality is from a feminine and masculine point of view.
Theme: a woman first of all is a person.
Music: what is a person.
Lk.2, 16-19 prov. 31,10.25-26.30.31
Focus of experience:
God manifests himself in the figure of a woman or a man Lk 15,8. (the woman who finds the lost drachma) the woman is
god. Jesus does not shy away from presenting God in the form of a woman.
Jesus promoted with all his might the dignity and equality of women in the midst of a society dominated by men.
Mary- is the figure of a woman. Let's fix our gaze on it.
1.- Today's world gives a false idea of femininity or masculinity.
2.- To be accepted as a woman, to not seem unfeminine or old-fashioned, we often follow stereotypes or wear masks.
3.- Choose three or four most common comments about women and briefly explain the effect that each one has had on
your concept of a woman and on your life. (2). Likewise about the man.
Some comments about the man:

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- Brave boys don't cry.
- Men are more intelligent.
- All men are equal, they all want the same thing.
- Men should not express their feelings.
- The man in the street, the woman in the house.
- The man is more practical.
- The man is more sensual than the woman......
- For men, having sexual relations is a physiological need.
(2) some comments about the woman:
- The woman is more sentimental.
- The woman's place is the house.
- For women it is more important to be pretty than intelligent.
- You can never please a woman.
- You can't reason with a woman.
- A woman is only fulfilled in marriage.
- The center of a woman's life should be her children.
I sing to listen to reading the lyrics: sex.

Question to share: considering the models that today's world imposes, what struggles have you had or currently have
to fulfill yourself as a man or as a woman? What is true about what the song says?

Games that people play


Objective: to show how we hide behind games or “masks” so as not to show the poor image we have of ourselves and
how we also use these games to manipulate others.
Topic: I don't want you to know me so you don't reject me. Unfortunately, you won't be able to accept me or promote
my true personality. We hide behind games so that no one knows who we really are; The tragedy is that this happens,
we end up being left alone and then we wonder why.
Music: games.
Biblical text : lc. 12,1-3
Presentation:
The mask
During carnivals we all dress up and put on masks. Deep down we don't want people to know who we are or we
want to be something different from what we really are. But the next day we are the same again, aren't we? How
many times we go through life with masks that cover who we really are. The mask we put on at home so that my
mother doesn't discover that I'm not on good terms with my friend, the class mask that makes me be a tough guy or
someone indifferent to criticism, the mask in front of my friends to be how they want me to be , the mask before...
how many masks do we put on? Do we feel comfortable with them? Do we want all of life to be a carnival? Do we
want to live our entire lives being someone other than who I really am? Let's not fool ourselves, masks are false
images that we present to others of what we really are not. Tensions would ease if we could free ourselves from
these masks. In fact, it often happens that our images are so different from our authentic selves that sometimes we
cannot know what we really are. Our manifestations reflect not our feelings, thoughts or spontaneous desires, but
what we know will avoid punishment or deserve the approval of others. We say we feel things that we don't really
feel. We say we do things we don't do. We say we believe things we don't believe. When this happens frequently, the
individual loses being himself, or if we prefer his authentic self, he tries to sell his popularity, affection.

Reflection
1. Do you use any mask? when?
2. Do many of your friends use masks? because?
3. Do you find it difficult to open yourself to others as you are?
4. why do you think we have to wear a mask
1.- Generally, when we talk about games, we think about sports, such as football, basketball, volleyball, etc. But here we
understand by games, a way of behaving, to get others to accept me or not reject me. Through them, we try to dominate
and manipulate others.
2.- We play games or wear masks, to hide what we don't like about ourselves. These games can be compared to masks
that we use so that others cannot see our true face or know who we really are because we want to hide our
insufficiencies or because we fear being rejected and thus we present an image that is not our true self. In other words,
when others reject our mask, they do not reject us. The opposite is also true; When others accept or approve our mask,
they do not accept or approve us ourselves.
3.- share some of the games you play or have played or another that comes to mind even if they are not indicated
below.
Note: the person giving the talk, be careful not to mention anyone by name, for example, my brother plays this game,
etc.; You just have to share about yourself.
4.- development of some games:
a) Adolfo the accuser, never accepts responsibility for his mistakes, he blames his parents, friends, teachers, the
school, the system, etc., his favorite complaint is: “look what you make me do.”

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b) Paulina, poor me, here is a set of games, of “weeds”: I am not pretty like the others, “I am not capable like the
others”, “my parents don't love me like my brother”. She plays all these games, so that no one expects anything
valuable from her.
c) Half-truthfully, Mauricio tells his parents that he is going to go to the library, which he actually does, but only to
go to the movies later.
d) Cristina the Critic, is one of the most common games and is based on the presumption that putting someone
else down exalts me and makes me feel more than him. That's why Cristina gives cruel nicknames and looks for
the weak points of others, the four winds. She particularly likes to criticize others for the worst mistakes she
herself commits.
e) Pedro starts lawsuits, he likes to put the mother against the dad and vice versa.
f) Amalia the bitter, toño the cheater, coca the coquette, ciro the cirio, carlos the quiet, mario the errand, mañuco
the ill-fated, pity the pituca, sonia the sobrada, rina the reilona, are other of the many examples of games that
we let's play.
Note: the person giving this talk should not limit himself to reading or repeating by heart the games mentioned above,
but rather reflect on them and others to become aware of which ones he has played or is still playing.
5.- games serve to manipulate others, for example: the quiet one, the cheater, the complainer, the candle; They are
saying if you want me, let me be silent, lie, complain, etc.
Note: point 1 and 2 is done by the person who supports your experience before giving way to the experience. (serves
as presentation)
If there is a theater, it is better to present it as a complement.
Questions to share:
What games do you play with your family, with your friends, your teachers, God, at school, at home, at work, etc?
General Share:
After the group sharing, the girls can be invited to the microphone to share with as many as they wish, but always in the
context of the others presented up to this point.

Staging: games.

Staging: game theme.


Voice-over:
God created man and woman. And I believe them happy and good. He placed everything he created in his hands, so
that human beings would be the owner and lord of all creation. He was called to live from his own inner beauty. And
God saw that everything he had made “was good.”
Projection:
Some slides of nature are projected, men, women with happy faces, in which one breathes harmony and happiness.
Images that evoke feelings of well-being and peace... Happy music will accompany in the background ...
Voice-over:
But man had and continues to have in his hands the possibility of accepting or rejecting this destiny, of being faithful or
not to the invitation... And the truth is that, as time passed, fears and fears of not being loved and accepted began to
take over his heart... And that was when pain and evil became part of his existence...
Projection:
Slides that reflect situations of pain, enmity, misery, disunity... Images that reflect various facets of evil that is present in
the lives of men. Loud music will play during the projection of these images.

(At the end of the projection of these last slides, there are a few moments of absolute silence. Then you begin
to hear very soft background music, which is barely perceptible, so as not to prevent you from hearing the
characters who will then appear.

Characters:
Next, and from different places on the stage, a series of characters with masks and signs hanging on their shoulders will
appear, representing a series of attitudes or behaviors. These characters begin by whispering words or phrases that,
little by little, they begin to pronounce louder, until they end up shouting what each one represents. They all head
towards the center where the cross is located, they stop at different places and their screams end up being a whisper
again. The different characters and what each one represents and says are the following:

Poor me: “I'm good for nothing”, “no one takes me into account”, “no one loves me”…
The pituca: “no one matches me”, “I have a lot of wool” “I don't hang out with cholos”.
The more, more: “dominate others”, “subdue the weak” “do whatever you want”…
The flirt: “I am the sexiest”, “everyone notices me”, “men rain on me”
The critic: “call her names” “it always goes wrong” “that's the worst”
Lies: “pretend to be what I am not”, “show off”, “give a good image”...

Another character, representing the man , appears from the back of the auditorium. On his back he carries an empty
sack or backpack. As he arrives next to the cross, all the characters begin to approach him and offer him what each one
represents. The man makes the gesture of passing by all of them, of not being interested in the things they offer him.

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Then he thinks, stops, hesitates, begins to feel curious about some of the things that the other characters offer him and
begins to take, one by one, all the things they offer him.

As the man feels attracted by what the characters offer him, they detach themselves from their signs and place them on
the man. Likewise, each character takes off his mask and places it in the man's bag. As he takes everything they offer
him, he appears happy, laughs, and jumps from one side to the other. But as he carries more things, it becomes more
difficult for him to move and move with agility, until, finally, when he has accepted everything they offer him, he
collapses to the ground. He tries to get up several times, but falls to the ground again and again.
All the characters, as they have become detached from what they represent, have remained firm and still in different
places on the stage. At this point, everyone sits on the floor and remains that way during the song: “games.”
Also the character representing the man will remain lying on the ground until the end of the song.
The order in which the signs must be placed on the man is as follows: poor me, the pituca, the most, the coquette,
chancona and lie.

Soft and striking music to prepare for the entrance of Jesus.


Enter Jesus of Nazareth making a gesture of compassion and tenderness. He touches each of the masks and they
come out to remove their masks.
A voice is heard in of. Making some requests, alternating. As each request is made, the character it refers to stands up
and walks towards the man and picks up his sign from above him, and removes his mask from the bag. He throws his
mask to the ground, breaks his sign and leaves the stage.

Poor me ,
Lord, don't let me feel less than others. Help me recognize that I am valuable to you and to others.
The pituca ,
Have mercy on me lord. Take off the mask of appearances. Help me value people for who they are.
The most, most ,
Lord, I am running out of friends because of my desire for power. Teach me to be humble and respect others.
The flirt,
Lord, help me to use my body to glorify you, to discover what is inside me. Let me stop hiding behind makeup and
fashion.
Criticism
Help me, Lord, not to make fun of the weakest, not to spread other people's faults to the four winds. Let it be
constructive.
Lie.
Let Jesus be transparent. Make me strong to overcome hypocrisy, speak and live in the truth.
(At the end of the requests, the man, who until now had remained lying on the ground, slowly gets up and receives from
Jesus (he picks up a corner of the crucifix) a large dove that carries in its beak a sign that says: “ The cross of Christ
saves us.” It shows it in all directions, so that all attendees can read the message. With the dove held high, it slowly
retreats down the central aisle to the end of the auditorium. Meanwhile the song “I know you” plays and it is said:

We all have masks.. But the Lord knows us. No need to pretend. He knows what we are. Sincerity will help us to be
people .

Box
Objective: introduce the rules of sharing or remember them, through a mime representation (depending on whether it is
located before the sharing rule, after lunch or before the second block of topics, after the second snack on Saturday).
Theme: when we leave others closed outside, we have closed ourselves inside.
Introduction:
Let's close our eyes and let our mind explore the world of our inner feelings.
Let's ask ourselves: how do I feel at this moment in my life?
A dominant feeling may emerge, such as confusion or insecurity, or a variety of emotions such as joy and carefree on
the one hand, and fear and anxiety on the other.
Interrupt the reflection and each person must express with mime what they are feeling.
Then each one shares what she herself has communicated to them. Then the person who presented it explains what
she wanted to communicate.
Presentation:
a) A prisoner is locked in an invisible box.
b) The prisoner tries to get out and can't.
c) A stranger passes by and tries to help.
d) The two fight and achieve nothing.
e) The stranger prays.
f) The stranger tries again and the prisoner leaves.
g) The prisoner has his eyes closed.
h) The stranger touches his eyes and the prisoner opens them, now he is really free.
i) They hug each other.

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Optional variants:
A third person can introduce himself: “the stranger” addresses him, tries to convince him to help
him but he does not want to commit. After further insistence he agrees and finally they approach the box together and
with the help of the man they manage to free the prisoner.
Explanation:
1.- The box is the place or way of behaving that makes us feel safer.
2.- we go outside our box when we share.
3.- Getting out of ourselves can be difficult and instill a lot of fear.
4.- For animals, being locked up does not mean much, since they are not human beings.
Questions:
1.- What does this pampering mean to you?
2.- Which of the people and attitudes have you identified with?

Brothers, sisters and other friends


Objective: help participants reflect and share about the importance that their siblings or friends have in their lives.
Topic: It is not good for man to be alone
Music: “friend” (r. Carlos). Brother and friend. (glenda)
Biblical text: ecl. 6, 14-17
Chat:
1.- Sometimes we realize how important friends are, only when we feel like we don't have any in the world. Being alone
is not a pleasant feeling. In fact, if you know anything about prisons, one of the cruelest punishments is total isolation.
The prisoner is locked in a cell, completely incommunicado. For most of us, fortunately, there is always at least one
person we can consider a friend. If we are lucky, it may be our own brother or sister.
2.- The people I fight the most with are often the ones closest to me. For example, our brothers: when we fight with them
it is never a slight divergence, because even if it starts like that it usually ends in a war to the death that can last several
days or even longer. The people who love us the most, or whom we love the most, are also the ones who can cause the
deepest wounds.
3.- Remember a time when a sibling or friend hurt you or made you feel bad and you had a fight. How long did the fight
last? How long did it take you to forget her? Maybe they haven't been able to yet. On the other hand, remember a time
when you felt very bad and your brother or friend was the only one who was close, who understood you and with whom
you wanted to be.
4.- or there was also a situation in which if you had shared a sorrow or a problem with your brother or friend, your trust
would have been amply rewarded and instead for not doing so, you were suffering miserably for weeks.
5.- Not only is it bad for man to be alone, but it is impossible.
Slides: “ the tree of friends.”
Experience.
Slides: sentence: “thank you for the friends.”
Question to share:
Could you share some of the best moments you have spent with your siblings or friends and how these experiences
have made you feel?

What is a mom?
Objective: to help participants experience some of the feelings they have towards their breasts.
Topic: what is a mother?
Music: “sorry mom” (a. Tower)
Pawer pint of “because after that nothing...
Chat:
1.- Sometimes we leave aside, just the people we love the most.
2.- We treat our mother differently depending on whether we are alone with her, in public, with our friends, etc. (all the
affection, love, respect that we have for them when we are alone with them, contrasts with our attitude in front of our
friends)
3.- We usually fail in community every day to our mother, all the love that we really have for her.
4.- Share some of the struggles you have had in your relationship with your mother.
5.- the times when you did not take it into account.
6.- the times when you did not express or show them all the love you really had for them.
7.- what finally made it possible for you to communicate your love, your affection.
Slides: “my mother's wrinkled hands”
Questions to share:
Share some of your feelings for your mom. The struggle you have had and the good and bad times in your relationship
with her.

what is a pope?
Objective: help participants experience some of the feelings they have toward their parents.
Topic: what is a pope?
Music: “my old man” piero.

EJE Program Manual – “Ntra. Mrs. of the Miraculous Medal” JM - Page 20


Chat:
1.- Society often pressures us in many ways, openly or subtly, and places limits on the affection that a father and a child
can show each other. This can lead us to fall into the trap of not communicating our love to each other. Even if we truly
love our parents or our children, we very often fail to tell them or show it to them.
2.- Share some of the struggles you have gone through in your relationship with your dad.
3.- share some times when you stopped expressing love and how this made you feel; and others in which you managed
to share your feelings with him.
4.- Share the times when, even though you lived in the same house as your father, you were many kilometers away
from him.
5.- Also share what finally made you return to a good relationship with your dad or what you are now doing to improve it.
Slides: “my old man” perhaps. Of churches.
Listen to the testimony of the father of the CD
Questions to share:
Share some of your struggles, good and bad times, and feelings about your father and your relationship with him.

Prayer time. For the family:


Each boy brings a family photo.
Advisors must have a bible.
- Place a small table in the center or a nice rug with a vase where each young person leaves a flower and a
candle. He places the photograph on the table around the vase.
- you can light a candle.
- ask the children to stand up and remain for a moment of silence... (the song is heard in the background: family.
- Invite each young person to say out loud the name of their father and father.
- Once everyone has spoken, the advisor reads the ef text aloud. 6,1-3 and leave a moment of silence to reflect.
- invite the group to look at the photos of their family.
- After a brief silence, each person takes a flower and thanks God for their family. For example: “Thank you sir, for my
parents…”
- once everyone has expressed each advisor reads the text of ecl.3, 1-6
- after this reading they pray or sing to our mother.

General sharing: the coordinator asks if anyone wants to approach the microphone.

Fraternal meal (agape)


Objective: reflect on the sacred value of daily life, in the context of a meal.
Theme: we can recognize it in the breaking of the bread.
Music: appropriate.
Material: lights off in the dining room. The tables festively prepared with lit candles. Bible.
Chat:
Invite them to listen carefully to the biblical text. (lc.24,13-35).
1.- when all the teams are gathered around their tables
2.- then explains that our eyes can also be closed to see Christ in others, especially in the members of our families even
though we are with them at meals, day after day. However, when we sincerely share with each other our hearts can also
burn with love for others.
3.- just as tonight we eat with our core family, let's also remember the other families that are in our house and send
them a powerful bar of love: "shalom, I love you" this bar can be prepared by a rocket. Imitate a game of artifice, placing
the extended hand in front of the mouth and turning it more and more quickly and at the same time saying “schhh”
Then release a prolonged whistle, following the ascent of the rocket with your eyes and hands; When you reach
the maximum height, repeatedly hit your thighs with both hands; finally emit the noise of the explosion with a powerful
boom........
4.- after having guided the bar, the spiritual advisor invites everyone to give each other a hug of peace.
5.- The food is served and happy music is played during it.

The hour of joy


Objective: relaxation and good mood.
Topic: any topic of Christian morality or axis.
Activity: It seems convenient to prepare in advance a couple of skits that the members of the kitchen team or the
servers can perform. They must be well prepared and have a well-defined Christian theme with a positive tendency. All
“families” and all the members of each one must intervene.” Games.
Animate with animation songs.
At the end to create space for silence, have proof of trust. Before sending them to the next activity which is in the
conference room. But before sending them, give them the final notices.
Final notices: emphasize the need that we all have for sleep, since we still have a long way to go. Some instruction
about the next day may be given at that time.

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Trust test
Objective: to develop a sense of trust and promote awareness of the need we have for others and that others have for
us.
Topic: trust me.
Music: cassette. From trusted songs:
Preparation: Participants are placed in a wide circle, with enough space in the center for the confidence test to take
place. But not so much that everyone can't hear what you're talking about.
Special instructions:
A volunteer is needed for this test.
Chat:
1.- Everything we do implies some degree of trust, since it is the foundation of our life.
2.- How do we learn to trust? Since childhood, observing other children and testing them. For example: a boy may ask
another boy to keep a secret for him. Depending on whether you save it or not, you will learn something different about
trust. We also learn from our parents and elders.
3.- Who do we really trust? Or another way of asking ourselves the same thing: “who or what is our god? Do we trust in
power, in money, in material goods, in social prestige? What kind of god do we trust? The miracle god, who solves all
our problems, the “safe” god that we leave in reserve until we need him in case of emergency or a god who loves us 24
hours a day?
The test: the main advisor asks for a volunteer to come out. Choose one and then point out that this person has already
made an act of trust by simply volunteering for something unknown. Ask the volunteer to stand with their feet together,
arms close to the body in a firm position and eyes closed. He asks him to remain still and as rigidly as possible to fall
back at a given signal, assuring him that he will receive him in his arms.
4.- Then ask everyone present to use their imagination and put themselves in the volunteer's place. You can tell him the
following: imagine that you are in his situation, let this experience affect you, do not remain passive spectators;
Remember an old saying of the Red Indians: “Do not judge anyone until you have walked two miles in their moccasins.”
Put yourself in the shoes of.........., and with the thought let yourself fall along with him.
5.- then, it hits the volunteer's right shoulder and he falls at an angle of ten to twenty degrees before being picked up.
6.- We assure him again that he is in good hands and that we would like to repeat the exercise again, this time however,
(with the help of another strong person to tie him) we let him fall almost to the ground before picking him up.
7.- Then the spiritual advisor asks the volunteer how he felt the first time and the second time.
8.- also ask the group to share any feeling experienced in empathy with the person who was falling (you should
recommend that participants not do this test on their own).
9.- Then, explain that the opposite of love is selfishness. Selfishness always takes and keeps; Love, on the other hand,
requires us to give ourselves and go outside of ourselves. what do you give to god? Believing in Him is not always
pleasant, because it does not require doing something that is difficult for us. But God gave everything for us, even his
own son. So why do we give so little instead of sharing everything with others and with God?

reconciliation ceremony
Objective: to give participants the opportunity to experience God's forgiveness in the sacrament of reconciliation.
Topic: “Lord, if you want you can cleanse me”
Music: what is necessary for prayer.
Materials:
Onion paper, pins, large cross, pencils and Bible.
Organization:
- As there are many kids, they each place themselves in their own small group. The cross is placed forward in the upper
part. In the center of each group a lit candle and a small cross are placed.
- candles for each boy and a small piece of paper for them to write on. Let everyone have a pen.

Notice
Ceremony ( or an entertainer) : brothers: everything we have heard and shared today has made us understand the
need to know and accept ourselves to realize our true self, the one that our father God has projected. This way we can
find him in ourselves and in others and reach our destiny. However, how many obstacles and traps there are on this
path!
Indifference, environmental influences, the desire for pleasure and above all selfishness blind us to such a point that we
begin to go backwards, to deviate, to go down the slope of the precipice, without even realizing it!
Let us lift our hearts to the Lord,
T. So that he enlightens us and heals us.
S. So that we can discover the meaning of our life, living it in truth and love.
T. Be our light, Lord; be our strength.
S. We beg you, father, to open our eyes and our hearts, so that we may know your plan for us.
T. Send us your spirit, so that following Christ, truth, way and life, we can find you in ourselves and in all our brothers.
I sing: “Yahweh, faithful god” or “I have faith.”

Celebration of light
S. Explain the symbolism of the candle, which represents Christ, the light of the world.

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Christ is love. Just as the candle breaks the darkness, love illuminates the lives of men.
Just like the flame, love also gives light and warmth. And just as light helps us orient ourselves and brings people
together, in the same way love attracts us and brings us together.
The candle burns and the melting wax disfigures it in some way; Likewise, the love relationship involves risk and pain. A
candle, in order to fulfill its function, must give itself and consume itself. If it does not turn on, it is of no use and its
reason for being is frustrated. Likewise, love is a gift of oneself to another.
L-1: while I am in the world – says the Lord – I am the light of the world. He who follows me will have the light that gives
life and will never walk in darkness.
S. Let us reflect: in what sense is Jesus the light of the world? How does that light of Christ reach us?
L-2: “even if he had the gift of speech, knew all the secrets and all the knowledge and could perform prodigies; If I don't
have love, I am nothing. I could share everything I have...; If I don't have love, it's of no use to me.
He who loves me is understanding, kind and does not envy; does not boast or conceit; It is not rude or selfish; He does
not get angry or spiteful. He does not rejoice in another's evil, but rather rejoices in the truth.
He excuses everything: he believes without limit and endures everything with confidence, hope and patience. This love
never dies.” (1 cor.13)
L-1: “you are the light for the world......you don't light a lamp to put it under a box; rather it is placed on high so that it
gives light to all who are in the house. Likewise, you too, make your light shine before the people, so that when they see
the good that you do, they may praise the Father who is in heaven” (Mt.5, 14-16).
S. Jesus explains to us what our father God's dream has always been: to see us reflect his goodness and love in our
entire lives.
And now we are going to evoke some of those moments of light; one of those circumstances in which we realized that
God was our father, he made us feel his presence and called us to entrust us with his love.
When we remember any of those moments, we will celebrate it with the gesture of lighting a light (from the Easter
candle or the neighbor's candle) in silence or by briefly explaining to everyone, out loud, when and how the Lord lit that
light. In our life.
Everyone silently meditates on their lives, since childhood: sad and happy events; Christian initiation, sacraments,
retreat, meetings; people: parents, relatives, friends, educators, religious......etc).
They perform the symbolic gesture in silence or speaking, but always with complete simplicity and truth.

Celebration of darkness
S. It is not enough to have eyes; you need light to see...........
L-3: “Those who do not believe have been condemned, because when the light came into the world, they liked the
darkness more than the light, because they did bad things. All those who do evil hate the light and do not approach it, so
that the evil they are doing will not be discovered. 3, 19-20)
L-4: “But you, brothers, do not be in the darkness, so that the day of the Lord does not surprise you as a thief surprises
you. Because you all are the light and the day. We are not of the night or the darkness; That is why we must sleep like
others, but be awake and in our right mind.” (1 thes.5,4-6)
S. Now; In the light of God's word, we are going to review our lives to find the moments of darkness in it. We have all
sinned and caused others to sin, we have lost the light and taken it away from others. We have all experienced the
anguish of darkness and been a cause of suffering for other people.
We will blow out our candles as soon as we remember any attitude similar to those announced.
S. Lord, you have told us: “have sincere love for one another.”
V-1: forgive us the lies and deceptions, jealousy and misunderstandings.
V-2: forgive us for having been selfish and interested, insensitive and hard-hearted.
V-3: for criticism and hurtful words, gossip, slander and misinterpretations.
V-4: because of our proud and arrogant attitudes, boasting and desire for figuration; fights, resentments, contempt for
others......
T. Sorry, sir, sorry
S. Lord, you have told us: “love each other as I have loved you.”
V-1: forgive us for refusing so easily to help, collaborate and serve.
V-2: for having made so many of your children and our brothers suffer.
V-3: for not having recognized you in the little ones and the poor, in the sick and needy......and not having done anything
to help them.........
V-4: for not knowing how to listen to and understand the other; due to our lack of communication and acceptance of
ourselves and others.
T. Sorry, sir, sorry
S. Lord, you have told us: “do good to those who hate you..........”
V-1: forgive us for being so violent and spiteful.
V-2: for not having known how to forgive as you forgive us.
V-3: for our indifference towards others.
V-4: for having caused disunity and discord and having done nothing for peace.
T. Sorry, sir, sorry
S. Mister; You have told us: “Offer your bodies as a consecrated and pleasing offering to God.
V-1: forgive us to seek pleasure, frivolity, impurity.

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V-2: for having forgotten that my body is part of yours and is a temple of your holy spirit.
V-3: due to our laziness, lack of dedication and loyalty at work.
V-4: because many have distanced themselves from you and your church because of us.
T. Sorry, sir, sorry.
All the lights go out. To meditate on the sin of the world and the darkness that invades it, on the light that shines in the
darkness and the love stronger than death, you can project a sequence of slides on the passion and death of Jesus
Christ. Towards the end of the screening the following reading begins.
Instead of the projection, a meditative silence or an appropriate chant may take place.

Christ our salvation


L-1: “However, it was our ailments that he suffered; they were pains that weighed him down. And we believed he was
whipped by God, punished and humiliated. He has been treated as guilty because of our rebellions and crushed for our
sins. He endured the punishment that brings us peace and by his stripes we have been healed.”
L-2: “Come to me, all of you who are tired of your work and your burdens, and I will give you rest. Accept the yoke that I
put on you and learn from me because I am patient and humble of heart and you will find rest for your soul. The yoke
that I put on you is easy to bear and the burden that I give you is light.” (mt 11, 28-30).
S. Christ has come to heal the afflicted, free the oppressed, and give sight to the blind. He is the only one who can
make the light shine in our hearts.
Let us always remember it, brothers: a single lit candle can light a thousand others; but a thousand extinguished
candles cannot light even one. Let us ask God to light the fire of his love in us.
- Those who wish, write on a piece of onion paper something that expresses their need for forgiveness.
- After folding and collecting them, they are nailed to the cross, to symbolize that Jesus was nailed to the
cross for our sins.
- While writing, the pieces of paper are picked up and pinned: appropriate background music.
- Then the little papers nailed to the cross are burned, bringing the flame of the Easter candle, a symbol
of the risen Christ, close to them.
- All the candles are quickly relit, passing the light to each other, to express our faith in the love and
forgiveness of our father and to make the content of the following prayer our own:
S. Lord, make me an instrument of peace.
T. Wherever there is hatred, may I bring your love.
S. That where there is offense, I put forgiveness.
T. Where there is discord, build unity.
S. May where error reigns, proclaim the truth.
T. That where there is doubt, I put faith.
S. Where there is despair, hope affirms.
T. May where there is sadness, raise joy.
S. Where there is darkness, let me bring the light.
T. Oh master; that I do not insist so much on being consoled, as on consoling; in being understood as in understanding;
and in being loved as in loving.
S. Because where it is received; by forgiving you are forgiven; and dying he is resurrected to eternal life.
T. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
The candles are kept lit high, while the final song is sung: “the mountain” (n.7) or another.

“Jesus is a friend, not a story”


Development of the meeting
Objective: to present a young, close and attractive Jesus so that we facilitate an approach and adherence to him in the
boys.
Specific objectives :
* make the young person aware that Jesus is always and in every moment with us and that he understands us as the
young people that we are
* teach the young person that our friend Jesus is always waiting for us in the tabernacle and in the Eucharist

Dynamics of integration: sing chick sing...


The young people have to sit on chairs in a circle. The entertainer will choose one of the young people and blindfold
him, then he will be spun around so that he becomes dizzy.
Then everyone else changes places and the blindfolded boy will have to sit on the legs of one of his classmates saying:
sing chick, sing... The one who is sitting responds: pio, pio... If you don't guess who it is, you will continue until you
guess someone's name. If you wish, you can give punishments after a certain number of failures.

Letter to God or Jesus


Objective: to give participants the opportunity to express in writing what they think and feel about Jesus.
Theme: God is love.
Material: lined paper and pen for each one. Letter from Jesus.
Music: ¼ hour with Jesus. (recording)
Staging: “the barber”

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Song: “ makes all things new”
Pawer point: “beloved son
Exposition of the saint.
Introduction: importance of focusing our lives on God, of discovering him in our personal life, in our own history, as a
history of salvation.
How special we are in the eyes of God. Jesus wants to be a part of our lives in everything we do.
More than ever he wants us to listen to him when we find ourselves in difficult situations.

Development of the theme: “Jesus is a friend, not a story”


The meeting will consist of a holy hour to discover that the Eucharistic Jesus is our true friend and that he is always with
us and that he always listens to us.
With time, the place is available, an altar is arranged with candles for the Blessed Sacrament, trying to place it in the
center of the classroom so that the young people sit as close as possible to and around the Blessed Sacrament. The
facilitator makes a short introduction motivating the young person about the experience they are going to live (it can be
based on the support material)

Materials: candles, background music, pieces of paper that will have the life story to reflect on. See the annex:
“Jesus is my friend”

Support material
For the topic: “Jesus is a friend, not a story”

“From now on I call you friends. Because I have made known to you everything that I know about my father” this word of
Jesus expresses all the enormous feeling of love that his heart contains for us. The heart of the friend is an open ark,
without nooks that hide a single secret. Since friendship requires equality, it was impossible for us to be friends of God,
because there was infinite distance between him and us. But God, determined to be our friend, sends his son made
man into the world. Jesus Christ makes their limitations and miseries his own and gives us in return all the riches of
God, “making us participants in his own divine nature” and now, yes. Now God is like us and we are like God. Now we
can call God, look him fearlessly in the eyes, put a hand on his shoulder, pat him affectionately, and sit with him at the
same table.

The church says of Jesus: “this is my beloved, my friend” and there is no Christian who does not call him “my
friend Jesus.” This is my friend who asks me to maintain his friendship by fulfilling his wishes: “they will be my
friends if they do what I command them” without it ever occurring to me to betray him, like Judas, whom Jesus
loves despite betraying him. as a friend: “friend, will you hand me over with a kiss?” And he asks me to always
trust in him, in his power and in his love: “to you, my friends, I say; Don't be afraid!"

The friendship of Jesus will never be broken, because he is faithful. And if we are also faithful to him, we will always
remain in astonishing equality of love, affections, joys and sorrows, worries and hopes. Because we are equal in
everything. Jesus cares about me, about all my affairs. But my concerns are also for the church, for the salvation of
men, for the fate of the poor and sick, for the order of society according to God's plan. Jesus, then, is for me “a faithful
friend, a sure support, a priceless treasure, a balm that softens my entire life.”

Jesus wants to be our best friend and wants us to live friendship with others in him, that is why every time we talk to
our friends, it is necessary that we do it in Jesus and from him; For this it is necessary that he lives in us, that we open
the doors of our hearts to him every time he approaches, as the song says “ there were many times ” and there will
continue to be many. All this does not mean that we spend all day talking about Jesus with our friends, we can... That
is... We must be normal in our conversation, we talk about football, school, friends, TV shows, music, etc. but we must
always keep our friend Jesus in our hearts.

Experience.

Exhibit
YO. Holy Hour
Jesus is my friend...
You can follow the following scheme to carry out the holy hour:
In the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit. Amen.
Reader: forever be praised my sacramental Jesus.
All: in heaven and on earth your name be praised.
Reader: Lord Jesus, we are here in your presence. Thank you because you allow us to be with you, thank you because
you are our best and great friend.
Everyone: we are your friends, sir. Those that you love and that we want to reciprocate your love and your friendship.
We are believers in this group of young people; that we hunger to be saints, although we are sinners; that we feel your
call to be apostles among our brothers.

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Song: (some appropriate song about friendship: whoever has found a friend has found a treasure from sister. Glenda;
friend of juan carlos alvarado, etc)

 Give each prayer to each young person so that everyone can pray it. The paragraphs can be alternated, one is said
by men and the other by women. Pray slowly, meditating in our hearts on what we say.

Prayer (pray all together)


Lord Jesus Christ, friend, my friend Jesus.
If you hadn't called me that first,
Would I have dared to call you a friend, a dear friend, a soul friend?...
Made a man like me, now we can be friends.

My friend Jesus, I love you and I trust you completely.


My friend Jesus, with you by my side, I fear nothing.
Your friend without betrayal, I want to be faithful to you
In what you ask of me, in what you send me,
In what you want from me. Amen

 You can do some singing

Affective contemplation (man and woman alternate), each phrase is answered: I love you, my friend Jesus

 Jesus, who calls us to friendship with you


 Jesus, who has become like us in everything
 Jesus, you have raised us to the heights of God
 Jesus, who makes us capable of divine friendship
 Jesus, you don't keep secrets from us
 Jesus, you are the husband-friend of the church
 Jesus, you are always interested in me
 Jesus, you trust me with your interests
 Jesus, who encourages me to never be afraid
 Jesus, you are my surest support
 Jesus, you are the most faithful friend in the world
 Jesus, you are the balm of my life
 Jesus, you are a priceless treasure

Do you think Jesus complains that we don't have time for him?
In this session we are going to experience the power of imagination as a gift from God, the success of the encounter
depends on us.
We just have to relax and forget about all worries.
You are going to close your eyes and in your mind imagine that you are doing and living everything that is being told to
you. It's like when you see yourself in a dream. You feel as if what you dream of is actually happening to you. This same
thing can happen to you but with the difference that you don't want to be asleep.
Imagination is a great gift that God has given us: I am sure that in your childhood you used it much more than now.
The success of this moment of prayer depends on how you use it.

Recording: tell them to get on the train. While in prayer, place the letter of Jesus that the advisors should already have.
At the end of the prayer make this introduction to read the letter.

Talk: a. "bye bye"


1.- explain something about a love letter and how sometimes we can write such beautiful things that do not surprise
ourselves.
2.- ask each one to read (or listen to) the following letter carefully.
1.- Participants are invited to take a little time to think about God. who is he? How do you see your relationship
with God?
2.- We can write many things in a letter that we would not know how to express or share verbally.
3.-to write what they have in their heart, what they feel or what comes to them spontaneously.
4.- If you have time, you can draw on the back of the page your tombstone with an inscription of what you would
like to say to the world, what you would like the world to remember about you.
5.- You can sign the letter if you want, but we would like you to at least
6.-They are given about 20 minutes for this activity and then they meet in the group and share the cards in the
group.
7. At the end, represent “the footprints”

EJE Program Manual – “Ntra. Mrs. of the Miraculous Medal” JM - Page 26


VIII pray with the imagination
Objective: for young people to experience Christ in a personal way, using the beautiful gift that God has given us, the
imagination. Through this experience they will understand that Christ lives today and loves them very much.
Learn a new way to pray.
Material: soft music, the “dream”
Development:
1. Introduction
a. How special we are in the eyes of God.
b. Jesus wants to be a part of our lives in everything we do.
c. More than ever he wants us to listen to him when we find ourselves in difficult
situations.
d. So that young people feel Jesus as a real person who loves them and cares about
them, ask:
Do you think that Jesus is a complaint that we don't have time for him?
e. Share that in this session we are going to experience the power of imagination as a
gift from God and that the success of the encounter depends on us.
We just have to relax and forget about all worries.
2.- close your eyes and in your mind imagine that you are doing and living everything I share with you. It's like when you
see yourself in a dream: you feel as if what you dream about is actually happening to you. This same thing can happen
to you now but with the difference that you don't want to be asleep.
Imagination is a great gift that God has given us: I am sure that in your childhood you used it much more than now. The
success of this session depends on how you use it.
Important note: points 3-5 must be read as you read a story and very slowly. The dialogue in point 5 must be read even
more slowly and with pauses of one minute (a little less) between one question and another.
It takes time to answer the questions and dialogue with Jesus.
3.- concentrate and put yourself in a still situation.
Ask the young people to take the position that is most comfortable for them. If there is carpet on the floor it will be easier
to do it. They will have to remain in this position for around 15 minutes or more. It is very important that they feel
comfortable and at peace. (Friends should not be close, as this could lead them to talk, touch each other and disturb
others).
Beginning of the sentence:
a. Close your eyes and keep them closed for the rest of the session.
b. Imagine that you are in an elevator and that its journey is a journey to the depths of yourself until you reach
where there is more peace and tranquility.
- the elevator is on the tenth floor and begins to go down.
- try to experience the sensation of the movement of the elevator.
- Imagine the numbers of the floors that appear as the elevator goes down: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.
c. Now imagine a trip in which your body has become light as air, that it is outside the force of gravity and that it
slowly rises from the ground.
- You have the sensation that your body is moving away from the room, that it floats outside the door,
outside the house, above the trees and buildings. When you look down you see everything very small.
- Now imagine that the wind lifts your hair and you feel the warmth of the air around you. Looking down you only see
white in an expanse of blue. The air becomes a little colder.
- Slowly you begin to slide down and the air becomes warm and you smell its freshness.
- you hear the screeching of the seagulls and the noise of the surf.
- slowly you continue going down and get closer and closer to the whitish sands. Gently you come to touch them.
- you are on the beach and you feel the heat of the sun on your shoulders, you feel the sand under your feet, you feel
the smell of salt water, you hear the noise of the waves, the screams of a seagull.
- You realize that there is no one but you, except for a solitary man who is very far away at the bottom of the beach .

4. Meeting
Imagine that the lone man in the distance starts walking towards you. He is a tall man with gray hair and a
beard; He has a shirt soaked in perspiration outside his pants, his feet are bare, and as he walks along the shore he
picks up a snail shell and you notice that he puts it to his ear. Then you watch as he delicately places it back into the
sand.
Now pick up a stone and watch it bounce on the surface of the water.
He starts approaching you. When he gets close he calls you by your name. You realize that that man is Jesus.
Dialogue
A.- He asks you: what are you doing?
He wants to know how you are doing with your parents and you tell him.
B.- He asks you if it is difficult for you to see others as he sees them; and you share with him about this.
C.- wants to know if you have any fears about the direction your life is taking or if there is something that bothers you.
Tell him what you have inside you.
D.-he asks you if now that you see him, you are afraid of dying. Tell him how you feel.

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E.- Jesus tells you that he has to leave and asks you if you would like to meet him again.
F.- then the man hugs you, tells you that he really loves you and that he would like to meet you and talk to you again.
G.- you look at him as he walks away on the beach.
H.- Before you lose sight of him, he turns to greet you and shouts “I really love you, don't doubt it; I love you very much".
I.- turns around slowly and continues walking on the seashore. You don't see it anymore.
J.- Now imagine that your body is rising above the beach and rising through the air above the trees and bushes; you feel
the warm air on your face.........you begin to go down......your feet touch the floor gently......you walk until you reach a
house...... ..open the door; You enter and find yourself back in the same room you came out of.
K.- and now open your eyes and look at Jesus in front of you in the Eucharist..
6.- once the prayer is over, it is important that the young people have the opportunity to share their feelings and
reflections with the rest of the group in front of the saint.
When you finish sharing, read the story of a “dream.”
7.- This way of praying is one of the many possible.
It's just a sample of the different ways we can pray.
8.- hand out an image of Jesus (“friend who never fails”) assuring them that wherever they are, the Lord will always be
looking at them with love.
9.- About two weeks after this meeting, the “letter from Jesus” of the core program can be sent to all participants.

letter of jesus
Dear.................
how's it going?
I sent you this letter to tell you how much I love you and care about you.
I saw you yesterday when you were talking to your friends and I was waiting for you all day, hoping that you would want
to talk to me.
As night fell I continued waiting, but you didn't arrive. Sure, I felt bad, but I still love you because I'm your friend.
This morning I saw you so alone and I felt sorry.
I understand you, because my friends also left me alone.
Don't you have anything to tell me?
Talk to me simply, like you would talk to your mother or your brother.
Don't you need anything for yourself?
Tell me honestly if selfishness or the desire for pleasure dominates you; If you are lazy or inconstant......ask Me to come
to the aid of the efforts you make to free yourself from those weaknesses. Don't be ashamed of them. There are many
saints with you who had those same failures, but they asked with humility......and little by little they found themselves
free from them...
Do not hesitate to ask me for health, success in your studies, spiritual and material goods; I can give you all that, I give it
and I want you to ask me for it, as long as it does not oppose the plan that my father has for you.
What do you need today, what can I do for your good? If you knew how much I want to help you!
what do you care about? what do you think? Tell me everything in detail.
What do you want me to do for your brother, for your sister, for your friend, for your parents? what would you like to do
for them?
and for me? Wouldn't you like to do some good for your neighbor and the people you love who have forgotten me?
Are you resentful of someone who loved you before and now walks away from you without you giving them a reason?
Pray for that person and I will return them to your side, if they are not going to separate you from me.
Do you perhaps have some joy to tell me? Why not share it with me, like with your best friend?
Don't you have any promises to make me? You already know that I read in the depths of your heart... are you firmly
determined to give up what hurt you? To no longer deal with that person who disturbs the peace of your soul?
Will you once again be kind and patient with that other person who, because she missed you, you have regarded until
today as an enemy?
Do not stop entrusting yourself to my mother who is also yours; She will help you know and love my father.
We could talk for an eternity in heaven......I know this is difficult on earth, of course I know. Try it. You will always find in
my heart new love, new benefits, new consolations.
I don't want to bother you anymore, you are free to choose me. It's your decision. I have chosen you, that is why I will
wait, because I love you until I give my life for you.
Your friend

3.- Participants are given 20 minutes to write a letter to Jesus, with whatever comes from their hearts at that
moment.
4.- Then they meet in the conference room. If they want, they can share the microphone with everyone or only
within each group.
At the end it is explained:

The fish symbol


To spiritual advisor.
Objective: to give participants a souvenir of the weekend and a symbol of the love that the Eje y Dios family has for
them.

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Materials: carved wood or metal fish; one per participant.
Theme: you are loved.
Chat:
1.- The symbol of the fish is as old as Christianity and is the most common representation of Jesus.
2.- why? The biblical account of the life of Jesus states that after his resurrection, on one occasion the Lord prepared a
meal of bread and fish for his disciples, hence, for the first Christians, fish became a symbol of continuous presence of
the risen Lord and the communion between him and his disciples. For them, it was much more than a philosophical
memory or a Moorish ideal; It was a living and current reality.
3.- The living faith of the first Christians very soon clashed with the organized opposition of the pagan world. Often, fish
served as a secret sign of communication. Christians found meaning in the word itself, the Greek letters of which
became an acrostic:
Fish Jesus
In Christ
Greek God
Son
Savior.
This was his belief and also ours that the son of God left aside the glory of his equality with God, entered the
history of humanity as a man, lived without sinning and died for us; loving each other to the end despite our rebellion
against God.
These fish were made by someone who gives their time to you and to you. It is an act of love and service for
you; Wear it as a sign of love and the time that many people give you this weekend, people that perhaps you will never
meet. It's just a fraction of the love God has for you.
Ceremony: the fish are distributed to the advisors, who in turn place them around the necks of the participants at the
end of the prayer power. As you do so, you can offer a word of blessing and a hug of peace.

Prayer and laying on of hands

Objective: to ensure that each member of the group exercises the power to ask in the name of Jesus and shares his
concern for all the members of the group, praying for them.
Theme: “Ask and you will receive.”
Introduction: After the death of Jesus, the apostles prayed for each other, when they had to undertake a journey or
when they were afflicted or attacked by some illness.
As baptized Christians, all of us have the power to pray for others, as Jesus and his disciples did. You also have the
power to ask the Father for anything in the name of Jesus. He assures us: “ask and you will receive, seek and you will
find, knock and it will be opened to you.”

Story to tell the protection of God.


A missionary was helping as a doctor in a small hospital in Africa. Many times, he had to travel on his bicycle through
the jungle to the nearest town, to get materials for his work, medicines and money that was sent to him from the states.
The trip lasted two days, so he had to camp for one night. evening. He had already done this route several times without
any setbacks.
On one of his trips, before dusk on the first day he found two men fighting heavily. One of them was seriously injured
and the other fled, so he went to treat him and accompany him to where he lived and leave some instructions for his
family. Weeks later on his next trip and upon arriving in the city, the man he had treated approached him, and he told
him: "I know that when you return, you take with you the medicines you need and money. The day you treated me for
my wounds, some friends and I followed you into the jungle at night, so when you camped and were asleep, we planned
to kill you and take the money for the medicine. When we were going to attack him, we saw that the tent was
surrounded by 16 armed guards. Us
"There were 4 of us and we saw that it was impossible to carry out our plan so we decided to withdraw." Listening, the
missionary told the man, laughing: "That's impossible. "I can assure you that I always travel alone and no one
accompanies me on my trips." The man corrected him and insisted on what he saw. "No sir, I wasn't the only man who
saw the guards. My friends saw them too and we all counted the same number of guards. We were scared. That was
why we left him and desisted from attacking him. When we were returning I separated from them and it was then that
one of them followed me and attacked me as punishment for having wasted their time and not having achieved
anything, since I had planned everything. It was then that you later found me and saw the one who hit me flee and came
to my aid. I hope you can forgive me." Several months later, the missionary attended a Sunday celebration at a church
in Michigan where he told them about his experiences in Africa, including the story of the 16 guards who were with him
while he camped and He told them: I remember that day well because it was the fourth anniversary of arriving in Africa.
One of the community attendees stood up and interrupted the missionary and said something that left everyone in
attendance stunned. "We were there with you in spirit to help you. On that night in Africa, it was daytime here. I arrived
at the church to pick up some materials that we needed for a trip we had to take, as I put the things in my truck, I felt
that the presence of God was at my side telling me to pray for you. The urgency was so great that I called some men
from the church to pray for you for protection. We did this in the room where we have photographs of all our
missionaries. I didn't know what danger you were in, but the photograph was printed on the day you were sent to Africa
years ago, one day before your anniversary. We were there with you in prayer protecting you and they are here to

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witness it. Immediately afterwards, this man asked everyone who had prayed for him that day to stand up. One by one
he did so, which caught the missionary's attention. He began to count them and the exact number was 16 men. The
entire community was silent for a long time.

Procedure :
The coordinator asks that each group form a closed circle and each of its members share with the others what they
need most in their life at that moment, the reason why they would most like others to help them with their prayer. After
this, each person in the group will take a seat in the chair that is in the middle of the group, while the others,
remembering the special need of that person, lay their hands on them and pray aloud to God our father, for the
intentions of the one sitting in the middle of the group, in the same way as Jesus Hora for her.
This continues until all members of the group have prayed for each and every one of them. At the end they sit in silence,
until the other groups have finished.
First motivate them to listen to the song : prayer of unity.
I sing spirit of god.
Music: about prayer. ( while praying)
Love letters: motivate activity. First they hear the song: how beautiful it is to receive a letter. While they listen, letters
from their family are placed before them.
At the end, the love letters and some sheets of paper are distributed so that the participants can write in turn while they
wait for all the groups to finish.
Music: (songs about family to accompany the reading of the letters.)

TALK TO PARENTS
TO. Need to understand children.
- You can use the testimonies of some girls who already did axis last year.
- Ask the priest to support you with a short talk.
b. Finance.
Objective: to offer participants and their families the opportunity and privilege to contribute to the dissemination of
the axis and to share the gift they have received.
Issue: limiting ourselves to covering the cost of the fds would mean that we are setting the pace instead of
accelerating the march.
Material: envelopes, baskets to collect them.
Note: it is important that those giving this talk are aware of what they feel about asking for money.
- Do you consider it a privilege to be able to give this talk?
- Do you realize that you are doing the participants and their families a favor by allowing them to hit the
jackpot?
CHAT:
1.- Express admiration for how far the axis is going. We have been sustained and propelled by the joint efforts of so
many loving hands, prayers, etc.
2.- To keep the cost of the FDS to a minimum, the contribution of a large number of people is needed. We have to
ensure the quality of the fds. It depends on your children and you that this is possible.
3.- We do not want to limit ourselves to being present, but rather give of ourselves, and this is difficult! Well, we not only
want to give our sweat and work, but also to get what we need for our sustenance, reaching the bottom of our pockets,
until we touch the nerve, where it hurts the most. (Shrouds do not have pockets!) Don't give until it hurts, but until it
makes you feel good. Let other children experience what your children have experienced: a love that overflows with all
the joy of the gospel.
4.- We are not asking you to pay more for your FDS, but rather to pay for another person or others who, otherwise,
would not have the opportunity to experience it. “If your brother asks you to go with him one mile, go two and if he asks
for your coat, give him your shirt too” (mt.6,40). Apply this passage from S. Write to them and you will see how much
love you will receive!
Recommendation: We ask you to double your joy, making the FDS possible for at least one other person (if for two,
much better!) Of course, what you give, you must give freely, since it is about sharing a gift with another of love.
5.- Distribute the envelopes. Collect them immediately or at the time of the offertory in the Eucharist.
Note: The talk “we can change the world” is given in a similar way to the parents and relatives who have attended the
closing of the meeting, in a separate room so that they do not see the participants before the Eucharistic celebration
begins.
They can be started while the participants discover their “secret friend” or “kris kin.”

Motivation for parents and friends

Objective: To prepare family and friends to embrace children, spouses and friends in a very loving way after the
weekend experience and continue this love for the rest of their lives.
* Ask for financial help to continue with the program and expand it.
Presentation : The coordinator or pastoral advisor should emphasize the following:

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1.- All of you have been sharing with us this weekend your concerns and prayers for your family and friends. We have
tried to act as instruments of the holy spirit so that the participants would experience in themselves, in a deeper way, his
love for you and yours for them, his love for God and the infinite love that God has for them.
2.- We all have the obligation to continue encouraging this love and help it grow. Don't let your enthusiasm die. Strive
together with them to sincerely share your sorrows and joys, virtues and defects.
3.- As members of the axis family, we feel the obligation to keep this movement alive. We are going to distribute
envelopes to help us continue with this work. If after consulting with your family and friends, you decide to help us
financially, put your mite and hand it in at the exit.
Observations.
- Confirm the participation of all those registered. Make sure your parents attend. Call them to encourage them and
request:
a. Let them send their love letter. Organize and coordinate with the external support team: to see their reception.
b. Ensure the participation of the parents or another person close to the young woman to receive her on the day of
the Eucharist. Let them bring a bouquet of flowers, balloons or other details to receive them.
c. Organize well for the parents' meeting: see location, reception, sound, music, who is giving the talk and
finances, alms envelopes, verification of parents' attendance lists.

Closing Eucharist

Objective: Nothing better than the celebration of unity and love to end the weekend.
Theme: there will be nothing left but the memory of a pleasant experience, if we do not put into practice what we have
learned in these days, in our work, school, parish and above all in our home.
After the gospel: shared homily. The priest introduces with brief words and invites the participants to meditate on the
word of God, sharing with everyone present, about this question: what have I found this weekend? how do I feel now?
What does this meeting mean to me? – Brief testimony from a volunteer if there is time.

REUNION DAY – “THIRD DAY”


We can change the world

Final notice to participants


Objective: spread the growth of the axis and get the most suitable participants to work voluntarily for the movement.
Chat:
1.- Talk about the importance of making one, two or even three specific change resolutions to improve attitudes towards
oneself, others and the relationship with God. Highlight that in the change for personal improvement we also achieve
better things around us and with it our society and the world as a future goal.
2.- Make the path of perseverance understood, based on a sincere commitment to continue improving our negative
attitudes, taking into account the help that God gives us through the church and the youth ministry of the parish.
Final notice to participants
1.- They must not make the content of the fds known to anyone. It is an experience to be lived, not a philosophy to
explain. No one who wants to encourage another to go see a movie tells them beforehand.
2.- Think of 3 people you want to invite to experience an axis fds. Personally accompany them to an “information day.”
3.- As a “sponsor” (the one who introduces the new candidates) you have some responsibilities, the effectiveness of the
meeting would decrease if you failed in any of them:
A.- Make sure that the new participant you introduce is in a normal physical and mental state.
B.- Inform the participant's parents about the love letters they must write and the goal pursued. (You can tell them how
you felt when receiving or not receiving those love letters in your fds).
a.- The letters must be written by the parents; in case they are absent, by close relatives or close friends (yourself)
b.- They must be written with feeling, in a loving way and highlighting the qualities of the participant.
c.- They must be delivered to the place where the fds takes place, on Saturday. If you don't accompany him to the
meeting place, make sure the letters arrive anyway.
d.- The participants should not find out about the love letters, since these should be a special surprise.
4.- It is necessary that both you, the sponsor, and the parents receive the participant on Sunday, after the meeting.
5.- It is very important that you get the candidate to attend and confirm her effective participation in the fds, one week
before.
6.- After the meeting, encourage and help your participants to attend the preparation of the confirmation, it will be
followed up appropriately. We will ask you to support us in the following axis.
7.- Try to get your parents to live a day for spouses if they live together or a day for parents. They will be notified in time
to plan.
After these prompts, they can begin while the participants discover their “secret friend” or “kris kin.”

EJE Program Manual – “Ntra. Mrs. of the Miraculous Medal” JM - Page 31

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