Close to the eve of the New Year, on December 27, 2023, winter camp began on a rainy and cloudy day, but the atmosphere was full of brotherly warmth. Twenty-four young people from Canada and the USA met at the Protection of the Mother of GodMonastery in Allegan, Michigan. In this camp, every day started with Divine Liturgy, and participants spent much of their time learning carols and singing at the houses of Romanians around the monastery.
We were blessed to have Fr. Ephraim with us for the first two days, accompanied by Fr. Petru, ROYA’s spiritual guide. Fr. Ephraim, the disciple of Gheronda Ephraim from the Holy Mountain, Athos, held two conferences on very intriguing and useful topics: On judging others, the paradoxical benefit of sin, humility, how self-blame can lead us to salvation or to despair, the need to have a spiritual father, the danger of excessive internet use and the benefits of reading spiritual books. Moreover, he encouraged us to be like bees, for a bee will find beauty even in an unclean place, unlike a fly, which will always find decay, even in a beautifully fragrant garden. We were also told that the more we aspire to God and help one another, the more we find joy. Outside of the two conferences with Fr. Ephraim, the youth also had the opportunity to talk with him individually. For us, Fr. Ephraim was a warm and approachable presence, answering our questions with clarity, gentleness, and spiritual love.
Other activities were done as well: we played football, we went ice skating, built gingerbread houses, and were tested on our knowledge about Romania (the rulers of our country, the Saints of the prisons, Romanian and American Saints, monasteries, art and music, Romanian literature, Romanian geography and other interesting topics) through a game of jeopardy. This game made us realize how culturally and spiritually rich our country is, urging us to learn more about it. Thus, we combined the more entertaining activities with the spiritual ones. Apart from serving the Divine Liturgy every morning, according to the spiritual rule of the monastery, on the third day of the camp, we read the Akathist to Saint Catherine of Alexandria, the patron Saint of ROYA.
On New Year’s Eve, we prepared for a concert called, "Vin Carolindătorii" (“The Carolers are Coming”) for His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicolae. Parent volunteers helped with decorating the hall while the participants rehearsed the carols. The two groups of boys and girls sang carols to His Eminence Nicolae with great enthusiasm. After the concert, His Eminence also sang a very beautiful popular greeting for us, accompanied by New Year's shouts from the whole community present. His Eminence's sermons, the Liturgies he served, and the advice and exhortations he gave us showed us how much dedication and love he has for the youth.
Also, on New Year's Eve, we read the Akathist Thanking God for All, and we asked for each other's forgiveness. After this beautiful moment in the church, we went outside for a bonfire, where we sang carols and patriotic songs.
We left the camp on January 1st, spiritually enriched, with the hope that we will be able to repeat camp next year, with more participants. God has blessed us to have many spiritual fathers with us, including Fr. Simeon, a parish priest from Troy, MI, who served in France for 20 years before coming to the United States. We are also very grateful for the help received from the parent volunteers near and far, including Mrs. Florina Radu, the organizer of ROYA camps. We thank God for all the blessings He gave us in the days we were together, celebrating the Nativity of the Lord through carols, and sharing the Orthodox faith and the beautiful culture of our country. We can't wait to meet again, with as many new faces as possible.
On behalf of the young participants, we ask God to grant the entire Christian community inner peace, and to protect us all for many joyful years to come!
Laura Ionescu
