Convivio Guayaquil 2014: “Put Christ in your life”
Santiago de Guayaquil, 07-07-14 (Sodalit News—Ecuador.) From June 6-8th the Christian Life Movement in Ecuador organized the 15th annual Convivio in Guayaquil. The congress, whose theme was “Put Christ in your life,” brought together hundreds of young people whom throughout the weekend lived a deep encounter with themselves and with God.
The young people came together from a variety of local highschools in Guayaquil in order to reflect and bring to fruition the words of Pope Francis, “Put Christ in your life.”In its fifteenth anniversary in Guayaquil the conference continued to be an ideal space for reflection, and meditation about the reality that surrounds them, and about themselves. It served as a great opportunity to look for answers to the deepest questions that lye in the heart of each one. All three days are spent together, and away from the usual daily activities which permits the silence necessary to reflect with clarity.
Throughout the weekend hundreds of young people gather from many local high schools such as: Alemán Humbold, Balandra, CREAR, Delta, IPAC, Javier, Jefferson, Logos, Nuevo Mundo, Liceo Panamericano, Steiner, Torremar, and other institutions. The conference consisted of several talks, groups for reflection, games, a theatrical production, intense moments of prayer, and liturgies, all of which served as spaces of encounter with God, with oneself, and with the most needy on Solidarity Sunday. Throughout the different activities and group dialogues the young people shared experiences and their deepest longings. The intense moments of prayer, such as the Eucharistic Vigil which took place on Saturday evening, allowed the participants to have a truly personal dialogue with Jesus.
Young people signing up for Convivio
“In convivio one learns to reflect, to see life differently because God is with us,”explains Evelyn Neira, a student from the Highschool IPAC. Evelyn also assures that, “Only he who participates really ends up seeing the change. Some believe that it´s boring but it´s not like that.”Daniela Larrea, member of the Christian Life Movement and group-leader, remembers, “The first time that I came I learned that one can only persevere with Christ,”and she added that, “Young people come with many insecurities and I learned to get over them with the help of God. Now I can help others.”
Luis Troya, one of the main coordinators of the event, explains that, “The way that one teaches the young people to live with faith is not borring, it´s not something inapplicable for them. It´s exactly the opposite, because God is not something abstract, He is real.”
Several group-leaders (the young people that accompany the participants of Convivio)
Below is the final video released in the closing ceremony of Convivio Guayaquil 2014:
Convivio is a conference for catholic students whom are in their last years of high school. The event looks to provide a space for reflection about the world today as well as about oneself. Throughout the conference several answers are given to some of the biggest challenges of today. Through dynamics, dialogues, and solidarity work the young people discover the fundamental questions about themselves and about their reality, as well as the answers to these same questions.