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For a week now, I have been with the present batch of International volunteers, having joined them at the fag end of their training. The picturesque venue – a Franciscan retreat centre –in Bangkok housed the 24 young participants from 8 countries and a 4-member team. As I write now, based on my experience there, my heart is both joyful and burdened. Joyful, at the expectation and hope that people have in Jesus Youth. I thank God for this. Then I contemplate the need for us to meet the rising expectation and to respond to this special call of the Spirit, and feel burdened. For I wonder how many of us are actually aware of the significance of this call. I was caught by surprise when one of the participants, a Pakistani, confided to me that his life had been transformed by the love of an Indian - Fr. Abraham, the 73-year-old priest in charge of the team. Then there was Bishop John Bosco Panya of Rachapuri diocese, secretary of the Bishops’ Conference of Thailand whose words were amazing. Talking about youth and hero worship, he pointed out that in recognizing Jesus as their real hero alone would young people find meaning in life. And he said, “The best way to know Jesus is through Jesus Youth!” His conviction deepened from the feedback he received from one of his sisters who attended our SE Asia conference. She had attended many International youth programmes and found this to be the best and now desires to work with JY. His Grace then invited us saying “I want Jesus Youth in my diocese.” Two days before the commitment ceremony, we had a cultural evening and we invited all the members of the Franciscan centre to join us. Among them was a friend of one of the brothers - an Austrian from Argentina whose husband works with the Argentinean Embassy. The evening was a time of fun, fellowship and prayer. This lady was so impressed by the conduct of our youth that she came forward to express her appreciation. Later on she came over to me, asking for my card. This mother of a 16-year-old son and a young daughter then made one of the most remarkable statements I have ever heard. “I am hopeful”, she said. “No. I am sure that I have found a place where my son too can join and live his Catholic faith.” She wanted her son to be a part of the movement and she wanted us to start working in Latin America. A Franciscan priest, an Indonesian, who was at the centre wanted to have JY missionaries placed in Indonesia to work among the youth there… A Vietnamese priest we met on the campus of Assumption University asked us to help him start Jesus Youth in Vietnam… The need is definitely growing. This Millennium dawned with the prophecy of our late Holy Father John Paul II about reaping a harvest of faith in the soil of Asia. How many of us understand the urgency, the need of telling the story of Jesus in this vast continent ‘through our deeds and words’? How many of us realize the grace we have received from the Spirit to accomplish His mission according to the will of the Father? Amidst the growing secularism and religious fanaticism, the importance of lay mission is increasing day by day. And through the years, the Spirit has equipped us and blessed us with a ‘cool’ way of living joyfully in this world with Jesus. Asia is waiting... And its youth – they account for more than 50% of the population of the world - are waiting for someone to lead them to the living waters. I join my heart with the hope and prayers of the Holy Father and the entire Church that each one of us will read the signs of the times and step out courageously to follow his call! Manoj Sunny Jesus Youth International Co-ordinator
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Heart Talk 
