Glory to God in the highest heaven, the angels chanted, but this was also the girls’ call for everything during camp.

The summer camps for girls have begun.  The first camp started on 10.07.06 and ended on 19.07.06, with girls from 11-13 years old participating. Spiritual leaders in this camp were: Father Gjerasim Çakalli, Mrs. Lynette Hoppe and Mr. Nathan Hoppe. The main coordinator of the camps was Ms. Ana Baba and the directors of the first camp were: Ms. Mikea Marku, Ms. Gabriela Bezhani and Ms. Ana Kerçyku. 

The camp was composed of 85 girls and 15 group leaders. The theme of the camps for this year was: “Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good”. (Rom 12:21)

The themes for the speeches in this camp were based on the letter and actually from chapter 12 of this letter which says:

     “Love must be completely sincere. Hate what is evil, hold on to what is good. Love one another warmly as Christian brothers, and be eager to show respect for one another. Work hard and do not be lazy. Serve the Lord with a heart full with devotion. Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles and pray at all times. Share your belongings with your needy fellow-Christians, and open your homes to strangers.

     Ask God to bless those who persecute you - yes, ask him to bless, not to curse.  Be happy with those who are happy, weep with those who weep. Have the same concern for everyone.  Do not be proud, but accept humble duties.  Do not think yourself as wise.  If someone has done you wrong. Do not repay him with a wrong. Try to do what everyone considers to be good. Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody.  Never take revenge, my friends, but instead let God’s anger do it. For the scripture says, “I will take revenge, I will pay back, says the Lord.” Instead, as the scripture says: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for by doing this you will make him burn with shame. Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good.”

     The verses of the hymn of the camp were:  Always good, good to everyone, is our call. Never bad, never to anyone, is our message. That’s what God says, do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good, even though it might be difficult.”

The program of the camp was very rich. It started with the morning prayer, quiet time, breakfast, chores, craft, lunch time, free time, different games; the speech of the day was tied to the theme of the camp, evening time and the preparation for dinner, the program of the evening filled with songs, skits, poems and discussion. This was the program on a normal day, but there were many other special activities in the camp such as: Olympic Games, Special Dinner, Excursion, Walks in the Mountains, Volleyball Championship etc. 

     What made the days of the camp beautiful was the Christian love among girls. This year 11 girls decided to be members of the Body of Christ, being baptized in the Church of this monastery. Every day the girls were singing different songs; this atmosphere filled the camp with so much joy. This joy reminded us of the miracle of the freedom of faith.