The story is about a boy who went camping with his scouts’ friends at Għajn Tuffieħa. Amongst the camps that were set up, there was a camp with cushions inside it so anyone who wanted could enter and appreciated moments in silence. The boy recounts how much he felt at peace in the ‘Be Still’ camp.
Ages
- Primary Years
- Middle Years
Topics
Wara Ġimgħa Camping
Ferħan se jtir, Daniel beda jirrakkuntalna x’għamel waqt li kien ġimgħa camping f’Għajn Tuffieħa mat-tfal sħabu tal-iscouts. Trid tisimgħu jirrakkonta dwar kemm tgħallem jarma l-kampijiet u jorbot il-ħbula. Tgħallem ukoll iqabbad il-ħatab u jsajjar l-ikel fuqu. Kellu ġranet mimlija daqs bajda, b’attivitajiet differenti, logħob, kant u taqbiliet u xi għawma ma naqsitx ukoll. Fuq kollox Daniel, għamel ħbieb ġodda u sar jafhom aktar mill-qrib.
“Din is-sena armajna tliet kampijiet,” qalilna Daniel b’entużjażmu fuqu waqt li kompla jirrakkontalna. “Armajna kamp kbir bl-imwejjed, biex nieklu taħtu, kamp imdaqqas biex norqdu fih u armajna kamp ieħor speċjali taħt siġra kbira ’l bogħod mill-kampijiet l-oħra.”
“U tafu għal xiex armajnieh dan il-kamp?” staqsiena Daniel.
“Dan il-kamp armajnieh biex min ried, seta’ jidħol fih, joqgħod għall-kwiet u japprezza s-silenzju. Jien dħalt ħafna drabi u poġġejt fuq il-kuxins li kien hemm fih. Hemmhekk la rajt televixin, la qgħadt nisma’ d-diski, la smajt l-għajjat ta’ sħabi waqt il-logħob u lanqas l-istorbju tal-ġeneratur biex ikollna d-dawl. Fil-kamp tas-silenzju ma kien hemm ħoss ta’ xejn. Ġieli kont inqum filgħodu kmieni apposta biex immur fil-kamp u minn hemm nara l-friefet u l-għasafar jittajru mas-siġra. Anke matul il-lejl ġieli mort fil-kamp. U waqt li kont nimtedd fis-skiet kont noqgħod nitpaxxa nħares lejn tant u tant kwiekeb li hemm fis-sema.
“Ġol-kamp kien hemm imdendel powster b’vers minn Salm: Be silent in the LORD’s presence and wait patiently for him. Waqt li kont inkun fil-kamp, kont noqgħod naħseb x’seta’ jfisser dan il-vers. Ġurnata minnhom staqsejt lill-grupp leader u tani dan l-eżempju li meta wieħed ikun irid ikellem lil xi ħadd, ma jridx ikun hemm storbju għaddej għax inkella ma jifhmekx.
“U l-istess aħna, aktar ma nkunu fil-kwiet u s-silenzju aktar insiru konxji tan-natura u l-ħolqien u nisimgħu lil Alla jkellimna f’qalbna.
“Kemm ħassejt paċi f’qalbi f’dak il-kamp fis-skiet. Bdejt nitkellem m’Alla u għidtlu grazzi ta’ din is-serenità li bdejt inħoss ġewwa fija.
“Min jaf? Forsi d-darba li jmiss jekk tkunu ser tmorru camping, tagħmlu din l-esperjenza intom ukoll!”
After Camping for a Week
Daniel was on cloud nine as he began to tell us what he had done while he had been camping for a week with his scout friends at Għajn Tuffieħa. He shared how much he had learnt about assembling camps and tying ropes. He had also learnt how to light firewood and cook on it. His days had been jam-packed with various activities, games, singing and rhyming and swimming. Above all, Daniel had made new friends and got to know them better.
“This year, we put up three tents,” said Daniel enthusiastically and continued, “We put up a large tent with tables to serve us as a dining area, a medium-sized tent to sleep in, and we put up a special tent under a huge tree away from the other camps.”
“And do you know why we put up this tent?” Daniel asked us.
“We put up this tent so that those of us who wanted, could go inside it, be still and appreciate silence. I entered many times and sat on the cushions which were inside it. While in this tent, I did not watch any television or listen to any music. Neither did I hear any shouting from my friends as they played games and not even the sound of the generator that provided us with electricity. In the Be Still tent, there was sheer silence.
“Sometimes, I used to wake up very early on purpose so that I could go inside the tent and look at the butterflies and birds flying above the tree. Even during the night, there were times when I went in the tent, lay down in silence, and simply enjoyed looking at the countless numbers of stars in the sky.
“Inside the tent, there was a hanging poster with a Bible verse written on it: Be silent in the LORD’s presence and wait patiently for him.
“While I was in the tent, I wondered what this verse meant. One day I asked the group leader, and he gave me an example. He told me that when someone wants to speak to someone else, there must not be loud noises as otherwise they do not understand each other. This goes for us too, and the more we are in silence, the further we become aware of nature and creation, and listen to God’s voice in our heart.
“I felt so peaceful and calm in the Be Still tent. I had a conversation with God and thanked him for the serenity I felt in my heart.
“Who knows? Maybe the next time you go on a camping trip, you will also experience this for yourself!”
Dopo una settimana in campeggio
Contento come una pasqua, Daniele si mise a raccontarci che cosa aveva fatto durante la settimana in campeggio ad Għajn Tuffieħa con gli altri boy scout, suoi compagni. A sentirlo raccontare quanto abbia imparato a rizzare tende e legare corde, si rimaneva sbalorditi. Aveva appreso pure ad accendere le braci e cuocervi sopra il cibo. Le sue giornate erano piene zeppe, con attività diverse, giochi, canti e composizioni in rima, e non mancava nemmeno una nuotata. Soprattutto, Daniele ebbe modo non solo di conoscere meglio i vecchi amici ma anche di farsi dei nuovi.
“Quest’anno abbiamo piantato tre tende”, ci disse Daniele, pieno di entusiasmo, mentre riprendeva a raccontare. “Abbiamo innalzato un tendone con tavoli per mangiarvi sotto, un’altra tenda per dormirvi, e un’altra tenda speciale sotto un alberone lontano dalle altre tende”.
“E sapete per quale ragione abbiamo installato questa tenda?” ci chiese Daniele.
“Questa tenda l’abbiamo piazzata perché chiunque volesse, potesse entrarvi, restasse in silenzio, e apprezzasse la quiete. Sono entrato varie volte, mettendomi sui cuscini che c’erano dentro. Là non guardavo la televisione, né mi mettevo ad ascoltare dischi, né mi raggiungeva il chiasso dei miei compagni e nemmeno il rumore del generatore che fornisce la luce elettrica. Nella tenda del silenzio non si sentiva rumore di nessun tipo. A volte mi alzavo di buon’ora a bella posta per andare nella tenda per poter vedere le farfalle e gli uccelli che svolazzavano attorno all’albero. Anche di notte andavo nella tenda. E mentre giacevo nella quiete, provavo diletto a guardare e ammirare le tante stelle nel cielo.
“Nella tenda c’era appeso un cartellone su cui c’era scritto un verso dal Salmo: Taci nella presenza del Signore e con pazienza per Lui. Mentre stavo nella tenda, m’arrovellavo il cervello per comprendere che cosa significasse quel verso. Un giorno ne chiesi il motivo al capo del gruppo, e questi mi diede questo esempio: quando uno vuole parlare con qualcuno, non ci deve essere nessun rumore, altrimenti non ti capisce.
“Succede lo stesso con noi: più rimaniamo tranquilli, in silenzio, più diventiamo consci della natura e della creazione, e più ascoltiamo Dio che ci parla nel nostro cuore.”
Resources related to this story
 Be Still: ListenIn the prayer space one is invited to sit and listen to the reflection played. |
Be StillThis is a place to be still. To be at peace. There is no need to talk, no need to do anything. |
 Appreciating NatureDuring this prayer space, one shows gratitude to God for what nature offers. |
During this session, the students participated in the animation of the story ‘After Camping for a Week’ from the Book ‘ Spazju għal Qalbi – Beloved Space’ by Ms Silvana Cardona. They eagerly answered questions, shared their thoughts, and contributed to the storyline, making the sessions more engaging and personalized.
Following the animated reflective story, a quiet tent was set up where the students could retreat for some quiet moments to provide peace and tranquillity.
The ‘Be Still’ prayer space allowed them to appreciate moments of silence like in the story they had just heard.
This story’s animation took place at Theresa Nuzzo School, Marsa, on the 19th of June 2023 by Fr Reuben Gauci and Ms Silvana Cardona.
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