After camping for a week

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

Being Still & Quiet

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

Prayer Spaces

Be Still: Listen

In the prayer space one is invited to sit and listen to the reflection played.

Be Still

This is a place to be still. To be at peace. There is no need to talk, no need to do anything.

Appreciating Nature

During this prayer space, one shows gratitude to God for what nature offers.

An Example of the Animation of the Story

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.

Other Stories from the book ‘Spazju Għal Qalbi’

Eye-Catching Wallpaper

The story is about two brothers who moved houses several times. In their new home, they decorated their bedroom wall with eye-catching wallpaper and then they painted a prayer wall on it.

One World

The story is about a boy who signed up with the football nursery. During the half-time of a game, he stopped to look at a world map on the billboard. Together with his coach and friends, they write prayers for the countries of the world.

Asking Questions Leads to Wisdom

The story is about a girl who is interested in many things and so she likes to ask lots of questions. In the catechesis class, she is given a coloured cardboard paper cut out in the shape of a question mark. She was invited to think about a big question she wished to ask God and write it on the question mark.

Saying Thank You

The story is about a group of friends who accepted an invitation to participate in a celebration that would take place on World Gratitude Day. Through dance and art, the children expressed their gratitude towards their family, friends, pets, artistic talents, and life.

Sandcastle

The story is about a boy who likes to build sandcastles by the seashore. One day, another boy kicked the other boy’s sandcastle and smashed it. The boy who joyfully built the sandcastle burst into tears. However, he showed kindness to him, forgave him, and continued to play together.

Hold a pebble and let it go

The story is about a family who likes to go for a walk and swim in Mistra Bay. Daddy plans fun games to play with his children like ‘Hide and Seek’ among the reeds and trees and on the sand. Once they played a game with pebbles. First, they thought of people who said unkind words to them and hurt their feelings. Then, they threw the pebbles into the sea as a sign of forgiveness.

Il-Luzzu – My Grandfather’s Fishing Boat

The story is about a grandfather who was a fisherman. He tells his adventures at sea to his grandchildren. One day he told them to get on his fishing boat. When they got off, they created a paper boat and on it, they wrote and drew their fears and worries.

Show and Tell – Maltese Tradition

The story is about children during drama class. While performing a mime with objects placed in front of them, they are reminded of Il-Quċċija – a Maltese tradition. As they look at the dance mirrors, they thank God for their talents and good qualities.

Cardboard on the Pavement

The story is about a girl who travelled to London to watch a musical. On her way to the theatre with her parents, she saw a small boy with his mother lying on a piece of cardboard on the pavement. The girl sought how she could help these homeless people.

In Silence in a Garden

The story is about sixth-grader pupils who went on an outing at San Anton Gardens. They walked along a path full of flowers and trees that led them to wooden benches. They sat in a comfortable position with their backs straight to the bench and carried out a ten-minute Christian meditation.

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Tfixxija Ġenerali

Tfittxija speċifika

After camping for a week

Ages

Topics

Resources related to this story

Be Still: Listen

Be Still

Appreciating Nature

Eye-Catching Wallpaper

One World

Asking Questions Leads to Wisdom

Saying Thank You

Sandcastle

Hold a pebble and let it go

Il-Luzzu – My Grandfather’s Fishing Boat

Show and Tell – Maltese Tradition

Cardboard on the Pavement

In Silence in a Garden

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