A great week full of activities we had at Resthaven Retreat.  The Tariro youths came from across Zimbabwe, some as far as Chipinge, Mutare and Shurugwi.

On the first day Fr. Rev Mutasa set the tone – Dare to be a Daniel- the theme we centred on the whole five days. A general knowledge test was given to the youths and on first sight it was a daunting one, resulting on many losing their confidence. The lesson drawn from this test was to have the Daniel confidence so as to be able to tackle any situations regardless how alien they may be.

Again on the first day after dinner, Barbara Ncube (Sis Barbs) presented a talk that had us look at ourselves differently. She introduced the Johari Window to us and from it we learnt quite a deal of life attributes: our character is who we are when no one is looking; for us to fully know ourselves we need the next person’s perspective. This session extended into the following day when we were looking at who God says we are: His children. From this session we now have the confidence to fully define ourselves.

Later on that day we had a session on anger management and breaking barriers with Mr Manyumwa.  We now know that we should not pray to dodge barriers but we have to overcome them and then will we be stronger. It is true that fine gold can only pass through a blazing furnace.

As relationships are a vital part of our lives we had a close insight on how to manage our relationships.  Dr. Tumushime and Mrs Mutasa shared their knowledge on relationships before Fr. Rev Manzongo spoke on how to have a closer relationship with God, keeping in mind that we have to dare to be Daniels and not conforming to the world.

In a quest to deepen our faith we received a lesson on the sacraments by Fr. Stebbing paying particular attention to the sacrament of confession. From it we drew that our God is true forgiving God and if we confess and truly repent he welcomes us into his kingdom.

On the fourth day of the symposium Mrs Kanyemba educated us on the power mere words have. We related that to how we should not destroy our relationships with others using bitter language that is condescending.

Also on that day Dr. Tumushime, Fr. Rev. Mutasa and Fr. Rev. Manzongo lectured us on choosing the right career. From this we drew that our diverse talents, areas of study and passion are factors to consider when choosing a career.

This symposium also meant all members of the TYP family, some of whom had not seen each other in a long time, if not at all, got all reunited. This getting together created a stronger bond and oneness among the TYP members as well as the trustees who are indeed the parents to us. In this large family we have an age range from 15-29. Those below 19 are still in high school and a few are on the gap period in a transition from high school to tertiary school. The older boys are either at university or in the working field already.  The diversity our family has makes it a remarkably self reliant family from whom accountants, doctors, professional farmers and even singers are being bred. To get to know each other, the youths engaged in many activities; voting for the most humorous ( Tapiwa Maposa), the best singer (Brenda), most participative (Dumisani & Jawett), best team player ( Tafadzwa Mandikate), most punctual (Tafadzwa Mandikate), most disciplined ( Learnmore).

Aunt Greta added on important information regarding relationships. Just as it is important to maintain our relationships, it is also important to note that there are different circles (levels) to which a person one relates to should enter. It all depends on who you are and what you help with – which constitutes to the “visa” to get into that particular circle. Therefore we ought to he careful who we allow to enter our inner circle,  paying attention to whether their “visa” allows them to be there.

To draw closer to God, we kick started each day with a morning mass led by Rev. Mutasa, Rev. Manzongo, or Fr. Stabbing and they also concluded the day by leading us in compline. This gave time to everyone to reflect their personal relationships with God.

Resthaven is really a beautiful place and the service there was top notch. From the breakfast through lunch to dinner, the meals were exquisitely mouth-watering. The rooms were well taken care of and the lawns were the best site for the “selfie” lovers. The eye catching terrain of Resthaven is hilly and the leafy trees beautify the place resembling a botanical garden. It was one of the best times of the year and we would, without hesitation, love to go back there.

Apart from the talks we had, a number of sporting events were done. These include swimming, soccer and volley ball. Team work and exploration of talent was the main focus as well as fun! We had competition among ourselves and received prizes in the process. The most vital lesson we leant from teambuilding and team effort is that working together as one and brining up different ideas make the most successful impact.

In conclusion I am very bold and happy to say that this was by far one of the most heart warming and love felt experience ever. It is really important to put God first at the beginning of each day and also so end the day with God. We felt His presence, we felt His love. Our heart are filled to the brim with so much love and peace. We will carry the experiences, lessons we learnt wherever we go, “you can take me out of Jerusalem but you can’t take Jerusalem out of me.” Same applies to TYP. Many thanks to the trustees and all the well wishers who made this wonderful symposium a success.