Reflecting on personal journeys in the youth ministry, nineteen youth leaders gathered and spent their weekend for an intimate retreat on 7 - 9 November 2025. Held at Nuluhon Garden Retreat House, the retreat was blessed with an opening mass by Fr. Isidore Gilbert, Spiritual Advisor of the Archdiocesan Youth Commission, and con-celebrated by the Retreat Master, Friar Aiden Peter, OFM.
Here are a few takeaways from the retreatants that we hope will inspire you too.
My biggest “Aha!” moment during the retreat happened when we were asked to choose pictures that reflected where we are in life right now, and later during the Discovering “I” session. I chose two images: a woman standing on a cliff looking far into the distance, and a view through a bus window showing three people absorbed in their own worlds.
Those pictures revealed something I had always sensed but never wanted to acknowledge – that I’ve been facing the unknown with fear and uncertainty, always looking ahead without grounding myself. I realised that somewhere along the way, I chose a road I walked alone, guarding my heart that I didn’t allow others in, and sometimes, not even God – despite being surrounded my friends and families.
During the Discovering “I” session, the reflection on inner harmony struck me deeply. The line that stayed with me was: “You become your own perpetual victim because of your own restricted heart.” It made me realise how much I’ve been limiting my own growth and potential due struggles, especially in allowing myself to serve others. Before I can serve others meaningfully, I must first turn inward – to be gentle with myself, to show mercy to the parts of me I avoid, and to forgive myself for the things I carry. Only then can I serve with a heart that is genuine, open, and rooted in love.
It reminded me that the journey of serving others always begins with healing from within, and that love can only flow outwards when it first finds a home inside us. And for us to truly reach that place, we must learn to refocus and return our hearts to God.
After the retreat, I feel more aware of my own patterns – what drives me, what drains me, and what I need to transform to move forward meaningfully. I’m shifting towards being more intentional with my actions, decisions, and communication. I want to choose from a place of clarity, not fear; from courage, not self-protection.
To support this shift, I might need a space of gentle accountability, a reminder to slow down and realign when I start slipping back into my own shell and habits; and encouragement to stay spiritually rooted and to keep God at the center, so I don’t carry things alone and can remain open with the people around me.
First of all, I am pretty glad actually that I didn’t cancel my participation in this retreat because first weekend after closing is usually my weekend of rest where I try not to entertain anything especially work matters. But I still went ahead to attend this with zero expectation but yes, it was a great decision. There are so much I get from this retreat, especially what i did not or ‘lalai’ to do before. I realize that all this while, I never ask myself where am I now how am i doing right now. I knew I was tired but from the check-in session, I realize that I actually so much exhausted, the picture of a kid sleeping is the only picture that catch my eyes because that is what i wanted to do at that moment. Not only because my workload getting bigger with so many thing I need to settle before year-end, but nowadays, serving in church also has become a burden not an excitement anymore. I have so much respect and admiration those who have to work and also have families to take care but still continue to serve in the church. But one thing that I still remember what Friar Aiden mention, ‘Have you make peace with the fact that God doesn’t want your life to be simple’. This word actually lessen the burden I was feeling at that moment. But it make me wonder, have I? Then I saw this bible verse “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”. Again, it made me realize that all this while, I am using my own strength to rest, which is why my rest felt so short and not enough. I should have let and allow Jesus to be part of my life, but since I was so much self-centred and only focus trying to do the things I needed to get done that I forgot to let God involve. Know your limit, it is ok to step back and rest. To be honest, nothing much shifting after the retreat, I am back to all the burdens that I had left behind during the retreat. But it did set the starting point for me, to reflect on myself and how I can continue my journey, to start putting more trust in God’s plan. There is still so many questions from the retreat that I need to reflect on. Pray for me so that I can continue this journey of finding myself and motivation. I really like the Check-In session, because that is how I know what i want to expect from this retreat. Thank you to Friar Aiden for all his meaningful session.
Retreat Guide Questions:
Apa yang saya dapat melalui retreat tersebut adalah melalui movie night iaitu di mana seorang pelajar yang pada mulanya tidak ingin menunjukkan kesan parut ditangannya tetapi akhirnya semasa persembahan mereka di pentas, dia berani menunjukkan kesan parut ditangannya. Ia mengambarkan diri saya juga di mana sebelum ini saya belum mengenali diri saya bahawa saya mempunyai kekuatan tersendiri. Disana juga saya menyedari bahawa proses menjadi kuat adalah sakit.
Perubahan selepas retreat adalah dapat mengenali diri ini seadanya dan menyegarkan kembali tujuan pelayanan saya sebagai seorang pelayan belia. Sokongan yang saya perlukan dalam team sesama adalah melalui dorongan dan memahami kelebihan dan kelemahan yang ada dalam diri ini.
Akhir sekali, sesi retreat ini sangat baik dan memberi ruang fikiran yang mendalam di setiap sesi reflection. Thanks.
️My biggest takeaway from the retreat was when Friar asked, “What is the opposite of love?” I always thought the answer was hate, but I was surprised and moved when he said that the opposite of love is actually indifference. That moment really opened my eyes, because when we hate, it still means something matters, there is still emotion and connection. But indifference means we no longer care at all, and that is the true death of love.
It made me realize how sacred and serious love truly is, not only in ministry but in relationships, friendship, and my walk with God. We yearn for love because we are made of love, created by God who is Love Himself. Our hearts search for what we are created from and created for.
After the retreat, I feel a real shift in becoming more conscious and intentional about my relationship with God. I am trying to take steps to grow spiritually, such as joining more youth talk sessions, because I believe this will help me better understand my identity in Christ and strengthen my foundation in faith.
The support from the team has already been immense and deeply meaningful. Throughout the retreat, I truly felt and witnessed that the team is always there for me, and that assurance gave me a strong sense of belonging and safety. I am very grateful for the way they accompany, guide, and care for one another.
Personally, I feel like my journey is only beginning. I know I still have so much to learn, and the wisdom and experiences that they have shared are incredibly valuable to me. They keep me grounded in the best possible way and remind me that I am not walking this path alone. As I continue this journey, I feel that simply being surrounded by a supportive and encouraging community will keep me growing.
I hope to serve actively together soon, and to grow together in mission and love.
I am truly grateful for the opportunity to join this retreat and to meet such amazing people. It has been a blessing to experience this time together in prayer, reflection, and community. I truly hope that we can have more retreats like this in the future, so that more people can have the chance to pause, listen deeply to God’s voice, and find renewal.
Personally, this retreat was a long-needed getaway for me. Even though I received difficult news during the retreat about the passing of a friend, I believe that being here with the intention of listening to God and staying close to Him helped make the grief a little easier to carry. The presence of God and the support of this community brought peace and strength to my heart when I needed it most.
Thank you for accepting me, guiding me, and walking with me. They keep me grounded in the best way. I am excited for what God has in store for us as we move forward.
As we continue our journey together, let us stay healthy, stay safe, and stay with Jesus, in heart, mind and spirit. May we always be wrapped, affirmed, treasured, protected, and blessed in Jesus through one another.
To be honest, I cried because I’m not okay, and I feel the burdens that I brought with me. At the same time, I feel blessed to be here at this retreat, which I really need. I am giving my full focus to this retreat because I want to gain something that will help me learn to love myself more and to love others.
“Each of us was created with a unique God-given identity.” This really teaches me to feel more blessed, knowing that I am one of God’s creations with a unique identity.
My biggest takeaway from the retreat is that I have learned true strength does not come from me, but from HIM who lives within me.
Affirmation – Each of us needs this, to offer words of encouragement to one another. Words of affirmation can strengthen our team spirit as we journey together to serve young people.
It was a very fruitful retreat. My suggestion for future retreats is that all leaders are compulsory to attend, and we also encourage all TPBP leaders to join as well. Thank you to our retreat master, Friar Aiden Peter Jr. We are truly blessed to have him guiding us throughout this retreat.