International Youth Conference & Tour

The General Conference Session came to an end on Sunday, July 28 and after the last meal was eaten many bid each other their goodbyes and farewells. Although a parting of the ways can be a sad occasion, many of the youth did not seem too sorry; the reason for this was that they were not going to be separated from each other just yet: a bus was waiting outside of Papendal to take them on a tour that would take them through many historical sites in Europe. As the youth got on the bus, many were excited about the trip that they were about to embark on.

The bus left Holland at about 3:OOPM and on the way to France passed through Luxembourg and Belgium.
From a personal point of view, I thought the bus conductors were very nice and friendly. As they spent more time with us they got to know us better and were really surprised to know that we don’t drink anything with caffeine in it. In the beginning of our bus ride they tried putting on some secular music to brighten the mood but soon found out that we don’t listen to that kind of music. Later on we learned that the conductors preferred to listen to our Christian music and one of them also said that he would try to quit smoking. By the grace of God we were able to witness to these two men.

MONDAY JULY 29:
At 6:00 Monday morning we arrived in Avignon. We had the opportunity to visit Le Palais des Papes (The Popes’ Palace). From 1309-1377 popes ruled from Avignon instead of Rome. Moreover, from 1378-1417, two popes ruled simultaneously one based in Avignon the other in Rome. Later on a third pope began to claim that he was the rightful representative of Christ on earth. In the Great Controversy we can learn that this was called the Great Western Schism.

TUESDAY JULY 30:
On Tuesday we arrived in Pisa early in the morning. We were taken to see the great bell tower of the Cathedral, “The Leaning Tower of Pisa.” Up to this date nobody knows who built it although there has been a lot of speculation. Its fame has spread abroad because of its inclination and beauty. The tower was not meant to be tilted but this is what has set it apart and made it special from other standing structures. Care has been taken by scientists and engineers to keep it this way.

FLORENCE:
Next, we were taken to Florence the city that is said to be “the cradle of the modern world.” For 200 years art flourished in this city and produced the great works of literature and art by Dante, Leonardo, and Michelangelo.
Florence is a very crowded city with tourists milling all over the place. Gypsies abound in huge numbers in this city. Some wear colourful outfits and long flowing skirts, often holding a baby or two in their hands. Some sit on the street corners begging for money but others prefer to walk wherever tourists walk and ask for money to feed themselves and their babies. We didn’t offer them any money but we did offer them something better instead, pamphlets that spoke about the way that leads to hope. The Baptistery Doors was the first historical site we visited here. History tells us that the contest that marked the beginning of the Renaissance was the Baptistery Doors Competition. An artist was needed to decorate the north doors of the Baptistery Cathedral and a young man by the name of Lorenzo Ghiberti was chosen for the job after he won the contest. The bronze Baptistery Doors depict different Biblical stories: Adam and Eve, Jacob and Esau, Moses., .etc.

Afterwards we went to the city square were we saw a copy of Michaelangelo’s David (original resides in the Academia, a 15 mm walk away). This monumental statue of David was the epitome of what a Renaissance man was supposed to be: charming, cultured and alert.

WEDNESDAY JULY 31:
We finally arrived at around 1:00 in the morning at the Italian Mission House in Guilianova. Since we were all tired we quickly settled down to sleep. The mission house is located in a beautiful area surrounded by houses and a sloping, green countryside.
In the backyard of the mission, there is a garden that produces its own vegetables and herbs. Worship was usually held at 7:30 in the morning and before a Bible reading was given brothers Stefano Salemin and Pablo Hunger would play their guitars and the youth would join in singing different Italian or Spanish songs of praise. From Wednesday to Saturday different interesting subjects were presented to the youth by different people in the morning or else in the evening. The different subjects that stood out were given by brothers: Pablo Hunger, Gabriel Porras, Juan Quesada, Stefano Salemi and Larry Watts.

PABLO HUNGER:
On our first morning there, brother Pablo Hunger, the world youth leader, spoke to us about the history of our church.
His service was entitled “From the past to the future” which was also the motto of the conference. He spoke about the tour we’d just taken and how we’d had the opportunity to witness first hand many historical places in Europe.

He took us throughout the entire history of the reformation beginning with the Waldenses pointing out their faithfulness amidst their trials and tribulations. These peaceful people lived in the Piedmont Mountains and brought up their children to serve and honour God. As they grew older they left their safe homes in the mountains and valleys to be missionaries and witnesses for Christ. The difficulties they endured during this time of persecution only served to strengthen their faith and trust and God.

He continued with John Wycliffe, John Huss, Jerome and other faithful reformers. He paid particular attention to Martin Luther who exposed many of the errors of the Catholic Church. More than 500 years have passed since the time of Martin Luther but the age of the reformers is not finished yet.

What will await the future reformers? And what will be their role in the closing scenes of this earth’s history? If they hold on to Christ they will conquer new heights; gain new victories and one day be with Him in heaven.

GABRIEL PORRAS:
One evening brother Gabriel who is currently working in Suriname as a missionary had the chance to present a very important message. The title of his message was “The Borders of Israel.” After the Israelites’ sojourn in the wilderness the Lord brought them to the land of Canaan as He had promised them. Ancient Israel was counselled by God to remain within the borders of the land they had just conquered and inherited. Many people might think that there is no lesson to be learned from the counsel God gave His people, “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. “Joshua 1:3-4). If we analyze the subject a little deeper, the meaning of the borders and the reason why God gave them becomes clear and an important lesson may be learned from it.

The Southern border was the wilderness, hi the wilderness there is no water, nothing green. There are only poisonous snakes and a hot ardent sun during the day and terrible cold nights. There was nothing for the Israelites here. This place had nothing to offer them but despair and the memory of bitter experiences.

This wilderness represents the old life, sin and hopelessness. Since there was no hope of salvation out there, they were told not to turn back but to keep away from it. The Northern border was Lebanon. These lofty, green mountains were partially covered with snow throughout the greatest part of the year. From these unsealed mountain heights one could see: new horizons, the world and all it has to offer, pride, insolence, greed and search for glory. Everything that exalts men. As is written in Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goeth before destruction and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Sometimes we don’t consider pride as something bad, we imply see it as one of many sins. Let us just remember that pride has been the downfall of many people and that it was what caused Satan to be thrown out of heaven.

The Eastern boundary was the river Euphrates. The main stream of Mesopotamia and the centre of business and trade, this river represented the prosperity and success in this life. The minds of the Israelites needed to be fixed on spiritual things and the cares of this world and the love of money were not to influence them.

The Western boundary was the Mediterranean sea in the Old Testament times this sea was the highway of the Phoenician merchants who had a connection with all of the Mediterranean world. The Hebrews, who lived in a country void of natural harbours, were not a seafaring people.
The sea is in continual agitation, it has all kinds of distractions. In a spiritual sense it represents the agitation of this world: fashion, men’s ideas, vanity… etc.

The human mind is never satisfied, and always wants to explore new horizons and see the world. Sometimes we want to go beyond the boundaries God had established for us. Everything seems to be great and wonderful, but although Satan offers us greatness ;;r.d glory we are to remember that heaven is greater.

Young people always want to know what their boundaries are and often test their parents and other adults to see how far they can go without getting into trouble. In the church the youth want to know how far they can go without committing a sin.
Our safest course is to stay within the boundaries and never push our limits. Let us always fix our eyes upon Jesus and go to Him because He is the solution to our problems.

JUANQUESADA:
Brother Juan Quesada is a young minister from Chile. He also had a special message for the youth. He went to the book of Hosea and recounted in vivid detail the entire life story of this prophet and his wayward wife Gomer. He told the story in a way that made it seem real and not just a historical fact.

Hosea as any other young man probably wanted to get married and so he did to a young woman named Gomer. Perhaps in the beginning their marriage was good, they had three wonderful children and enjoyed a happy life. Unfortunately for Hosea his dear wife left him for other lovers and was unfaithful to him.

Time passed and one day the Lord had a special message for this prophet. “Then the Lord said unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel, who look to other Gods, and love flagons of wine.”(Hosea 3:1) Gomer had left her beloved husband for other false lovers who betrayed her in the end. One day as she was being sold in the market square for 15 pieces of silver and a homer of barley and a half, Hosea appeared on the scene As he beheld all this, his love for Gomer still as strong as ever caused him to buy her back for himself.

As soon as he had bought her he said “thou shalt abide with me for many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee.”(Hosea 3:3) This story is a miniature representation of how ancient Israel treated God and how the church still treats God. The Lord loves His church and he bought her with an infinite price, the blood of His beloved Son Jesus Christ. Although she had turned away from Him, he did not completely forget her but forgave her and welcomed her back into His outstretched arms.

STEFANO SALEMI:
Brother Stefano, an Italian brother who has worked in South Africa with brother Giner and is now working in Italy spoke about the importance of communication and the different ways in which we can communicate with others. Through a power point presentation and many visuals he got his point across. Jesus often employed these different means of communication with his disciples. He spoke to them not only through speech but also through the use of his other four senses. Touch, Smell, Hearing and Sight.

Often we forget that talking is not the only form of communication that exists although it seems to be the most obvious.
Verbal communication is essential in any relationship be it with mother and child, or husband and wife. Many times we think that we really know our friends but it is surprising for us to discover that sometimes we haven’t taken the time or effort to really get to know them. We may not know what their favourite dish or colour is because of this lack of communication. We also impart information to others by the way we walk and stand, the expression on our faces may radiate joy at seeing someone or anger at a supposed wrong. Although the mouth might say one thing the actions express another.

Touch is another important means of communication: hugs and kisses express love for our family. A simple pat on the back to a friend or a warm handshake may express encouragement and serve to lift someone’s spirits up.
Sight is also important. We have much to thank God for in particular for the wonderful gift of sight.

With it we can behold the beautiful scenes of nature around us and learn of God’s love for us. We can watch the expressions of those who are dear to us and with it we may also read the word of God and find out on our own how great His love is and how He died to set us free,

The sense of hearing must not be forgotten as it allows us to hear the word of God. Music plays an important role in our lives. Through it we can enjoy beautiful hymns and the sound of instruments. Smell is another sense that brings much comfort such as a plate of warm food to nourish us throughout the day.

LARRY WATTS:
On Sabbath brother Larry spoke to us about talents. Each of us is a unique individual and we all need to analyze ourselves and find out what our talents are. Talents are the four lane highways of our minds: these are the things that we like and are easy for us to do. It is what brings us joy and happiness, and what we often spend our free time doing. Some people find math easy others find it hard. Why should we spend our lives trying to be something that God did not intend for us to be? In 1 Corinthians 12 we find a list of different gifts imparted by the Holy Spirit and in Matthew 25 we see that different people received different gifts. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 8:12 that God requires of us according to what we have and not according to what we don’t have. And in Ephesians 2:12 we are made to realize that each of us has a unique place to fill in the final events of this earth’s history, to bring unity to the church of God by using our talents in the service of the Lord. God is going to use the young people to shake the earth. The greatest untapped power on earth is not Niagara Falls. It is those young people who will be united under the latter rain. They will shake not only the earth around Niagara but the whole world will tremble under the power of unselfish love. God will use someone, why not us now?

SATURDAY AUGUST 3:
The afternoon youth meeting on Sabbath was a blessing for all. The young people had a chance to present the specials they’d been practicing and others were welcomed to give their testimonies or experiences.
Brother Gabriel played the guitar and sang a song of praise to the Lord with a group of friends.
There were many other nice songs, including a nice Russian one which was sung by sister Olga from the Ukraine and played on the piano by brother Pavel.

The German group went up to sing as well as a Bulgarian group who told an experience and then 2 orphans in their group sang a song.
The Bulgarians told about their hardships during the time of communism. Their church had been closed down and they couldn’t study or preach about the word of God.

Sister Irene has been greatly blessed by the Lord and He has done so many wonders for her, including healing her from an ulcer. During her time of sickness she asked God to extend her life and if He did she promised to serve Him faithfully always.
Thankful to be alive, she is now in service for Him,

JOSE ALBERTO’S EXPERIENCE:
Throughout all this there was one experience which stood out above the others and that was brother Jose Alberto’s, originally from Portugal but has been living in Spain for many years now. He began to wander the streets from the age of eight leaving home at the tender age of nine. He never really had a home or got to know his father.. In a desperate attempt to find on the streets what he could not at home he began to hang out with a gang of 20-30 year olds. The older ones took him under their wing and began to show him the ropes. Since he was so young they protected him and he was seen as the mascot of their group. By the age of 9 he was already consuming alcohol and tobacco. At fifteen he was injecting himself with drugs, taking cocaine and practicing all kinds of vices. His family couldn’t stand the sight of him and offered him no support whatsoever. Living in the streets gave him easy access to drugs and because of this he began to lose a lot of weight.

Soon he was weighing only 47kilos(a little more than a hundred pounds).
He had no hope in this life so he sought death as the only means of escape. Many of his former companions were dying all around him. One night they’d go to sleep in the same room and the next morning they were lying dead beside him or else had contracted AIDS. Although they’d all take the same drugs he was the only one who never died or had anything bad happen to him.

One day a man from a rehabilitation centre spoke to him but Jose wasn’t ready to let go of the kind of life he’d been living yet.
At the age of 25 he finally entered the rehabilitation centre but he was rude and treated all those who wanted to help him with disrespect.

Finally, since he was getting so out of hand they sent him to Valencia, Spain. His exact words are “nunca olvidare VaIencia”(I shall never forget Valencia).
He spent eighteen months in this association. In the city of Valencia he met a woman who also spoke Portuguese as he did and they soon became friends.

They exchanged addresses and telephone numbers. Meanwhile he returned to Portugal for a couple of days and here he began to seek his old hangouts and had a relapse. He began to take drugs but something told him to return to Spain and to look for that girl again. So he did. He turned up at her house and she offered him a place to stay. This particular girl was a Baptist and very religious. She had never smoked or drank or gone to any dances. He also noticed that she carried her religion with her wherever she went. There was something special about her; she had God in her life. At mealtimes she would often pray for Jose and he marveled as he watched her.
She invited him to church and he began to attend for her sake. Soon life had a new flavour for him. Eventually he married her. After a while they came into contact with the reform message, which they gladly accepted.

There have been many trials and difficulties in their lives. Jose had to learn to give up worldly music (rock, heavy metal) and spices, so now he uses garlic and onions very liberally. His exhortation to parents and children is to be grateful for each other because he never enjoyed family life. He is also thankful for the blood that was shed on Calvary for his sake and prays that he will never leave the little flock of God.

To end it all he and his beloved wife Tania sang a special hymn.

SUNDAY AUGUST 4:
On Sunday we were woken up at 4:00 in the morning to go to Rome.
First of all, we saw St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. From the point of view of men it is very impressive with all its grandeur, pomp and glory.

The architecture is incredible and the inside is elaborately decorated with many paintings and statues of saints. In the basement they had many tombs, one was supposed to be St. Peter’s, this is what the Catholic world professes but we know otherwise.
On our way to the Coliseum we stopped by at the Arch of Titus which commemorated Titus’ triumphal conquest of Judea.

The Coliseum was our final destination^tjuilt during the reign of the emperor Vespasiano (c. 72 AD). Originally it was called the Amphitheatrum Flavion, it began to be called the Coliseum because this building stood next to a colossal statue of Nero.

Although this building is in a dilapidated condition and all you see are ruins it once stood over 160 feet high with 80 entrances and could hold up to 50, 000 spectators.

This was also the site of public events such as: mock naval battles, gladiator fights and wild animal hunts.
It was here where persecuted Christians were brought to be killed and then torn apart by lions and other wild beasts of prey.

This entire trip was a blessing and a nice time of fellowship with other youth around the world.