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洛杉磯蒙市聖湯瑪斯2003年青年夏令營

Las Vegas & Zion National Park

　

　

營長 洪建偉Tony Hung的文章與照片請按www.geocities.com/tonyhung21186/home

　

一次別開生面的夏令營活動

許正衛Paul Hsu

楔子

每年夏天，聖湯瑪斯教堂都會為年輕人舉辦夏令營活動；呂神父栽培新人、獎勵後進的用心，我們也深深感受得到。由於最近三年的夏令營都是在化野漠舉行，好玩是好玩，但已失去了新鮮感。今年，我們特別向神父提出兩項建議：一、夏令營活動地點，可否從過去的封閉式改採開放式； 二、有關活動的內容，可否由年輕人自己來設計、執行。在得到神父的首肯，並邀請游璧如阿姨擔任我們的顧問，且挑選了洪建偉Tony Hung和我來負責推動後，二OO三年聖湯瑪斯教堂暑期青年夏令營的籌劃工作，就正式展開了。                

初試啼聲

首先是地點的選擇。七月二十六日晚上，我們十多位年輕人在張梅花阿姨家召開了一次會議；經票選結果，決定要去拉斯維加斯與錫安國家公園辦營活動，日期鎖定在八月十七、十八、十九日三天，預計參加者共50人。其中青少年40人，成人義工10人。青少年再分成八組，每組置小組長一人，負責照顧組員的安全。

接下來是租遊覽車、訂旅館、印製報名單與行程表，由Tony Hung，我以及八位小組長分頭進行。由於時間急迫，我們先以打電話或E-Mail的方式，調查還有多少青少年朋友願意參加。結果反應十分熱烈，名額幾乎有「供不應求」的趨勢，這使得Tony Hung和我大受鼓舞。

在此同時，從台灣嘉義阿里山到訪的鄒族原住民兒童合唱團一行二十人，在參加完于斌樞機逝世二十五週年的紀念活動以後，也有意與我們同行。為了拓展國民外交，我們當然表示歡迎；然對於那些報名太晚而「向隅」的其他朋友，我們只有說聲抱歉，並期待明年再來了。

行程點滴

一切準備就緒。

八月十七日上午，彌撒禮成後，呂神父特別親自料理了一大鍋味道鮮美的熱粥，請教友品嚐，奉獻隨喜；並將募款部分充作本次夏令營活動的補助經費。當天共募得$327.90。特別感謝Tony 的媽媽、Raymond的媽媽、Nini的媽媽為這場臨時熱粥義賣會準備小菜。

十一時，遊覽車開抵教堂。八位小組長立刻協助組員搬運行李，隨即傳協會主席馬叔叔發給教堂青年每人一個補助紅包，陳修女也上車帶領我們全車的人做行前祈禱。下午一時正，在神父與教友的祝福聲中，大夥兒興高采烈的踏上征途。

我們先去Monrovia的瑪利諾修女院接二十位阿里山小朋友、大朋友上車。在駛往拉斯維加斯途中，大家相互自我介紹，很快的就打成一片。這些原住民小朋友全都是第一次來美，不免充滿好奇，好在語言溝通並無障礙，營長Tony的美國式廣東腔國語也讓我們大家聽得喜孜孜。我們除了說笑話、玩遊戲，也不忘隨時介紹美國的風土民情與生活概況。不過，最精采的還是他們像天籟一般的歌聲，是那樣地寬厚柔美，繞樑三尺。聽神父說要邀請張惠妹小姐來教堂演唱，我們衷心期待神父的「心願」能因阿里山原住民兒童合唱團來美演出之後，而心想事成。

下午八時抵達內華達州賭城拉斯維加斯，天氣十分燥熱。我們住進希爾頓大飯店。晚餐在神劍城堡裡填飽肚皮。拉斯維加斯是一座不夜城，霓虹閃爍，燈火輝煌；車水馬龍，遊人如織，我們也在許多景點拍照留念。

 

第二天，八月十八日。上午九點鐘集合完畢，我們往第二個目的地：猶他州的錫安國家公園出發。車行兩小時，抵St.George市用午餐，十二時半再上路，約莫下午一時半，終於到達錫安國家公園。入園參觀，青蔥林木盡收眼底，且有奇巖深谷，流水淙淙；誠令人出塵洒脫，忘掉自我。天下壯麗的景色大都具有相同的氣質。不是嗎？

下午四點多鐘，我們搭乘遊覽車返回了拉斯維加斯的舊城，觀看閃亮的「燈秀」。九點我們回到飯店，晚上大家在希爾頓用餐。十一點多時，雖已感覺疲累，仍請李修女帶領我們做晚禱。大家將心情沉澱下來，結束忙錄的一天。

 

第三天，八月十九日。起床盥洗後，開始打包行李。九點到Mirage用餐及晀賞白老虎。十一點半，我們在Circus Circus兒童天堂佇足流連，大家玩得十分盡興。我們這群洛杉磯的大哥哥為了讓阿里山的小朋友每人都能帶一支美國的紀念筆回去，因此犧牲自己，拼命地投籃球，就算手酸了、腿累了也不怕苦，繼續投籃，為的只是一定要贏十五支紀念筆送給他們，讓他們讀書寫功課的時候，會想起我們。

下午一點半，踏上歸途，夏令營活動已近尾聲，儘管有些不捨，還是到了該離去的時候。在返回洛杉磯的路上，前方的車子出了意想不到的大車禍，使我們足足在高速公路上等了兩個小時。就在這樣煩躁不安的氣氛裏，李修女再次拿起麥克風，帶領我們全車一起為這車禍事件祈禱，願天主降福受傷的人，減輕他們的苦痛與焦慮。我們相信：天主與他們也與我們同在。我們也學習到：不論遇到什麼事，只要呼求天主，天主總是在我們左右，以祂的聖手扶持著我們。

巴士真正開始再啟動得時候，已經是六點多了，而就因這樣，鄒族原住民只好將跟別人定好了七點吃飯的飯局給取消。時間已晚，我們就決定在Barstow市用晚餐。回到洛杉磯的時候，原住民們已經在Holiday Inn訂好了房間，所以就請司機開到該點將他們放下。大夥在離情依依中互道珍重再見。我趕忙躲到暗角，擦拭眼中的淚光。晚上十一點多鐘，車抵聖湯瑪斯教堂，神父已在鵠候。想一想，時間也過得挺快的。今年的夏令營果然是一個別開生面的活動； 不過，也結束了。我現在只能期盼明年的到來。

 尾語

此次的夏令營活動能夠圓滿落幕，特別要感謝呂神父的大力支持，游璧如阿姨的辛勞帶領，家母的從旁指導協助，以及李修女、洪媽媽、彭媽媽、Andy叔叔的愛心付出。在「祇許成功，不許失敗」的自我要求，且時間有限的情況下，Tony Hung和我無不卯足了勁，全力以赴。我們總共召開了五次籌備會議，特別要求八位小組長必須負起照顧自己組員的責任；同時，為方便聯絡，我們也將所有小組長的手機號碼編印成冊，並製作營手冊，供大家參考。

憑良心說，這次的夏令營活動，小組長的任務十分繁重。他﹝她﹞們是由組員選出來的，也勇於承擔此任務；車輛行進時，大部分的車內活動項目，皆由小組長自己精心構思，動腦設計，然後帶領組員呈現出來。他們還要協助照顧組員的飲食起居與人身安全，並隨時掌握組員的行蹤。所謂「不經一事，不長一智」，小組長在這次的夏令營活動雖然付出許多，但也得到成長。讓我們為他們歡呼吧！  感謝天主！

 

 

 

Nini Huang                                                                        

黃于庭

E-Mail: azndumbily23@yahoo.com

 

Eagerly waiting and hoping, like the intense heat from the August sun, my feelings cannot be expressed in just a couple of words or sentences. From this 2003 summer camp at Las Vegas and Zion National Park, I’ve felt so much different emotions as towards the people and the places. Las Vegas is a place that I’m extremely familiar with, but due to the known faces, new companies, and visitors, I’ve encountered situations never before. Things are never the same once you’ve experienced it and even though we had a few dilemmas because of the haste preparation in a bounded time, the leaders were able to try to make the camp as much fun and save as possible. With seven leaders and two captains by my side, I’ve learned so much toward cooperation and teamwork. The most interesting part to this year’s camp was the combination of people with different languages and backgrounds: Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Taiwanese, and Taiwanese native’s language, causing the leaders to take up more responsibilities. Even though the camp was only three days and two nights, it was a great opportunity to meet more people. With their endless joy and enthusiasm, the Taiwanese natives brought their culture upon the trip and made this camp fill with excitement. With activities such as singing and playing games, we all got to know each other more deeply. In this camp, I felt such ecstasy as to see the children have such fun with their teammates and leaders. At the end, we left each other contacting information. I hope this heartily summer trip is the beginning of wonderful friendships.

           Being one of the leaders, I’m so touched and proud as to see the camp come to an end and successfully through. All our hard work and continuous hours of planning have finally paid off. This rare and scarce experience is meaningful and valuable. Without Father Gabriel, the parents and the adults, this camp would never have succeeded.  With deep gratitude and sincere appreciation, I really would like to thank all the grown ups for their help. After the camp, the summer is about to come to an end. Many people are ready to start another adventure, attending high school or leaving home to colleges and universities. I would like to wish everybody a great summer and God bless all of you. May God be in your heart wherever you go and lead you to salvation. See you next summer. Take care and good-bye.

 

        雀躍的期待之情，恰似八月的艷麗陽光那樣的炙熱，二零零三年的拉斯維加斯與錫安國家公園夏令營之旅，帶給我的心靈感受不是三言兩語可以形容的，對我而言，這些曾去過的地方､熟識與不相識的遊伴都給我許多前所未有的經驗。雖然從開始籌劃至夏令營結束，時間很緊促，我們也經歷了些許挫折和不儘理想之處，但所有的組長們均竭盡所能地做到安全與樂趣齊備；身為組長之一，我也學習到團隊工作的溝通與協調。此次夏令營最有趣的部份是結合不同的語言與生活背景的青年，我們之中有說英語、國語、韓文、臺語、粵語與臺灣原住民語，真是七嘴八舌、雞同鴨講卻妙趣橫生；這樣不同的組合也大大提高了每位組長的責任感。雖然短短的三天兩夜之旅，卻讓彼此有一個很好的機會多認識不同的朋友，就算已認識的，也有不一樣的另一面讓人驚奇，每一個人都滿懷歡樂與熱情共同參與；尤其是臺灣原住民小朋友帶來的山地文化與歌舞表演，更讓此次夏令營充滿激情與驚艷。透過團體活動如唱歌比賽、遊戲，彼此之間得到更深的認識，從不識到熟悉；我們也經驗了小朋友們和隊友、組長之間的互動關係。最後我們也都互相留下聯絡資料，希望這個充滿熱情的夏季之旅，祇是彼此友誼的開始而不是結束。

身為組長之一的我為這一次夏令營的完滿結束深深地感動與驕傲，終於我們為籌劃這次聚會所付出無數的時間與辛苦是非常值得的；這樣難得的經驗也是非常的珍貴與有意義的，當然如果沒有呂神父、各位家長與教友的支持與幫助是無法如此成功的，在此非常非常地感激所有幫助與參與我們成長的人。夏令營之後，暑假也即將結束，有的人即將開始人生另一段旅程，升高中或離家唸大學；我也誠摯地祝福所有的人有一個很美好的暑假，無論你即將行腳何處，願天主與你同在並時時護佑著你，我們彼此相約在明年夏天，珍重再見。

 

 

By Raymond Pang彭克文

 

First at all, I didn’t expect that we were having a summer camp in Vegas because it is way far from here.  For here I have to thank to the all the group leaders and camp leaders, Aunt Emilia, the parents and Fr. Gabe for supporting us with their money and time.  Tony and Paul, as the camp leaders spent lots of time comparing the prices of each hotel and going through the schedules because they wanted us to use the least money and had the greatest fun.  Those Taiwanese children who were going with us were gregarious and talkative, they brought us lots of fun and I felt comfortable hanging out with them.  This camp was so crazy and I would never forget the time we have spent in Vegas, and thank god for taking great care to all of us during the camp.

 

                                                            

By: Julie Lee

Hi my name is Julie Lee. For the past four years I’ve always been looking forward to every year’s summer camp.  This year’s summer camp was an extraordinary unforgettable camp.  The experience was totally different from any other camps I’ve gone to.  Being a leader really changed my perspective about every activity that was held, either on the bus, park, or the hotels. Of course since I’m a leader that means more work for me.  Starting from all the leader meetings to actually the camp itself and the follow up leader meeting it was work ,work and more work.  However, seeing smiles, hearing kid’s laughter, and the thought of just spending time with native kids was a great experience for me.

All the leaders and parents had devoted enormous amount of time in planning this camp.  From planning where to go, to which hotels to stay, to bus, to Zion National Park, to schedule, to picking songs, and to making the booklet.  Through these events I’ve learn a great deal on teamwork and how to compromise with other when thing doesn’t go my way.  I’ve also learned how important responsibility is.  On this trip to Las Vegas I’ve experience what it is like to lead a group and making sure they know what to do and look after them for their safety. For the pass three years I’ve only been a member I was never a leader. Though this experience I’ve grown though knowledge and understanding that responsibility is a great issue. 

  Most of you probably don’t know but I’m not Catholic.  However, for me I think getting to know this religion was really fun. That’s why I’ve been coming back for so many years. I’ve never pray at all however, during the spiritual prayer time I really got a chance to feel what it is like to be a catholic, this spiritual prayer was a really great experience for me. It gave me a chance to view other religion and understand them.

 When comparing this year’s summer camp to pervious year’s summer camp this year’s camp is so different because it was kind of like a road trip.  There were also kids from the other side of the world.  Those kids were really friendly to all of us including the adults. When I first heard about them I wasn’t that excited about this trip however through out the trip I’ve realized that they are just like us, just there to have a good time.  Everyone one on this camp had a chance to interact with those kids from across the world. All the members grew to love each other and cherish the time we had together.  When it was time to end many members part in tears many members part in joy knowing what a great time they had and holding onto a thought of returning next year.

 

 

Joe Lee

Vegas camp

August 22, 2003

 

        4 years ago I was invited to a church camp retreat for the St. Thomas Aquinas Church.  I can still remember how fun it was to just hang out with new people and to see strangers come together forming a bond as the camp comes to an end.  Every year the bond between the old members get stronger and new bonds are formed from meeting new members that attend the camp.  I can say strongly that as each year goes by the leaders put numerous amounts of time and hard work in order to improve the camp in every aspect possible. 

As for this years Vegas church camp retreat I can say that we as the leaders have done extremely well considering the fact that it was our first time bring a group of teens and a number of native children's to a new environment.  Before the trip the leaders spend hours planning the trip and worrying about every aspect of the trip.  Even though we had a late start on the planning the captains and leaders handled themselves and the problems that came their way during the trip very well.

In my first opinion of the trip, when I heard about 11-13 year old kids were attending I thought they might have been a problem for us because I just wanted to go there to hang out, meet new people, and have fun with my peers.  But after meeting them I realized how fun they were to have around and how special each kid was.  One thing we as leaders were worried about having them in Vegas was maybe the fact that we might lose someone or someone might get hurt.  That was one of our biggest concerns but we had no problem like that what so ever except for PAUL SON whom is not one of the kids but was someone whom we left behind at the end of the trip. HAHA.  Well anyways I feel that these kids had great impact on this trip because during prayer night we said mostly of how we felt about them because I know that each and everyone of us connected to them in some sort of ways, which I am glad that we did. These are the bonds, which are made at church camps like these, which I stated earlier.

As for the trip over all in my opinion I thought it had its boring times and fun times.  I thought that the trip to the national park and light shows was somewhat boring and In addition the long bus rides were long and somewhat boring at times but I'm glad that we were able to have many laughs and interesting stories to listen to.  Besides the bus rides I feel that just being at the hotel and hanging out with friends were the times which we had the most fun.  Just being able to just stay up and talk and just spend times with people that we normally don’t see everyday to me that was what I thought was fun.

Besides from all the fun I would have to give a big thanks to Tony.  As our Captain he has put so much effort into this camp and most of all worrying for the kids.  I learned to take my leadership spot seriously and to help out as much as possible as I can.  I would have more to say but as a procrastinator that I am it is already 6:00 and I need to be at the meeting lol so I’ll just end this leadership essay to this.  Thanks to the parents and leaders and captains and everyone at the camp for making this years 2003 Vegas church camp a Great Success.

 

 

 

2003 Summer Camp at Las Vegas

 By Alex Leung梁慶賢

            This year’s summer camp are at Las Vegas. And we have 18 Alishan kids around 11 – 13 with us. And this year is my first time to be a group leader ^^. The whole camp went though pretty well and have a lot of fun. My first time to be with the Taiwan native kids…wow… First day on bus with them are fine, but didn’t talk much. Second day went better and they start talking to us and have a lot of laughing. Third day even better, we even sing some Catholics songs games vs the Taiwan native kids, and especially my group have two crazy kids keep jumping on me and stuff. And last day at the bus we ask email’s and other stuff like phone numbers, so we can connect to each other easily. That’s it.

 

By Alan Fang 方恆毅

        I enjoyed the camp very much. It was an interesting experience. Although nothing went to schedule and we didn't do a lot of religious stuff, we were able enjoy ourselves. It was fun being with the kids from Taiwan. I learned a lot about their culture and how different they were from us. I hope to see them again and see how they've grown and find out if we made any impact on their lives. I hope camps like this one can continue. I feel with experience we can plan the trip much better and make it much more fun.

        I enjoyed being able to lead in this years camp. It was the first time we have ever had a trip outside of California, I was proud to be a part of it. Although we were on the bus a lot, it gave us a chance to talk to each other and get to know each other. We were able to talk to the kids from Taiwan a lot more than usual, since we were all confined to a small space as opposed to a large open area like our usual camps. It was easier to talk to the children because we were in such close quarters and there was not much else to do. I'm sure there a many ways to improve a camp like this, but i'm positive that this years camp was no less interesting and fun than the usual camps. I hope to be able to be a part of a camp of this magnitude next year, possibly not as a leader but as a participant. It was fun, I hope there will be many more like this in years to come.

 

 

By Leo Hung 洪建斌

        Wow! Another summer camp is over and another summer is going to be over soon.  First of all, I think this camp was a success thanks to the many people who helped out (Tony, Paul, Emilia, leaders, parents, church).  This year’s camp at Las Vegas and Zion National Park was pretty cool except for the fact that we had to sit in the bus for so long- maybe one third of the trip!  This camp was a unique experience for me since it was my first time being a leader in the three years that I had attended these camps.  In addition, it was fun meeting new people and getting to know people from a different country and culture.  Sadly, I didn’t really get to know the natives from Taiwan since I barely speak any mandarin; however, I think we were acquainted somewhat just by being around each other.  I think this camp was pretty awesome when we were in our hotels because that’s when I spend most of the time hanging out with my friends and peers- some things that went on was pretty crazy.  Another amazing thing I think that came out of this camp was that I learned that my brother, Tony was capable of crying, which most of us thought was not found of him.  Lastly, I think if I were to rate this camp on a scale of 1 to 10 and 10 being the highest, I would give this camp a 7, mostly because of ZION NATIONAL PARK.  God is Love…