De La Mennais Brothers: Making Jesus Christ better known and loved by young people

The article linked at the bottom of this post was written by the bass player of Switchfoot, Tim Foreman (The band are favourites of mine and there was a Switchfoot song on our Indonesia/Japan tour playlist, "Love Alone Is Worth the Fight”). The band are all mad keen surfers. The article recounts a dramatic experience that Tim had while surfing somewhere that Team Win! now know: Bali, Indonesia! The end of the article is as follows: "... life is meant to be lived. And that means taking risks. We come alive when we step beyond the comforts of what we know. And it’s all too easy to just say “no” to the things that scare us. But who knows what’s waiting for you, beyond the safety of your apartment or your mobile device. Like fire in your veins: rebellion, adventure, the unknown." Congrats to Andy (Rolo), James + Harry for being willing to take a giant step outside of their comfort zones and embrace our Far Eastern adventure with all the encounters and experiences that made...

Here’s the link to the complete collection. It was a wonderful trip and the 3 other members of Team Win!, Andy (Rolo), James + Harry, were a credit to our school and to Liverpool. https://flic.kr/s/aHskUVBeN1

Listening to this wonderfully chilled out track by Rivers & Robots from their great album "The Eternal Son", relaxing after a busy day of English language work with adult learning groups and badminton in Larantuka, Indonesia... .... and this lovely track from Loud Harp. Sets up a calm, meditative groove and then this spine-tingley beautiful mid-8 comes in.

Easter Monday saw us having morning fun + games with 80+ children from the local parish in Larantuka. While we led the indoor activities (songs + dances inc. I am The Music Man, Macarena, Lord I Lift Your Name On High and arts + crafts), Bro. Andreas and a few of the 8 aspirants organised a football match outdoors with 30+ participants. This was followed by the return leg of the Aspirants FC vs. FIC/Team Win!, the latter made up of us 4 white-skinned, now sunburned English guys and the 5 local Brothers (French, Spanish + Indonesian). After a glorious victory for FIC/Team Win! 8-6 yesterday in the first leg, the Aspirants came out on top this afternoon 7-6, FIC/Team Win! winning on aggregate 14-13. See yesterday for a post first leg photo.

I saw Spielberg's adaptation of Roald Dahl's "The BFG" a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed it very much, despite it taking a little while to really get going as a story. Mark Rylance does a tremendous job with the giant. Not only is he friendly, he is warm, funny and touching and is well matched by young Ruby Barnhill. Jeffrey Overstreet has written a lovely appreciation of the film from the point of view of humanity's deep-seated dreams of "a benevolent presence in the cosmos". "In a world of absent fathers, disappointing leaders, and churches betrayed by corrupt leadership, it’s no wonder that even adults get teary-eyed when they watch these childlike ideals of faithfulness and consolation. We want someone who transcends human limitations but who is also capable of intimacy. We are inclined to look for someone who will catch us when we fall—but who can also catch a falling sky... Never underestimate the power of a story about someone who watches ov...

Photos from our first full day in Larantuka, Indonesia, including the walk to the local coastal shrine for their Good Friday morning liturgy involving the Stations of the Cross, a procession with a 500 yr. old statue of Our Lady of Sorrows, followed by a sea procession involving a flotilla of heavily laden boats of all shapes and sizes, the boat containing the statue leading the way. Catholic pilgrims come from all over the different Indonesian islands (and beyond) to take part in this and other subsequent Easter Triduum celebrations. Our guides were two young Indonesian Brothers whom the Brothers in Liverpool know well thanks to their stay for a few months in England about 5 years ago to improve their English: Bros. Andreas and Frengky. Bro. Blass who has recently finished his Scholsaticate (further studies after our initial year of training to be a Brother = the Noviciate). Bro. Andreas. The stage in the Pusat community centre. Our primary school wh...

Following on from previous trips to Africa and the 2015 project working with pupils of our Brothers' schools in Haiti, this Easter (leaving on Friday) I will be taking two current Yr. 12 students and a former student now in his mid-twenties (Andrew Rowan) on a De La Mennais Brothers Educational Project trip to Indonesia (9 days) and Japan (4 days). Our objectives are to: • learn about the lives of people from another culture and learn more about ourselves through shared activ ities e.g. workshops, dialogue, recreation, sport, music, etc... many summer camp-style activities from primary school children lead by our young people themselves • open our hearts to respond to the human, spiritual and material needs of others • change our vision of the world • develop skills and help others to develop theirs • learn to look back over our experiences and be able to share them with others. We will be visiting Brothers' schools, working with their primary school children and o...