A publication of St. Thomas Marthoma Yuvajana Sakhyam, Kuwait - Vol. 2
St. Thomas Yuvajana Sakhyam Outdoor Activities YS s a m eam o Th et T . t S ick Cr
One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: To rise above the little things
From the President ...
Editorial Board:
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Rev. Thomas Koshy P. (President)
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John Sam George (Chief Editor)
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a 36 meter high 27 meter wide structure carved in stone. We took a group photo against the backdrop of the Treasury. The final sequence of the film “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” was shot here. A publication of St. Thomas Marthoma Yuvajana Sakhyam, Kuwait - Vol. 1
Bobby Johnson George (Sub Editor) Simmy Varghese (Sub Editor) Biju P. Abraham Elizabeth Mathew Thomas Varghese
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We walked further and saw tombs of the high officials and royalty. There was an amphitheatre carved from stone on a sloping terrain. We were told that further down the road was the Monastery and the High Place of Sacrifice. According to Arab tradition, it is where Moses’ brother Aaron (Haroun) was buried - known today as Jabal Haroun - and Petra is the spot where Moses (Musa) struck a rock with his staff and water came forth - the valley in which Petra is sited is called Wadi Musa. (Jabal – mountain & Wadi – Valley) We walked back to the entrance and a few took horse cart ride which was extremely bumpy. After a good lunch at Petra, we headed back to Amman. We sang and played in the coach and checked in at Hotel Days Inn in Amman for a good night’s sleep and well deserving rest. That was our last night in Amman before proceeding to Israel the next day morning. We couldn’t get back to Amman early enough to explore the wonderful city of Amman. After a long tiring day, the children and the elderly were not in any mood for exploring Amman!! May be another time!! (To be continued....)
Reflections
by Nishanth Chacko
Sense of Christmas
“We are earnestly blessed to celebrate Christmas. As we celebrate this joyful Christmas season, and remember the birth of our savior, let us not forget that there are yet 2.77 billion people in this world have never heard of the birth of the world’s savior Jesus. There are 66,000 people dying every single day without hearing this “good news”. Close to 35,000 children are dying each day of famine or malnutrition or diseases caused by malnutrition 160,000 Christians are being killed by persecution every year around the world. Why is there so much suffering & pain? I have come to the conclusion that the only logical explanation is that all Christians are not following God’s dream for their life. Jesus primary message was, “The Kingdom of God is here (Mathew 12:28).” Then he passed on authority to the apostles, the church and to all believers to heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead, give to the poor, feed the hungry, cloth the naked, take care of the sick and visit those in prison” (Mark 16:15-20; James 5:1418; Mathew 25:31-41 & James 1:27). So the question is in this Christmas, what is the dream that God has entrusted for your life? Jesus sacrificed everything for us when He was born to save us from our sins. The only thing we can take to heaven is yourself (John 3:16), our prayers for others (Rev 8:4), our good deeds (works done through faith -1 Cor 3:10-15) and the souls that come to Christ (Mathew 28:18-20). Our title, education and things we have can’t be taken. Have you invested in eternity? Have you spent time investing in the dream God has for your life?”
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Travel Biography
by Thomas Philip
TRIP TO THE HOLY LAND We have been fortunate to travel to many places in the world, but none quite like the trip we undertook to the holy land during the Eid-Al Fitr holidays in September 2009. It was the first trip of its kind arranged by our parish and was lead by then vicar Rev. Sunny Thomas. There were 33 members in the group, which comprised mainly of our parish members but there were some from our sister parishes as well. It was a good mixture of young and old - from 5 years to 65 years - mixing well the exuberance of the youth and the experience of the old. It was real blessing to have such a good group, always supportive of each other. The tour was organized by our members Mr. Vijoy Alexander & Mrs. Nirmala Alexander. The trip to the holy land certainly was a dream come true experience. A trip to the holy land, to visit those places where our Lord had walked, preached and performed miracles is a dream for every Christian. To actually visit those places where once stood the temple built by King Solomon and where not so long ago was Jesus born, grew up, got baptized and spent his time in the public ministry & his final days leading to crucifixion and resurrection was undoubtedly an overwhelming experience. Though visiting for the first time, yet those places - Bethlehem, Nazareth, Capernaum, Galilee, Jerusalem, Mount Olives, Jericho … etc. - were so familiar to us from the scriptures ever since from our childhood days!! The trip indeed was a home coming so to speak, a trip to the very origins of our faith!! The first leg of the tour was Jordan and we landed at the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman late afternoon. Many in the group had unpleasant memories of going through the Amman Airport at another point in time – during the evacuation of the Indian expatriates after Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. We were met at the airport by our first guide Mr. Ibrahim and as soon as we finished with the visa formalities, were set off to “Petra” (meaning rock in Greek) in a luxury coach. We were excited to visit Petra, which had been recently polled as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. During the bus trip, Ibrahim introduced to us the country Jordan and its rich history. We had a long drive to Petra stopping once for a short coffee break. We reached Petra in great spirits and checked into Hotel Petra Panorama just in time for dinner. We had a good sleep and woke up to realize that the hotel was overlooking the breath-taking rocky mountains of Petra. After the breakfast we left the hotel for the Petra site to reach there early before it got too crowded. The ancient city of Petra is one of Jordan’s national treasures and by far its best known tourist attraction. Petra is now a UNESCO world heritage site that enchants visitors from all corners of the globe. Petra is the legacy of the Nabateans, an industrious Arab people who settled in southern Jordan more than 2000 years ago. It is a complete city carved in a mountain. The huge rocks are colorful, mostly pink. The entrance to the ancient city is through a 1.25 km narrow gorge in the mountain—called the Siq, the walls of which soar some 200 meters high. Petra’s most famous monument, the Treasury (Al Khazneh), appears dramatically at the end of the siq. The first sight of the towering facade of the Treasury was stunning, which reminded me of my first sight of the magnificent Taj Mahal through its ornamental gate. The Treasury is
Christmas Message
by Valiya Thirumeni.
Christ-centered
life
By many discoveries and adventures, man as scientists has tried to prove the thought that he can carry on in this world independent of God .History shows us that man has failed miserably in this. Where man failed, God entered. He lived with man and proved to man that life in this world, according to the will of God, is possible. God has not done anything which is impossible for a man to do. All that he has done in this world is what any human being can do. The message of Christmas : Christ should be the centre of one’s life.
Poem The Hand I didn’t take The night was cold, and so was I, Racing back home just to be warm again. The thought of my candle-lit room was simply too luring!! The lights turned red just in time. But I couldn’t cross. I was being tugged. Glancing over my shoulder }with a scowl{ I see her face. Otherwise beautiful if not for the deathly paleness She was cold…………… very cold But so was I! And I didn’t have any warmth to share. I pulled free
by Nissy Sara
’Reached home to my lovin, bed,after my lovin’ meal. So, why was I still cold? I close my eyes shut and hug my self tighter. Her face……………… her cold …………………………hands her dry, empty, parched stomach! I cringe back; the pain is in my heart this time. And I suddenly realize with dawning certainty- I am colder! Colder Than The Hand I Didn’t Take!!!