The three-day Eucharistic Youth Leadership Bootcamp (August 14-16, 2026) at Dat Hua (“Promised Land”) Youth Center in Cu-Chi, Ho-Chi-Minh City was an exodus experience. I brought my own fiery heart as a religious brother into an unfamiliar environment filled with new faces, a far cry from my daily routine. Yet the deeper I journeyed with these young people, the more my heart was set ablaze by lessons far outside my comfort zone.
Accompanying the youth is a central mission of the Society of Jesus. For that reason, several young Jesuits, myself included, participated in the Horeb 117 and Tabor 39 bootcamps organized by the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Movement. We were there not only to learn leadership skills, but to live among our brothers and sisters, allowing God to form us through the people and events we encountered.
My heart was filled with joy and ablaze with the spirit of love during those three days. Yet this was more than just a collection of valuable lessons or beautiful memories. It was a Paul-like, eye-opening experience: being struck blind to learn how to be led, and ultimately being transformed for mission.
Discovering My Smallness
At first, I was prepared for a straightforward leadership development course. As the days unfolded, however, I realized it was a true school of humility. My existing knowledge proved insufficient. Tasks were completely different from what I had anticipated. Like Saul on the road to Damascus, I needed to humbly learn how to be led by others.
My physical eyes were wide open, yet I needed to become spiritually “blind:” less reliant on my own abilities and more willing to be guided. What I once considered my weaknesses became opportunities to grow. Only by acknowledging my limitations could I open myself to formation and recognize the treasures already present in the brothers and sisters around me.
Seeing the Fire Burn
While my shortcomings highlighted my limits, the enthusiasm of the trainers and participants kindled a fresh fire within me.
Despite a demanding workload and physical weariness, they kept pushing forward. They eagerly took on new tasks right after ones were completed. Moreover, the participants did not merely complete their own assignments; they actively reached out to help others. No one sought to keep the fire for themselves. Instead, they passed it from person to person, quietly yet persistently.
A shared flame does not diminish; together, it burns stronger and brighter. Receiving that flame touched me deeply and rekindled a religious zeal which had at times been dimmed by routine.
Recognizing the Holy Spirit
At Damascus, Saul’s eyes were opened to see Christ. In this bootcamp, I witnessed no dramatic miracle, yet my eyes gradually opened to recognize the subtle footprints of God.
Small gestures linger vividly in my memory: a helping hand extended to someone exhausted, a word of concern, or a person quietly staying behind to help another complete a task. Fraternity was not expressed through grand speeches; it was written in small acts of genuine love.
I was especially moved by the sight of young people forming two long lines to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. A light rain began to fall, yet the lines stretched silently onward. No one rushed. Amid the chill of the afternoon, it was a breathtaking scene: young people, of their own free will, joyfully choosing to line up and return to God, preparing renewed hearts before encountering Jesus in the Eucharist.
After hours of energetic activities, small groups would gather in silence before the Blessed Sacrament at the center of the camp. Truly, God continues to guide us quietly, like the pillar of cloud in the desert of old. He does not necessarily make the road easy, but He ensures that we do not lose our way.
Being Transformed in Christ
I did not just encounter Christ in formal lessons, but in the ordinary details of camp life: an unfamiliar sleeping place, a simple meal, and a packed schedule that demanded putting others first. There I realized that the camp does not primarily train skills; it trains the heart.
I learned self-emptying: setting aside my opinions to listen to leaders and team members; giving up comfort to adapt to the schedule; and letting go of theoretical ideals to become a genuine brother to others. In these mundane ways, I learned to step back so others could step forward.
I also learned commitment. Watching these young people generously offer their time, energy, and youth in service to children, I asked myself: If these young people can give so much, then what am I, a Jesuit who has received so many gifts, giving back to God and to His people? It felt not like a burden of responsibility, but an invitation of love.
Receiving to Give
If you were to ask what I brought to the camp, I would not have much to list. I brought moments of sharing God’s Word with sincerity and devotion. I prayed, shared, and listened alongside the participants to what the Holy Spirit was stirring in each heart.
Yet the deeper I entered the course, the more I realized that although I thought I had come to give, I was actually the one receiving.
I came to share God’s Word, but it was God’s Word that enlightened me.
I came to give fire, but it was young people who rekindled the fire within me.
I came to accompany others, but it was my brothers and sisters who guided me.
I came to serve, but it was I who was served.
When we open our hands to give, God places something new into those very hands.
Living what has been Received
The bootcamp eventually came to an end. The tents were taken down, but the journey of exodus never truly stops. Each of us returned to the familiar rhythms of daily life, carrying with us the flame kindled at the camp.
Now, in the ordinary moments of each day, through prayer, Holy Communion, self-giving and apostolic service, we gradually learn to find and encounter God in all things.
Hoang An & Duc Ba, S.J.
