Young people from around the world began heading home yesterday after ending a three-day gathering in Aklan province organized to share “faith, freedom, friendship and fun.” Addressing delegates of the 19th International Youth Leaders’ Conference of the Youth for Christ and Couples for Christ movements, Bishop Jose Corazon Talaoc of Kalibo said caring for the poor is one of the world’s biggest challenges and of paramount importance. “We have many words in our midst – word of mouth, words over the internet, words from the media, among many words. But we must always remember that the most important is spreading the word of God,” Bishop Talaoc said at the opening ceremony on Friday. Some 8,000 young Catholics attended the conference. The event, dubbed the “Almighty Conference,” was held at Aklan State University in Kalibo. Organizers said thousands of young people gather for the annual event to experience the love of God. “In order for us to become effective communicators of the word of God to the poor, we must first equip ourselves with faith and prayer and we must always read the word of God and the Holy Bible,” Bishop Talaoc said. The delegates took part in various workshops on youth leadership, a battle of the bands, dance competitions, creative arts, worship and prayer. One of the highlights of this year's activities was training on environmental conservation as stewards of God.
