Help! I’m getting old and I’m not matched and blessed yet - workshop in Neumühle, Bad Camberg, Germany

By David Hanna Supporters’ under Jane Toresen’s co- other BC’s were just as nervous and ordination. They provided a valuable uncertain about what was going to

W e just held a “25+ Matching and Blessing Preparation presence, talking with matching happen as I was. Somehow this helped Workshop” in Neumühle, candidates and with parents; we are me to calm down, to break the ice and Camberg, from 14-17 April. trying to find more ways to help older to actually have a great time with the Organised specifically for this older age blessed children, in particular, to find other BCs. It felt really good to talk to group and their parents, this was a new successful matches. In total there we other people who are 25 or older and style of workshop that we intend to hold were a hundred people, including fifteen still not matched or Blessed. I feel less twice a year. We had several sessions BFD and ESGD staff members. We had weird or helpless about it now, because where we met all together and two fifty-two written responses from I see that other people, who are really sessions where parents and young participants at the end, all very amazing, are in a similar situation. So people met separately. There were also appreciative and some with helpful the most impacting for me was to see some additional, optional activities and suggestions that we can use to improve how many cool people are still not plenty of time for important on this promising start – here are a matched (one is not necessarily socially conversations to take place. couple of them, from a young person awkward if one is not matched yet ) and from a parent: Talking to others helped a lot.” Camberg is such an ideal environment for such events now – with great food “My overall experience was really good. “I needed new direction from God – I from Setsuko and her team, and with At the beginning, I did not know what found it - including a prospect for my some local hotels being used to provide a to expect and was afraid the experience son. Lectures were great – so different bed for everyone. might turn out awkward. However, the from 3 years ago and much more staff created an easy-going and interactive. Very helpful suggestions, The Blessed Family Department has atmosphere and soon I realized that the support and inspiration.” been developing a network of ‘Matching