August 16, 2005
USA & Canada

One can only build a house if a proper foundation has been laid. This summer, the kishores and kishoris of North America began to build a house on their already solid foundation of satsang. The theme for the Summer Shibir 2005 was titled "Our Vachanamrut: The Essence of Life" and the main objective of this shibir was to get kishores and kishoris to understand the mahima of the Vachanamrut and to implement those concepts into their daily lives.

The shibir was organized in a very unique way. From the mandir havelis, high schools, and colleges, this shibir was held in many different locations across the United States. During the registration process the kishores and kishoris had a chance to choose the classes that they wanted to attend out of the eight classes that were offered. Each classroom had a different topic and thus allowed for a variety of information to be discussed during the shibir. The kishores and kishoris then were able to choose one lab out of the three provided. These labs gave the participants a chance to learn interactively about the Vachanamrut.

One highlight of the shibir was the Vachanamrut fair. This fair gave the attendees a chance to learn visually. Through various games, videos, and trifolds, made by various kishore and kishori mandals across each region, the Vachanamrut fair provided a basis of help for the kishores and kishoris to learn more about the Vachanamrut. The shibir also had morning and evening programs which contained many informative speeches by Pujya Saints and also games and jokes which created an enjoyable environment. The kishores and kishoris left the shibir with smruti bhets of a sticker with P.P. Swamishri's ashirvaad to read the Vachanamrut daily and a bookmark to use in completing this daily satsang reading.

Overall the 2005 summer shibir was a great success because of the theme, the organization, and mostly because of the blessings and inspiration of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and Param Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj.

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