Shillong Notes – 1

Greetings from Shillong!

Over the next few days, I’d like to share a little of what the Lord is doing here. There are a few Jesus Youth programmes happening, and I hope these notes will help you journey with us. More than just reading them, I hope you’ll become a part of this mission through your prayers.

This journey began in a very ordinary way.

A few weeks ago, Raiju Verghese dropped in at my home. During our conversation, I mentioned that I had completed my responsibilities as the Principal of the college at Kumily and was now back home. He casually asked whether I would be free to come to Shillong for a ten-day training programme. I didn’t really say “yes.” I just nodded.

A few days later, our former National Coordinator called and shared the dates. That was when I realised this was not just a passing conversation. The Lord seemed to be opening another door.

Ever since then, one thought has remained with me: Will my being here make any difference to anyone? I really don’t know. I still don’t.

But perhaps that is how the Lord often works. He doesn’t ask us to know the outcome; He simply asks us to be available. So I have been placing this programme on the altar every day during Holy Mass, asking Him to do whatever He wishes through all of us.

The National Jesus Youth Office took care of all the travel arrangements, so I didn’t have to worry about tickets or logistics. I could simply prepare my heart for the journey.

Today, while travelling, a few old memories surfaced.

The first took me back to 1986. The first All Kerala Campus Team had just been formed. Soney Emmanuel was the coordinator, and I was one of the seven members. We divided among ourselves all the Catholic colleges in Kerala and decided to pray for them every day.

What was beautiful was the simplicity of our decision. We agreed to pray for the colleges while brushing our teeth each morning! Such a small resolution, yet I was able to continue it for several years.

We also made another simple decision. Whenever we happened to pass a school or college—even from a bus—we would quietly pray for that institution, its students, teachers and staff. Over the years, I cannot count how many such silent prayers have been offered.

Another memory came from 1997, during the preparations for the Jesus Youth ’97 Conference at Aquinas College, Kochi. The states of India were entrusted to different zones in Kerala for prayer and mission initiatives. It was another reminder that every mission is first born in prayer.

This morning, 2 July 2026, I left Kanjirapally. By evening I had reached the programme venue near Shillong. As the flight crossed state after state and as we travelled by road, I kept wondering how many educational institutions we had passed. Each one reminded me of those old resolutions made many years ago. They quietly returned today, almost like the Lord reminding me that some promises are never meant to end.

At Guwahati Airport, I met up with Raiju Verghese, Neil and Jeoff Jomon, and we travelled the rest of the journey together. It was good to have companions along the way.

As these days unfold, I’ll continue writing whenever I can—not so much to give an account of the programme, but to share what I see God doing, both around me and within me.

Please keep us in your prayers. Pray for every participant by whom the Lord has a dream. Pray for the organisers, the volunteers, and all of us who are accompanying them. If these notes help you remember us before the Lord even for a few moments each day, then you too are part of this mission.

Thank you for walking with us.

With love and prayers,

From Shillong

Dr Chackochan Njavallil