Young people of Eucharistic Youth Movement on a missionary trip.

In July eleven young people from the different areas of MEG went on a missionary trip to Brazil: "We have discovered a love that moves everything, that gives colour to life and nourishes faith. We have discovered a land where faith is so tangible and people experience the Lord and see Him present in their daily lives", one of the young people wrote." This has been a deep life experience. Each of us had fears which we needed to discard and desires to fulfil.

The meeting with the different communities and the experience of deep welcome were preceded by the National Conference of MEG Brazil, which was attended by about 150 young people, delegates and coordinators of the various countries where the Movement is present today. "In those days we felt as if we were at home, at our conferences, both during the assemblies, led by Fr Claudio Barriga SJ, as well as during the time of prayer animated by guitar music and the illumination of many candles in front of an icon of Jesus. This moment seemed to express to us the simplicity of an vital and spontaneous faith. In those days the music was continuous and contributed to making us all feel even more united". The days were marked by traditional local songs and dances, accompanied by the rhythm of large drums and the fluttering of colourful clothes.

"We were left speechless by the wonderful discovery of the concrete presence of the Lord with us during the mission: we felt that Jesus was there and that he accompanied us and welcomed us into the homes of the people we were visiting. We were His instruments to simply carry His Word and His Love to the people. What we did was just go out and knock on people's doors to get to know them and support them. It was incredible to observe the spontaneity of the young people of the MEG of Brazil who read a passage from the Bible to each person we met and always found the right words to say in the situation, bearing witness with faith to the Lord. The stories of suffering and love that people have recounted will always remain in our hearts.

In this country we have experienced how the realities of poverty, suffering and pain can be lived joyfully without any difficulty because they are embraced with a deep faith. The people we have met have taught us that one can always find value in the smallest of things, that we must have the same courage as those who have nothing and that we can always offer our nothingness as a gift to those we encounter. We have experienced acceptance without measure. Faith and love have overcome the fear of not being able to communicate even where the language seemed an obstacle, when the words seemed incomprehensible, we managed to create a strong fraternal bond with all the Brazilian young people we met. In a very short time, we discovered that we shared not only fears, but also many dreams and desires. Each of them was an instrument of love, an example of a deep faith and immense joy that seemed to us to belong particularly to that land. We thank the Lord for all His work, for every single moment and for meeting Him in the eyes of those whom we have encountered in this incredible journey".