For some people Easter time is used to go home, to stay with the family. Others are going on holiday in some exotic place. But 13 young people from Cluj in Romania chose to go to a small poor village called Sai, with a traditional elderly Romanian, German and gypsy population. They were happy to see young and committed young people working, praying and adapting to the situation of the village.

We found God in serving the poor and homeless

From the first moment we could see the houses of the poor at the end of the village, they looked already as “wounds”, from outside. But inside we knew that there was life. There were many children who really longed to play with different toys than those like old clothes, homemade toys from founded objects. We were aware that is not easy to heal wounds, but we were also aware of our prayer which we said in the first days: “Lord teach me the wisdom of the small steps”. So we were there for them and that presence made changes and as some said: “we received more than we gave”. We realized that our presence in the village was very needed and that more than ever we needed to take care for two things: education and food. Many of the poor children have no food every day and that is not right, when so many Supermarkets throw away a lot of food. And many teachers do not like to work in the village because they are not that good paid. However we remember that joy of some children who learned to spell and write their names, the joy of some of us who were enabled to teach throughout the scouts games and the joy of letting people go from their problems and to look for practical solutions and to find their strength in God. There is a big difference between the poor of the village and the poor of the city. We saw that the homeless of the city try to survive from what they find on the street, from what they beg or from what ONG’s do. It seems organised, but somehow they like also a little bit of “andrenaline” and to not keep rules, but a kind of freedom of choice. and also from what. Many of them do not want to change their life of living, but they want to have someone next to them to not be alone.

We found God in living a simple life

In the fresh water from the well, homemade bread, cooking outside, sleeping on the floor, washing ourselves with cold water and having time with others in the beauty of the nature. It was also a fight against the need for internet, the need for mobile phone and the need to go out from our comfort zone. It was easier to imagine and fancy simple life dreams, but in reality is also a kind of struggle to adapt to a new way of living. It makes a better person to go out from the routine of daily life and to accept new challenges. Living a simple life is also working with those we usually do not look at, or those we almost think that we know their story, like that of the beggars, the gypsies or the insane. Simple life is also praying. Our prayers done in Church with the elderly people of the village made a difference through our adaptation to their way of praying and singing and sometimes bringing a good touch with musical instruments.

One of the volunteers described the experience of Mission of Easter like this: “It is hard to find the proper words after such a nice experience. The words “too good, too like in the countryside”come to my mind. I have in my heart the laugh and the happy faces of children, which if you see them just a little you would understand the joy of which I’m talking about. I have also the emotion of watching Fr. Jani washing and kissing the feet of unprepared, unclean... Jesus didn’t do the same? The freedom with which we went together with Andrea and the wonder of finding the way back without looking for. The blossom tree, the hug of the old woman from the street, Mr. Janos from the hospital, noise from the city and the calmness we met, the lunch of some cents and the joy of sharing with others. I have in my heart the fire of the evening, eating together with the poor children and from now on I decided not to eat alone anymore. In my heart is still sounding the joy of the Holy Eucharist, especially of the Gloria in the night of Easter. I enjoyed a lot the way to Emmaus, in nature. I enjoyed sleeping in the sleeping bag, cleaning the Church, cleaning some bricks and the sign of the hammer which passed away much more faster than this memories. I enjoyed the washing of dishes even when it wasn’t my turn . In my memory is stamped the generosity of the village people, all what they gave us, the friendship and the joy of staying together in prayer. I loved and I will love always the human people”.

Such experiences lift up to meet the risen Christ in those who are fragile and vulnerable. We just try to find Jesus in the place where we are and this experience makes a change.