In the evening, everyone meets in front of the cross
On Saturday, 250 children and staff moved to one of Diospi Suyana’s festival grounds. The camping trip had been eagerly awaited by the children. Workshops and sporting competitions thrilled the participants. The food was hearty and by nightfall everyone was sitting on their cushions in the center of the grounds. Songs with movement exercises warmed everyone up right away.
Then three people talked about their lives. Urologist Dr. Benjamin Zeier talked about his childhood, which was not easy for him as an adolescent. Lindsey Leon from our media center explained how the temporary separation of her parents had shaken the whole family. A new beginning was only possible through forgiveness. And finally, surgeon Lukas Steffen explained how a drug addict who had spent time in prison became a completely new person. Stories like these speak to the reality of the boys’ and girls’ lives. Many of them know alcohol, drugs, broken relationships and fear from their own painful experiences.
But there is hope, said the three in front of the brightly lit cross: “Jesus brought light into our lives. He can make everything new!” I’m sure many of them spent a long time in their sleeping bags thinking about what they had heard. /KDJ
