The smiles in the eyes of the babies, completely aloof to the situation of the refugees in precarious conditions of survival. The full confidence with which they let themselves be cradled in strange unknown arms. Unknown? In the infinite unity of God? These and other thoughts arose in the hearts of the missionaries of the Greece Mission, accelerating the beatings and awakening a universal love for all people, from all races, to the whole humanity.
In that morning, the female missionaries of the Fraternidade – International Humanitarian Federation, were invited to collaborate in the reception to refugees that approached with their children to the institution Caritas Hellas, seeking some clothes to protect themselves from the intense cold of Athens. The volunteers dedicated themselves to look after the little babies, while the mothers selected the clothes they needed. The missionaries commented later that the experience was unforgettable.
“To be with these little angels transported us to another reality. It took us to a state of grace, love, purity. These babies showed us the exercise of surrender… of surrender to the arms of the Creator, they slept in our arms without fear, feeling safe, confident”, said Rosineide Freitas, a missionary. During the sublime experience the missionaries were praying the “Rosary for the Peace of the children in the war”.
In another moment, the group had the opportunity of living a similar experience of love with fragmented families. Escaping the violence in their countries, the families recently arriving to Greece and to Caritas Hellas tried to rebuild their clothes appealing to the international institution of charity. “In the contacts that we manage to have with the refugees, we always try to stimulate joy, hope, so that they may find the inner strength that can allow they to begin again”, said the missionary Imer.
He described that usually it is the women with children who manage to emigrate and arrive loaded with sadness. “They are many women, especially those who come from Syria, who tell us the torments they had to undergo, the bombs that did not stop falling, the meaningless deaths that begin to suffocate them until the pain becomes unbearable and, then, they begin to escape, in a desperate quest for a ray of hope”.
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