News from Desert Flower in Gdansk

A few random reactions of the youth on the first day:

“A place full of history, nice people who received us with warmth and love”.

“Good weather, a trip full of experiences, much beauty, serene and good atmosphere. Very generous hospitality. A real spiritual experience.”

“A long, exhausting way but moving hospitality which is a recompense for all that we passed through along the way. The local Sunday mass gave a feeling of security and acceptance.”

“After a very tiring trip it was liberating to reach the families, to rest, to talk together and to pray together.”

The day began with mass in the Church of Saint Francis, where we received some of the readings and the songs in Hebrew. After mass, we went to see the site of Westerplatte, the peninsula where the Second World War broke out on September 1, 1939. Today the site is a national memorial, a symbol of hope that there will be no more wars. There, we prayed that God would make peace on all fronts, in our hearts and in the world.

Another beautiful and moving visit was to the center of Solidarity, the movement that opposed Communist rule in Poland. The factory, that today is a museum, explains the path that lead Poland from a Communist regime to a democracy. The most outstanding personality in the exhibition is the person of the Pope Saint John Paul II, native of Poland who was very active in the period of transition.

The day ended with great joy in the garden of one of the families who are hosting us. They set up a barbecue with all kinds of different delicacies. We sang and danced together until 21.00 when we prayed in honor of Mary, Queen of Poland. We then went to bed to refresh our strength for the next day.