From July 31 to August 6, Alicante, Spain, hosted the first international Faith and Light youth meeting. Twelve of us came from Italy. I was nervous from the moment it was proposed to me—asking myself, why me?
When departure day arrived, my mother and I, along with Daniela, Martina, Sara, and Federica, met at the airport. We clicked immediately. We looked at each other and said, "Okay... let's start this adventure and hope for the best." When we reached Alicante, I ran into trouble with transportation, then with my room—though both were solved quickly. The problems had rattled me; I wanted to go home. My mother told me to stay calm, sleep on it, that I was seeing everything through dark glasses because I was tired, and that tomorrow everything would look different. She was right. The next morning, the previous evening's problems seemed never to have happened. Monday, the rest of the young people arrived—from Italy and around the world. Now we were complete, about 160 of us: disabled youth, some with a parent like me, but many were VOLUNTEERS who immediately, in the true spirit of Faith and Light, helped anyone in need without being asked. There were no differences among us—not in skin color, language, country, or even religion. There were friends of the Muslim faith too. I found myself dropped into a world brimming with color, overflowing with joy and enthusiasm: we radiated happiness from every pore, even though we hadn't yet begun the real work. We were just there, all together.
For the hundredth time, I had confirmation that Faith and Light is a calling you cannot say no to.
For the hundredth time, I had confirmation that Faith and Light is a calling you cannot say no to.
Each day we had a full schedule: morning prayer in the chapel after breakfast, then a seminar in the auditorium, then the beach or rest, lunch, a break, an international music session, another seminar, a break for sports, evening prayer, dinner, a party, and the day ended with free time to get to know each other better, with tastings of local specialties and drinks. It was all so engaging that I didn't notice the fatigue—I was too eager to hear the beautiful testimonies they shared. I kept thinking: but in my physical condition, what can I do? I'm the one who needs help. How can I help others? But as I kept listening, it hit me: of course I can. By showing others how Faith and Light makes us all feel good, every single one of us. And for the hundredth time, I had confirmation that Faith and Light is a calling you cannot say no to.
The day before we left, we were all very sad. We had celebrated the night before, but it didn't cheer us up. Really, we'd been growing sad since the middle of the week. The meeting was valuable because it gave us a chance to share experiences and make new suggestions, to talk about the challenges in our different communities. For me, it deepened what I already knew about Faith and Light.
by Arianna Giuliano, 2017