It was late at night on the 27th of February and Adela, the wife of one of our staff, is running up and down the stairs with clean bedsheets. Along with other staff and their wives, she’s preparing beds for a group of refugees. We’re not sure when they’ll get here, but we know that they will be tired and will need a warm place to rest before they continue their journey.
The next morning, things become clearer. The refugees are still on their way to PdF. We’re waiting for six adults and eleven children. Our volunteers prepare more beds. The staff kids make welcome signs. The moms come together to gather supplies, hygiene products, and small toys for our guests. The whole Center is vibrating with anticipation.
As the night deepens, through heavy snowfall, the group of refugees makes their way up the hill. We’re snowed in so the bus that brought them here can’t drive up but that’s no problem – their luggage is so small it can easily be carried. A small group of our staff and some volunteers lead them to their rooms.
They speak no english but we can easily see how grateful they are. The lights go off shortly before midnight. We all go to bed in silence, knowing that just next door to us there are 17 people whose entire life is packed into a few suitcases, three backpacks and a handbag.
The next morning, after breakfast, Anne asks the moms at our center if they have extra hats and mittens for children that they could donate. Some of us gather some winter accessories and go looking for the group. To all of our surprise, as we step outside, we’re overwhelmed by giggles and laughter. All eleven kids along with their parents are sledding down the hill, head first, enjoying a sunny and snowy day. As we give them the hats, scarves and mitts, we manage to connect a bit with one of the moms who speaks a little bit of Romanian. They are very happy and thankful that they got a good night’s sleep and for all of the snow. The joy in the kids’ eyes as we bring an extra sled is contagious. I guess even simple things like playing in the snow can bring you joy when you’re not surrounded by air raid alarms, tanks, guns and dropping bombs…
They stayed at our center for two nights. Before they left, one of the moms and her teenage daughter left us this note:
“Dear girls!
It was very nice for us to stay here at your center. Your smiles won us over! You are the best. We thank God that we could stay here with you. It was short but you and the way you cared for us will stay in our hearts.
From Nina and Vika,
God bless you!”
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