30/05/2021

Why is it called compartiriado? I couldn't tell you... You go from 8:30 to 11 because it suits you and at the same time you help society a little. I give, and I go home being a better person. What a fuss about changing the names of things... A volunteering experience like always.

The difference between the hen and the pig is clear. The first lays an egg and continues with her hen life without too much disturbance, the second, however, to give a good chop has to die.

A widow puts two small coins in the temple treasury. In her austerity, she is an example of generosity, even having little or nothing, she gives everything.

We may have everything, even that extra time to help others on Saturday morning, it is clear that we do not lose everything but... Should we learn to lose everything? Should we learn to be poor? We want to look, accompany, care, share what is ours, and we also want to resemble our little brothers, so, so great in the eyes of God. We have much to learn from that gaze.

We believe that understanding the why of things leads us to do them more freely. Leaving behind commitments and fulfillments, which make something as great as giving remain a game for good children. We don't want good children, the Compartiriados of Barcelona have to be full of attempts of little widows, of chops, of some hen becoming a pig...

Full of the image that most reminds you that to Live Life it is necessary to die to the life that settles for giving little.

10/04/2021

I, who have traveled so much to find myself closer to God (Fátima, Rome, Lourdes...), could not have imagined that the purest, truest, and most revealing encounter would happen that afternoon.

I will not go into formalities, as we all know how rewarding it is to be able to help someone in need. But what happens when the roles are reversed? When the needy help and the helper is more in need than ever.

That afternoon, among others, we met Ricardo who, humble and smiling, accepted the food bag we had prepared. His kindness invited us to sit and talk with him. Full of doubts, prejudices, and fears, we began our great encounter.

As the conversation unfolded, we ended up talking about God and what He meant to each of us, and then Ricardo began to tell us about his way of understanding faith. Inevitably, our eyes filled with tears. I remember perfectly that he told us he believed in God above all things, that he held no grudges, and that he knew God had something good reserved for him.

Then, I began to be the one in need; I needed to keep listening to him, to keep soaking in from him. Paradoxically, Ricardo was immensely rich, RICH - IN FAITH. Then, I realized he had given us something we could never match, that we could never give back, the purest gift with incalculable value, he gave us a lesson in faith.

That night I felt needy, ashamed, naive, and enormously small in front of Ricardo. Christ lives, and there He was, more alive than ever, in front of us, purer and more real than we could have imagined.

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10/03/2021

“I’m sorry if I talk a lot, it’s just that I usually don’t have anyone to talk to”. But what are you saying, Rafa! Let’s talk! L E T ’ S T A L K. You and me. Talk to me because I want to listen to you, I’m going to talk to you so you listen to me. Let’s talk. Christs of the street. Jesus in the street. Whatever you do to each of them, you do it to me. But, what about what You do to me? Because it’s You who is there. It’s You who wants to talk. Jesus, God, Living God. God wants us to talk. Look at them, I was looking at them. I looked at Rafa, and I saw the Light. He was there, in his porch, in his corner, on his blanket, in that little piece of Heaven. The Heaven of those who live a hell, there he is, there is Rafa, there is Jesus. “I just want them to look at me, to smile at me, to treat me as an equal.” But equal in what? If they are way ahead of us. Way ahead. They know suffering, they live in it, they are stripped of what should never be taken from anyone, dignity. They don’t have the minimum, the minimum to live. And what do they want? What are they looking for? For you to look at them, to smile at them, to treat them as an equal. It’s very powerful, it’s living humility. It’s the strength that comes from having nothing to keep going. To keep fighting. To keep living. I want to learn from them!

And so we have been, talking and talking. And leaving things for next time. Because this is what Let’s Talk is about. Opening up and talking. Talking and listening. Sharing, living with you. Being part of a God who does not just watch, a God who lives and suffers. Let’s Talk is the simplest act of giving, of surrendering and receiving. Let’s Talk is the essence of what we want to be, necessarily joyful, scandalously happy. All for all. Hopefully we never stop talking.
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09/15/2018

Jesus, this trip has marked me, make sure I never forget it. It has turned my life upside down. First of all, you used all the suffering and pain I saw in Calcutta to break the thick layers I had around my heart, layers of superficiality, selfishness, and foolishness, which “advanced” society gradually places on us. Because Jesus, there I realized that in reality, we are the poor. The materially poor do not have all those layers in their hearts. Their hearts beat exposed because it is the same aching heart as Yours.

Through Calcutta, You had many things to tell me, but now, Jesus, my place is here, with my family and friends; and You have sent me to bear witness, so that others through me can know what Calcutta is. I don’t want to disappoint You, but You know well how weak I am, so either You help me or it’s impossible for me to s쳮d. I never want to forget the words a priest told me: “Don’t try to defend Jesus yourself because that is harder, simply let Him defend you, your God.”

In Calcutta, I realized the infinite thirst You have for me, much greater than the thirst I have for You. You made me see it through a sick girl who asked me for water. I gave her a glass, another, and another; but she kept drinking eagerly as if her thirst could not be quenched with that water. Then I realized that You were looking at me through that girl, that those discouraged eyes were Yours telling me “I THIRST.”

How lucky I am to have met You, Jesus, how fortunate I am! May I never, never, never stray from You, please help me, my Mother intercede for me. I want to soak up more of You, so that You may live in me. I want to let myself be loved by You, and give that Love of Yours to others.

You still have much to do in me, but although I know it is difficult with all the filth I have inside, I also know that You can do everything, so now I say to You from my heart: “Lord, if You want, You can heal me.”

Now in my family, I want to bring Your Joy, Your illogical Love; and always be there for whatever You want me to do for You. May You continue changing my heart of stone into one of flesh, I beg You.
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30/05/2016

Today I just spent a moment at the Brothers of the White Cross center for the disabled. It seemed like not a day had passed since last year, everything was the same. I didn't expect any of the disabled to recognize me, much less Jali. I was wrong.

Last year this good man stole my heart by ignoring me, I always followed him and stayed by his side while he looked through the fence. I thought I was a nuisance to him, today I saw that was not the case.
When I arrived he stopped eating when he heard me and turned around, when I approached he gave me the most beautiful smile and hug in the world. I have to admit tears came to my eyes thinking he recognized me and remembered me. How could that be? I was with him only three days and it was a year ago...

This made me come up with two ideas: The first: he was happy to see me and remembered me, even though it had been a year since he last saw me. What an irony, right? This love I received today reminds me of someone. Yes, His. God's Love is so great that even if I have only paid attention to Him for one day or never, when I visit Him He welcomes me with open arms, with a big smile from ear to ear and goes crazy with joy. He doesn't take into account all the time I haven't been there, He doesn't care, the only thing He wants is to embrace me again because I have returned to Him.

The second idea is that when I thought I was bothering Him or not being useful just by being by His side looking through the fence, even if I was silent, even if I didn't caress Him, when I thought it was better to go with some disabled person who would answer me, when I thought He didn't value my presence He was indeed valuing it. He was more than valuing it, He was needing it. How foolish we are sometimes, right?

The same happens with Him. There are times when I am before Him and I think I don't know what the heck I am doing. That He doesn't answer me, that He doesn't need me because I don't see any response. Here the phrase I like so much from The Little Prince comes to mind: "what is essential is invisible to the eyes." What a great truth. He is not shouting in my ear, nor do I see His smile, nor do I feel His hugs, but they are there. Just as Jali did not express his love and need for me in the way I am used to, they were there. Sometimes I think I am in the oratory bench just to fill a spot, but that He doesn't listen to me. Many times I think He doesn't need me, that I am just another body. But I am wrong, He needs ME, and YOU, personally. He doesn't need men or humanity, He needs Juan, María, and Carlota uniquely, each one of us. I am grateful for this hug that made me see that I have to look beyond visible gestures, that one must look with the heart, that what is essential is invisible to the eyes and that the essential is Him.

I have learned that when I need signs of His love I have to remember Jali's hug and every sign of affection I receive from my family and friends. All those smiles I receive every day transmit a little bit of His Love.

25/04/2022

It's been two days since I returned to my reality and to Madrid, to my hectic life that I love. But I haven't come back the same. Reality has overwhelmed me.

I knew I was going to see a reality that would impact me, what I didn't expect was that 41 Ukrainians and 14 little people would become HOME.

And the truth is we haven't done anything, literally. Everything has flowed. We have accompanied them, because that is what we wanted: to share life with them.

We have laughed like never before, danced, painted with our hands and cleaned with our feet, walked, got sunburned, cooked, cried, prayed, and even carried the Virgin in procession through the whole town... truly nothing was missing. We had God, and God alone is enough.

These have been incredible days, but unfair. We have lived through the war in Ukraine, shared their stories, their fears, and their uncertainty.

I went to give myself, to serve them, and I have come back full. Learning, valuing, and being grateful. The magic and essence of sharing. We are in need.

10/12/2022

Family!!! I'm writing to you because we just came from the men's prison in Seville!!! I think you all need to know this. It was a zambomba and after so many Christmas carols we explained what Hakuna was and that's why we were there and that we were especially excited to pray/sing at night with them (there were 80 men). We all got down on our knees and it was the most beautiful prayer I have ever made in my life. You don't know how many were moved, others with their hand on their heart, another with their hand raised in prayer mode... I don't know, something happened there and it wasn't us. When it ended, they all stood up without stopping applauding, but nonstop. And we told them now to our mother and with great joy all 80 hugged, jumping with Mother of Hakuna, hugging, happy, singing... they were all delighted, they thanked us and we already talked about coming back to do the Passion concert for them!!! And we're going to try to do an hour of adoration inside!! It was incredible.

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08/05/2022

I thought I knew everything about volunteering. I have experienced it all, days in nursing homes, handing out sandwiches… And suddenly I find myself in Ecuador, on the other side of the world, in the middle of a village, “living with them” they told us. At first, I thought it was easy: “what a bunch of kids traveling half the world to be useless”. I didn’t mean it badly, but I had a restlessness inside and I didn’t understand the division in my life. One day going out partying peacefully and another day accompanying an elderly person about to die. And never, in any organization, trip, or project I have participated in, have I been able to answer this division, except here, with Hakuna, with God.

The answer is yes. Yes, I have participated in projects to give myself a pat on the back, to fill the inner guilt I have sometimes felt for having what others do not have. Yes, I have felt that the one doing those things was another me, a different person from the one who goes to class and has a drink with friends afterward, who takes a long time to get up in the morning and gets annoyed with her little sister when she gets on her nerves. And I can’t explain how I have felt the presence of God in every little detail of sharing. You are right, it’s useless to do something “for God” if it’s not “with God” and “from God.” And you can tell. Even painting walls, sanding them, and cleaning a garden is divine… the contact between us, and with the people of Sabanilla was… from another world. You all know what we lived, but I had never experienced it like this. How you taught me to prepare my heart to make room for the love I was going to receive, and how you responded to the restlessness that was arising in me. How you let me see that it wasn’t mine, that I had absolutely nothing to do with all that, and the amazement and the way even the dust on the streets, the Amazon rain, the water coming out of the whales (I promise I never thought I would get so emotional seeing whales), and even the lack of oxygen on a volcano were breathed with wonder. And it was God who was doing all this through specific people, now I know. “I will call, enter, look, listen, smile…” those verbs guided me every day. And that’s how the Lord was given to me in every watermelon they gave me when I went out visiting, or in every look full of truth and life from Sabanilla. And all the helplessness I could feel vanished when experiencing what God was doing through my small “yeses,” seeing that I was only sharing with those who had a different circumstance than mine. And when I touched the hand of a sick elderly person lying on the street, I could look Christ in the eyes and touch His face.

Such unity that the whole village prayed with us once a week during Holy Hour, that when we organized a farewell party, everyone was invited. And it wasn’t an event for them, but “for everyone.” Such unity that the hit at the parties is “mercy,” such truth that when things don’t go well, we talk about it together. Although I never want to try a plantain or yucca again in my life, if it came from our beloved Holland or Guadalupe, I would do it without thinking!

I still don’t fully understand what Hakuna is. I don’t know how to explain it. I have seen it, I have lived it, and I know it is something very special, so I hope I don’t miss out on everything that lies ahead.
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08/05/2022

I stop and remember each one of the people I have looked in the eyes even if only once during the journey. Every smiling face, every gaze that waits and prepares for a new day, every person kneeling before You, our most faithful travel companion.

You have been present in each of those looks begging for love. I stop to think and I’m amazed, honestly. And I don’t understand it. I don’t understand why You chose me. Why You decided to show it to me. Because, if I have given You nothing, You show me a glimpse of Your purest, humblest, most begging love.

I keep thinking, and I keep remembering those looks, looks that become divine by putting themselves at the same level as the other’s gaze. “Thank you because many times they come and look down on us, but you are one of us” words from a dear friend from Sabanilla that resonate in my head, and that little by little, with Your help, make sense.

Because You have gifted us in this getaway the Gift of humility. You have let us look with Your eyes. And I have realized that humility is not about feeling inferior, it’s about putting yourself on the same level as the other person, that if shame overwhelms them, remember the moment when it overwhelmed you too, and speak to them from there, that if they tell you about a wound, find yours, and speak to them from there, that if they are poor, and their roof barely holds up at home, look into your inner poverty and speak to them from there. Sometimes we insist on understanding, on climbing a step, knowing what’s going on, being able to solve problems, giving the best advice, and You have taught me that really you just have to look into my heart to learn how to look at each of the people around us.

Because that is the way You have signed our salvation, speaking to us from the human condition. And that is the way in which, my dear faithful travel companion, I think You have brought me and everyone closer to Your divinity in this getaway.

Dear faithful travel companion, thank You for accompanying us at all times, for showing Yourself through creation in such an incredible and at the same time so simple way, this getaway was Your dream, I hope it has come true.
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02/22/2024

One Saturday afternoon, under a radiant sun in Bogotá, we were eating when G.V. spontaneously said, "Shall we call the sisters?" and we all nodded without any expectations. What can I say: one proposes and God disposes! The sisters answered the call and told us they could use a hand for the snack they were serving later at their Hogar de Cristo.

It is curious and unsettling that He was waiting for us in La Perseverancia. That very neighborhood we were told for years “was not our place.” That sky we learned to flee from at full speed when the disturbances on Circunvalar forced us to take it as an alternate route to leave the University. There, precisely there, Glory smiled at us through an Indian nun who, with overwhelming conviction and simplicity, told us “we are going to feed Christ and then we will pray to Him.”

Two and a half hours flew by in the blink of an eye. While serving soups, herbal teas, and croissants, we experienced firsthand a multiplication of the loaves. Unexpectedly, and across the Atlantic, a living image of the Christ of the Smile appeared to us through twenty-five elderly people who, even abandoned to their fate, only expressed gratitude.

We washed, cleaned, mopped, and when we were ready to say “we can call it a day” the same nun who welcomed us invited us to pray with them. We walked with her through that same neighborhood, which until a few hours ago was synonymous with fear, but instead we encountered the smiles of children playing in the street. What we had done, as insignificant as it was, left us as fertile as the field in April, trembling with passion.

They welcomed us in their chapel, simple and poor, but impeccably cared for. And there, sitting on the carpet, we felt embraced by Him. It was two hours under the generous influence of spiritual rains, [in which the four of us felt] the soul (…) sprouting forests of hope. A chaplet, a rosary, vespers, and silence. We needed nothing more to feel deep in our hearts what we were told upon arrival: that He was indeed there, thirsty.

In short, a gift from heaven to have been able to transcend words, thought, and even the Bread! We started a week full of gratitude.

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10/20/2024

During my two hot months in the Philippines, the children, especially those who are abused and forgotten at the doors of shopping centers or in areas of sexual tourism, were our true teachers. It took a few days before the best part of our stay in the Philippines happened. We were lucky to be welcomed by barefoot children covered in dirt. At first, they asked for money — we bought them food, which they sometimes sold — but later something extraordinary happened: the only thing they asked for was hugs. It took me many days to understand it, or at least to see it, as my insecurity towards them was palpable due to fear of being robbed or scammed. However, it was they who taught me one of my greatest life lessons: the only thing they sought when hugging me was to feel loved. Personally, I never understood how to see God in the poor and sick, and I must admit I still struggle with it. But the moment the children approached us to hug us, after spending a hard night on the street or in their sad homes, I understood that it was Jesus himself manifesting through those beggar children, asking us to come closer to him to embrace him.

Also, we had the chance to meet a priest who runs centers for children recently rescued from the streets, where they are saved from drugs and prostitution. He himself assured us that the only cure for so much pain and suffering in a child is the love of God. These children are thirsty for love, thirsty for God, but what about us? Over time, I understood that this is what we lack: to let ourselves be loved to fill our souls, just like these children. From this arises my uncertainty also when asking myself if we are really the true beggars. Throughout this process, a question has echoed in my mind again and again: “Why does God allow all this?”. And it is something I still find hard to understand, but then I knew that as long as there is a small light lit in so much darkness, good has already won. We are not here to explain suffering, but to respond to it!

For all this, I thank God for giving me the opportunity to meet Hakuna and, with it, so many incredible people. My life must be one of eternal gratitude. It may seem that our generation is lost, but when I look at the spirit of the group I had the chance to go to the Philippines with and their desire to make noise, I would say there is still hope!
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08/20/2024

Last plane. After 24 days away from home, in 50 minutes I land in my city. I feel very dizzy. Dizziness at becoming indifferent again, at forgetting too quickly what I have lived. Fear of not knowing how to make the most of the gift received, that those around me do not understand me. Fear of not knowing how to express in words what I have learned, what I have seen, what has stirred my heart...

I have only one thing left: to stop, to give thanks.

Thank you for this month. I thought I already had you, Lord, and yet you continue to surprise me, you keep feeding my thirst instead of quenching it. This month has literally been: "you haven't seen anything yet."

To the question "What do I take away from these days?", I could answer an infinity of things: I take away glances, moments, lessons, landscapes, smiles, tears, admiration for certain people, memories... But I will try to be more specific.

I take away the reaffirmation that God exists, that He is the Truth and that only with Him can we reach fullness. I take away the certainty that we are just passing through here, that heaven awaits, but we have Earth to live as we have been designed: loving and being loved. It is here, in this life, where we find suffering. Why so much pain? Why so much misery? Why do I have so much and others so little? This question keeps echoing as I approach Europe. I have discovered that, although the physical suffering of the poor in Tondo may be very evident, it is not greater than ours. For their spirit remains simple, it is not as corrupted as ours. Our spiritual poverty is much greater: we always want more, nothing satisfies us, we believe ourselves gods and it is much harder for us to give thanks. There the smile is the ordinary language, whoever you are, even if they don't know you. As we return home, I receive messages like "in Spain everyone becomes rude again". Why do we normalize seriousness? Surely I will get used to this soon, and I will also fall into this dynamic again. Why are we so surprised by the simple and grateful life of Filipinos? We entered their homes and they welcomed us, we gave them food and the first thing they did was bless to give thanks, we passed by them loaded and they offered to help us, with no intention. Perhaps I don't take any spectacular story. But I take many glances that have touched my heart, softened it, and that I hope to keep soft, cultivating it a lot. The gaze of the children, of those who opened the doors of the Barangays for us, of Eric, of Cinthya, of Luz, of Severino, of Lolita, of so many we crossed on the streets, accepting a prayer, and even of those who made all this possible without a complaint, Father and Carol.

I take away the lesson of not wanting to live seeking results, but fruits. How much have we done these days that we will see no result of? And yet, how many fruits does God have prepared? Both for us and for all the people we have met. It reminds me of the urgency to live facing eternity, with my gaze fixed on heaven in everything I do, simply being an instrument of whatever He wants. Because that is what holiness consists of. Not always wanting to live doing, but letting go, letting myself be made, and being. In these days I have put that to the test, which Hakuna especially helps me with. That nothing is ours, but His, and that I only have to make myself available so that whatever He wants comes out. Letting go of controls allows me to be more myself, to live relaxed, valuing the simple and enjoying.

These last days in Batáan and Siargao have been a finishing touch for my heart. On one hand, I cried out at so much contrast, so much injustice. On the other, so much beauty has brought me back to my place, reminded me of my smallness. It is only possible to express it with the song "Entre Anestesias". That dizziness I referred to at the beginning, not being able to express everything I carry inside, living too dependent on Hakuna's songs, on the answers they give to my heart.

“The created and admired points me to You.” It is one of the phrases with which I could summarize all the admiration that Siargao has produced in me, its beaches, its endless roads through jungle, its sunsets... It has been a final touch to the trip that, thanks to what I lived in Tondo, has taken on another color. I have lived it with another gaze, with more gratitude, and with all my soul. Because “the colors I was missing have rained down from You.”

Because the getaway does not end here, but rather begins now. Sharing does not stay in Tondo, but we are called to always live sharing. Fixing our gaze on Him and on others, before ourselves, being present in the moment, and not worrying about what will come. We are called to respond to so much love received.

I ask the Lord not to extinguish this fire He has lit in our hearts and to give us the grace to, in our ordinary life, spread it to all the people around us, because a fire like this cannot not burn.
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12/11/2024

Yesterday, a group of us returned from a few days in the towns near Valencia most affected by the DANA. We made ourselves available to the parish priests who were referred to us by the bishopric, and we organized ourselves based on the needs they were telling us from these parishes. I wanted to share a couple of things about what we experienced and talked about these days.

There is a lot of pain, and some towns are in a catastrophic state. However, it doesn't end there. On Sunday, leaving Paiporta to return, on the street there was a couple making migas with an extraordinary appearance: "If you wait a moment, we'll serve you some plates to eat". They were from Toledo, but had come over the weekend to lend a hand... with good cooking. While we ate the migas, a neighbor told us that a friend of his had lost his father (covered in mud in the car, he had to scrape the shirt to identify that it was his father), had lost his business because it was in a basement, and also had his home in a flooded basement. And he said emotionally that his friend, having lost his father, his house, and his business, asked him: "Hey, if you need anything, count on me".

The flood has swept away many things, but what it has swept away above all are the walls we build between us: businessmen and farmers, priests and atheists, left-wing and right-wing, from Bilbao or Seville... we were all one, we were all on the same level: we all shared being people, being brothers. Gratuitousness is the only law that governs there during these days. A young guy, tattooed to the crown, told us he had gone into debt with friends to buy a bus ticket from Extremadura to come help. A bunch of soldiers or firefighters who had taken vacation days to offer their most experienced service. Neighbors who didn't know each other devoted to one another.

One woman from Valencia, who had been helping from the beginning, said she returned home happier every day: "I've never seen Valencia as good as these days, the brotherhood among everyone, without distinctions that separate. Really, what I am seeing these days is that there is a world that everyone wants to exist". Another said that something very typical of Hakuna, of "all for all," is actually something typical of humanity and the Church: what is being lived there these days is a a beautiful "all for all".

It is true that this flood has been a blow to the individualism of the culture of our world, which we Christians have also often allowed ourselves to be impregnated by. A concrete manifestation is that some ask us if we have done many things, if our work has been useful, if the help of so many was necessary. We are used to measuring the value of our actions by the effectiveness of our work. And that way of reasoning is a lie: it does not correspond to the truth of the human person. There, regardless of what we could do, we were members of a movement of people who come to the aid of other people — brothers! — who are in need. It doesn't matter if you do a lot or a little: you are part of an avalanche of humanity and love, sensitivity and empathy, charity, with those who are suffering. Two-hour conversations with an elderly woman who needs to talk, or — another who had come from Seville said — an hour on the balcony with a man who did not say a word, only offered him cigarettes: "three cigarettes without speaking, but with intense communication," he told us laughing since he is very talkative and had not managed to get that man to open his mouth.

Many more of us have also been present there: so many "24 hours of adoration" that you have carried out in so many places across the geography. Let there be no doubt: prayer for them helps them live their situation in a human and Christian way. Several told me convincingly how much the prayer of so many for them was noticed. One of the parish priests of Paiporta told me that every day they witnessed miracles in so many people, from there and volunteers (I won't tell you any to avoid extending myself).

Well, I say goodbye now. I wanted to share it with you. And may the Lord help us: may it not take a flood for us to tear down the walls that separate us, to live in gratuitousness, to strike the individualism that tries to format us.

Before finishing, I propose that we make a novena to our mother of Guadalupe, starting today (we will finish the last day coinciding with the anniversary of Marta's death).

09/11/2024

What a day... mud, PPE, shovels, hours walking and traffic jams... quite a chaos and a lot, a lot of pain. Is this really Spain? This hits me close... my brothers have lost mothers, children, jobs, homes... they have lost everything.

Everything. Well, really everything?

I don't understand anything, but today something happened that I didn't expect. I, who came to help, to do, to clean and solve, to be useful... But this overwhelms me. Not only because I realized that by my own strength I can't fix anything, but because I came face to face with poverty. A poverty I hadn't seen before. A poverty of people who had a life very similar to mine two weeks ago.

But... why? Why so much pain? It's too much. And I don't understand anything. But you know what? In a way, I don't care about understanding. Because from this madness, life is also being born.

Because today I saw you. Yes Jesus, you were there, and no one can tell me otherwise. Today I saw you and you looked at me. And you revealed to me the meaning of my existence. You revealed to me that I was born for this. I was born to live in continuous outflow, to give myself to another. To give myself to another I don't know, and I don't mind!

I get into the mud for people I don't know, because I recognize in them my brothers. That's it! Today, all of Spain moved for our brothers. Today we looked each other in the eyes. Today there was truth, even beauty...

Yes, beauty. It seems contradictory but today, covered in mud, taking out trash buckets, for a moment I was moved to see so many people simply being that, people! All as one. All loving, all together. All for the other.

And that, is beauty. Finally, Jesus, I only ask you one thing. Keep staining me a lot. Never stop staining me: that tomorrow my boots, hands and whole body get filled with mud.

But above all, stain my heart. So that I am soaked entirely with the reality I am living. That it goes deep, that it touches every last pore of my skin. Fill it all with every person I have met.

With each one who had lost everything, but who smiled at me. With the grandmothers who cooked, and the strangers with whom I stood shoulder to shoulder for hours. With every thank you. With every tear of despair. With every sincere hug. With every face. That everything, everything, everything soaks my heart so much that I can only make it mine and carry it inside always.

And when I return to my city, to my home, I carry them all with me, deep inside. And so, all indifference dies and I only know how to love.

Mary, Mother of the forsaken, protect Valencia, protect us all. And from your hand, may we always know how to love each other more.

11/30/2024

Today is not just another Monday, Lord. Today is a very different Monday. I am exhausted. I am dirty. I smell bad. Even my hair hurts. I could say that I am sad. But I would be lying. Everything is chaos, everything is despair, there is no end in sight. I don't know how long this will last, I can't even make it up, but I would dare say that right now I don't really care. There are so many, so many people looking me straight in the eyes these days, that collapse is almost impossible. There are so many people asking me what I need, that I don't know how to handle it... Thousands and thousands of people walk through the streets of my town solely to help. Thousands and thousands. Do you know what that is?

A few weeks ago you told us, and there has been no greater lesson than this to understand it and put it into practice. "I have not come to be served, but to serve." Not a single bad face. Not a single baseless complaint. Everything is hugs full of mud. And it is that, inside there can only be You, Lord. Truly, there is no doubt. If we are alive, it is because You have moved all these people from the depths of their being... I can only give thanks. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Because Love always wins. Because You are always there, one way or another. In the good times and in the very, very bad times like this. Because what seems impossible, with You becomes possible. Because if we don't fall, it is because your hand is beneath all these people who have been holding us up for almost a week now.

Just one thing, Lord. I need to ask you to keep infusing your love into these people. That they keep coming to bring us the hope that these days has come in their hands. University students, professionals, believers, non-believers, Valencians, Madrilenians, or Germans. That these days, more than ever, Heaven on Earth is felt. And I'm not talking about cleaning, but that your boundless love is what reigns above all this.

Mary, Mother of Hakuna, I hope they have let you open a hole in Heaven to bring in all those people who have left us these days. We do not forget them. May all the work left serve for the salvation of their souls. And for us, cover us with your mantle. Snug. That way we will figure out what the other one is missing.

Lord, I have so many questions. I try to understand the reason for all this. The only thing I know is that when I ask myself where you are, you will always be there when we need you.

<<<

11/20/2024

I have been hearing about HKN Sundays in La Cañada Real for many years, so when they called us to go make a paella, we signed up without hesitation. I admit that what I felt most as we approached was excitement and curiosity. Excitement to do a “good,” “generous,” perfect shared Sunday plan, and curiosity because I really had no idea what we were going to find…

The first impression, that dirt, that smell, those people so physically broken… it was “￿f what is this!?” And just 5 minutes from Madrid!!! It seems like another country!!! Another world!!!! I had never seen anything like it except on TV, and it’s hard to suddenly feel like you’re inside it, honestly. J. and I agreed, almost without saying it, that maybe we shouldn’t have brought our daughter P., and still in the car, we gave her instructions not to separate from us and since she is so sensitive and transparent, we warned her that she would probably see things that would make her uncomfortable and that it was better to talk to us about them in private.

It’s not about what I experienced or felt, which was a lot (what a beautiful prayer we said before starting to share the meal, asking to live it without being tourists!!), but about what it meant, at least for me, that P. was there.

P. is disabled in some ways (like everyone!!), but she is “highly capable” of feeling the needs of those who suffer, of putting herself in their shoes and knowing how to say something encouraging, to bring a smile at the tensest moment (some said they had never seen anyone smile like that in full “withdrawal”). P. sees others with different eyes, and pours out her affection without distinctions. And for that reason, like all the other kids I met there, she didn’t stop encouraging, serving, smiling, hugging, and even inviting everyone to her house, shouting that her fridge was full!

Although I have been aware for some time, that Sunday opened my eyes even more and encouraged me to always ask God the same thing: give me eyes like P.’s, that I may know how to look like that, because if I look like that, I have no doubt that EVERYTHING in my life will be different.

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11/30/2024

I have wanted for a while to put into words something of what we experience in the Cañada Real every Sunday, and I find it a bit difficult... I feel that explaining what happens there is to reduce it, or maybe I still haven't been able (nor wanted) to do it.

How do you tell someone what we do in the Cañada Real? It's not going to help, it's not going to hand out buns and coffee, it's not talking with people, it's not receiving more than I give. It's also not finding light in the darkness (or at least not at first). And sorry if I'm a bit blunt, but the Cañada is a harsh, dark place. There is a lot of hopelessness, a lot of sadness. Evil becomes very visible, it doesn't leave you indifferent.

In the Cañada Real I met a man from Bulgaria, N., who was able to leave and go to a detox center, I think a few weeks ago they talked to you about him. He felt alone and that day he was returning to the place he knew, but he was able to leave in time.

Last Tuesday he was discharged from the center because he was well and would fly home to Sofia on Sunday. But during those days he had returned to the Cañada and to drugs.

The Cañada Real demands opening the heart, feeling in the flesh. It is letting the story, the name, the pain, and the wound of each face be engraved. It is to hurt what hurts them. It is to make it your own... to bring it before Jesus and for Him to transfigure it.

Yesterday, when I found out my friend was back in the Cañada, I kept repeating to myself: evil has not won, evil has not won, evil has not won...

Putting the heart and giving it as an offering so that Christ may transfigure it. That is what Don Josepe told us in the HAM. The priesthood of Christ shared, offering ourselves and with it offering all the lives we have in our hearts. That is why we are called to embrace every reality with the immeasurability of the Cross!! Every life becomes part of us, we embrace it and offer it. We place that pain in a new paradigm: death defeated.

I'll stop a bit so as not to bore you... in this poverty, in this suffering, I can't stop imagining Jesus kneeling next to every drug addict, crying by their side, embracing them... I think maybe He is like that with me and that is how He wants to reveal Himself to me.

Oh, and my friend N. was able to get on the plane yesterday and is already home!!! So remember to pray for him!

<<<

10/20/2024

“Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.”

That is what happens to me with my experience on Sunday at La Cañada. I have nothing to say and much to keep silent about. It’s not that it was an empty or superficial experience—far from it—but I can’t bring myself to say anything. I feel like being silent and resting in the silence.

That same night, I was reading in a book by John Paul II that the Church proclaims the Passion four times during Holy Week so that we may be silent. It must be repeated four times so that something within us falls silent and contemplates. And that is what happens to me. Since Sunday, the people I met there often come to my mind and heart, especially Lolo and Lucho, and I place them in your presence, Father. And I, with them. And nothing more.

I only know that I want to return.
>>>

30/09/2024

On the way home, my head and heart are blocked. What just happened this morning? Why do I feel more myself, more human? I can't explain it. But my heart overflows with love. Among rubble and dirt, I have found them again. La Cañada Real, as its name says, is very REAL. So much humanity, so much thirst for love. And that Love that everyone seeks is the Love I also long to have. There is no difference at all. That is why I am like this. Because I have been able to see in the eyes of each person I spoke with that this Love is ALIVE and BURNS.

After some time, I was able to return. And how necessary it was for me to come back! I go home realizing that I need to come more often. That La Cañada orders me, makes me arrange my life, my day-to-day, and return to my ESSENCE, I am more human... It allows me to be a little closer to heaven, because through a coffee, a look, a hug, I remember that we are in this life to LOVE AND BE LOVED. I don't know if with the little I do I help them, but what I do know is that they transform my heart and my outlook. It is impossible to come and remain indifferent. And I ask God that I never get used to coming, because La Cañada is the greatest gift He could have given me.

How much I still have to learn, how much I still have to learn from them. They "live in truth" because they are not afraid to admit that they are hooked and that it is not easy to get out of there. I also want "everything to be true" in my life. And I want to have that simple heart that they have.

<<<

11/06/2025

I have now been in the heart of Africa: Burundi, for a month and a half. A country where an overwhelming beauty and immense poverty intertwine — almost mysteriously. This time has been both a wound and a treasure for me; an inner struggle and, at the same time, a simple discovery of God's presence in the humble, in the everyday. The smile of the one who suffers, the beauty that springs even in precariousness… everything here speaks of Him.

A week and a half ago Inés, my new mission partner, arrived. When I welcomed her, she said something that stuck with me: “Jesus is with the poorest, right? Well, here He must be everywhere!” And it’s true. I just need to open my eyes to let myself be captivated by His living presence in every corner. How many times I forget! Thank you, Lord.

Our daily life unfolds with much simplicity, great intensity, and very little structure (each day is different). Early in the morning we attend Mass, have breakfast, pray, and listen to a talk by Don Josepe. Then we start the day’s work: translating songs for the music group and singing in adorations, preparing weekly talks and Spanish classes, accompanying the university students of the faith community (now we are a small community of five young people who meet twice a week), coordinating the mission of the chapel we are transforming at the local university: visiting carpentry shops, comparing quotes for paint, carpets, mattresses, and fabrics; meeting with engineers, electrical installers…

And above all, the greatest mission is to be presence, to be there, to listen, to remain, to soak in, to receive Life in order to give life. In the afternoon we visit some of our neighbors and share life with them; we go to the market, spend time with street children, visit a center for children with malformations. Other afternoons we go with the Batwa community (the indigenous ethnic group of this area) or to the hospital to accompany patients to the operating room and mothers who have just given birth.

Before going to sleep we dedicate some time to prayer, have dinner, and although the signal is quite poor, we try to write or call home. That is, more or less, the rhythm of our days: work, prayer, and presence.

We share with you what we want this place to be: The university chapel of Ngozi wants to be a heart that burns and welcomes, a home of peace and reconciliation in the humblest country in Africa. Inspired by the Heart of the risen Christ, it will be a place where each person can gather and experience His embrace. In a country marked by ethnic war, the rector shared with us his dream: that this chapel be a sign of unity and healing. That the chapel’s message invites everyone to place everything at the feet of Christ so that He may transform it: studies, work, friendship, and service. Because God desires to unite His heart with ours, and when our desires join His, the everyday becomes a place of communion and redemption.
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01/10/2025

We were a group of about 12 people, we coordinated and agreed to meet at ten to ten to greet and prepare to sing. I was a bit late and arrived just in time. When I entered, I saw several of the guys greeting, hugging, and interacting with people with disabilities. I, a bit stiff from the impact of seeing them, went straight up to the stage because the concert was about to start, and I remember having the thought "ufff how hard it is for me with people with disabilities, I don't know how to interact with them".

As always, we started by invoking the Holy Spirit, we sang Cuatro Vientos, and as we were singing I began to see on the faces of our wonderful audience beautiful smiles, gestures of uncontrollable emotion, and the authenticity of those who don't care about "what they will say." And suddenly the thought comes to my mind "it is that in each one of them Jesus is present, AND MORE PRESENT THAN EVER". An indescribable emotion overwhelms me, I can't hold back the tears while I make an effort to keep singing. We finished Cuatro Vientos, then it was my turn to sing Huracán, I think no voice comes out, I am trembling uncontrollably but with a joy that cannot fit inside me, I have just met face to face with Jesus.

When the concert ends, we get off the stage, I greet a few, receive some hugs full of the purest love, my stiffness is gone and I leave like a new person. Thank you Jesus, for giving me a heart of flesh and making all things new.

<<<

KENYA UNIV

TRAVEL CHRONICLES

Full Speed Ahead

We were so eager to tell you everything we have done since the last time we wrote! The shared projects are going full speed ahead, we’ve already been here a week, and on Monday we switch volunteer groups with others! What a shame, after all the affection we had for our street friends, the elderly and the sick from Caritas... can’t wait for Monday again!!!!

On Thursday, all 85 of us enjoyed an amazing gift, we all climbed the mountain where the big Christ statue is, as if we were in Rio de Janeiro. There we had Mass and Adoration. It’s incredible how the One above managed to unite Kenyans and Spaniards around the Host.

The faces of happiness on everyone are amazing, even after sleeping an average of 4 hours a day.

We write to you from the shores of Lake Turkana. We arrived on Friday, not even Maca, after her surgery at Lodwar hospital, wanted to miss this amazing plan. As soon as we arrived, we set up the tents and the amazing kitchen team prepared a fantastic carbonara pasta to get ready for Saturday’s excursion. The first night the lake welcomed us with an African storm and Joaco ended up acting as a guard after his tent flooded.

We woke up all 85 of us soaked in sweat and headed straight to bathe in the lake. We started walking through the African savannah and after 4 hours on foot, with an empty water bottle in hand, the off-road vehicle was waiting for us at the lake shore with water and pans to start cooking. The rice with vegetables tasted heavenly, especially because we shared it with the children from the nearby tribes who joined us during the excursion. After spending the whole afternoon swimming in the paradisiacal lake, we resumed the walk back to the tents, but this time along the shore. Taking advantage of the moonlight, we celebrated Mass and Adoration; some fell asleep during Adoration but as Don Javier says, with Jesus even asleep. After dinner of peanut butter and jam sandwiches, we ended the night with a bonfire, music, and beers on the beach.

Today we all woke up covered in bites and sunburned like shrimp, we were so tired that today consisted of beach volleyball and naps in the shade of the palm trees.

It sounds incredible that in just one week we have gone from complete strangers to one big family.

To conclude, thank you mom and dad for this opportunity and for how much we are appreciating everything. The adventure continues and we are more eager to grow, learn, and soak up everything, supporting each other and with a great team spirit.

One More Traveler

Good afternoon. Here, the sun certainly is. I am one more traveler, a companion of your son, daughter, or plural. And today, I address you to tell you what I have seen and am seeing.

That is why I am sitting in the corner of the garden, property of the Eldoret diocese, specifically at the “Pastoral Center,” appreciating the work and dedication that each of my companions is doing in this great shared project. Also, I have had the opportunity to discuss with some the great activities we have done today and in recent days.

It’s incredible how 250 young people have made Kenya stop being an unknown country to us; in fact, at times we have felt part of this big family. Yesterday we had the chance to sit around the tent that comprises our operations center. In this beautiful garden that has clearly been invaded by the guitar player, the footballers, and the chatterboxes telling their lives and days in detail, creating new friendships.

Don Josepe decided to bring out Coca-Cola, which is exactly the energy we need to recover from these intense days, not forgetting Mass, Adoration, and the detail we enjoyed in the cozy chapel prepared by the Sisters; where we could give thanks for the splendid day that started with the early wake-up at 6:30 when you could barely see the stones on the paths. However, let’s not forget the tough shower where some of us could appreciate small cubes of water. Then, we enjoyed fantastic scrambled eggs prepared by the kitchen team. At 7:30 the buses arrived to start the shared project day. We split into 2 groups: the first visited a center for disabled children aged between 6 months and 18 years with mental and psychological disabilities. On the other hand, the second group visited a school run by the Sisters of Eldoret that takes in abandoned children where they taught religion and geography to the little ones, fortunately with great progress, even in Spanish. In this school, cleaning work was done (yes mom, I am washing my clothes and making others’ beds, not just mine). Even diaper changes with towels and some with tragic endings, as you can imagine.

Every day ends the same way, with smiles, hugs, and a great feeling of satisfaction. Also, in the shared project, not only do they learn, we do too. “Mambo” means hello and “atente” means thank you, some of the few words we have learned these days. This is just the beginning of a great adventure of love, service, and friendship through giving to others.

All for All (Eldoret)

We write to you now from Eldoret. This weekend getaway has been amazing, we are happy.

On Friday morning we finished the second week of the shared project, we said goodbye to all the children, because as you know, each week each group goes to a different place.

Right after lunch, we headed to Marich Pass, a campsite where we enjoyed the getaway. After a 6-hour trip, we reunited with our friends from Turkana, and despite the bus fatigue, we had plenty of energy and enthusiasm to share every experience and adventure we are living.

We had Mass and Adoration in the riverbed near the campsite, where we saw a meteor shower like never before. It was amazing.

In the homily, Don Josepe spoke to us about how to live Heaven on Earth: loving and embracing each other (referring to the affection with which we had welcomed each other).

The next day at 5 a.m. we were up ready to climb Mount Koh. It was a tough hike but very rewarding. Despite the heat and tiredness, we managed to surpass ourselves reaching the goal. Once there, we rested with the luck of having incredible views around. Don Josepe proposed 10 minutes of silence to contemplate the nature and landscape surrounding the Mount Koh Tribe.

Upon returning to the campsite where we slept, we had time to rest and regain strength. As evening fell, we ended the day with Mass and Adoration.

This time Don Josepe took the opportunity to talk to us about the “disabilities” we think we have, especially young people today: mental limits; which are nothing more than barriers we place ourselves that shrink our capacity to love and act.

We looked at the stars again, had dinner, and ended the day dancing all together around a big bonfire.

On Sunday, we were invited to an African Mass, full of joy, music, and dancing. We saw how God is present, although in a different way, in all cultures.

We ate, said goodbye to the Turkana group until next week, and happily returned to Eldoret. It was a pleasure to arrive at the Pastoral Center with dinner ready and end the day with Adoration.

We have already regained all our strength to give our all in this last week of the shared project.

All for All (Turkana)

It’s hard to believe it’s already the 23rd, we are enjoying so much... we continue full on with the shared projects. This week one of the groups continued renovating the elderly and sick center of Caritas, and we wanted to leave our mark by writing Hakuna on one of the walls. Moni and Jimena tell us that today they took the money raised by everyone to buy uniforms and supplies for the street children so they can go to school. And since tomorrow is the last day, we will tour Lodwar to distribute clothes to everyone. This month has been incredible. As Josepe says, we have learned to break the mental limits we place on ourselves that take away our freedom. Who would have thought that sleeping 5 hours a day we would have so much energy. I think none of us imagined what poverty was when we landed here, but on the other hand, how poor we have sometimes been and how rich they are, needing just a caress to believe in their day, a valuable day.

This weekend we went on a getaway and finally met our friends from Eldoret. 150 tents, 300 people, who couldn’t even imagine the amazing Saturday morning excursion. Despite the thirst and tiredness climbing the mountain, the great views and company were worth it. Then, at night, we celebrated Mass and Adoration on a clearing among the mountains. We were lucky to enjoy a sky full of stars, African landscapes are so magical... On Sunday before leaving, we went to an African Mass. It’s incredible to see how they receive Christ with so much joy, singing and dancing non-stop. Outrageously joyful. Finally, we loaded the pans, guitars, backpacks, tents... into the matatus (Kenyan buses) and after a long journey, we arrived home. Exactly, home, because little by little we have become a family and made Nawoitorong (the hotel) our home.

Yesterday for the first time we were surprised by rain in Lodwar. Flooded rooms, leaks in the roof, and a rain-soaked Mass. However, despite the water, we continued with Mass, living every moment more intensely than ever. It was amazing how everyone put in their grain of sand. Some ran to protect the sound equipment, others held the roof tarps with whatever they could find, like guitars... Once again, all for all.

Mom and dad, it takes so little to be well. As we said on the bus, we have learned to value many things like the internet or a washing machine, but we have also realized that none of those things are necessary to be happy. Last week the amazing kitchen team prepared a Bolognese pasta that tasted like home and we thought a lot about you. Believe me when I say you would be proud to see how we work here, how we take care of each other and how we pass on the strength needed to keep going every day, giving our all in the mud. Many of you will notice the change and we are really eager to show you. Without you, so much help would not have been possible, we love you and you are in our prayers every day.

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06/07/2023

I start simply, I never felt anything. My big "low" or test of faith is that, I never felt anything in any worship, outpouring of the spirit, or intense prayer moment. When everyone was crying, resting in the spirit, or feeling warmth in their body, hugs, or intense love in their heart, I felt nothing... I already know and accept well that our faith is not based on feeling, but on firmly believing that God IS, whether we feel it or not, but every now and then a little warmth in the chest helps, right? Well, the retreat was no exception to the rule (although that doesn't mean I didn't greatly enjoy the experience and that I eagerly await another holy hour of Hakuna), but it did reveal something to me in one of the tossings, a question. My heart, does it have space? A silly question, it might seem, but as Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, not even God can occupy a place that is already occupied. Do I have space in my heart for Christ? When I invited Jesus to dwell in my heart, to make it His house and home, wouldn't He find a house so full that He cannot enter? Furniture, appliances, old clothes, dust, and pictures of old memories that are better to let go... things that God did not put there at first, but the World placed without me realizing it. There I realized, I have to clean, free up space, but how? Well, with His help obviously. This retreat made me realize that I was not asking God for the right thing, before He enters and dwells in me, He has to help me clean and repair this house that is my heart.
In the end, will I feel something? It's not something I worry about, I just think that with every thing I let go, with every space I free from those useless pieces of furniture, God will fill it with His warm and beautiful presence, like the sun that enters through my window on these cold days. An interesting adventure and a lively walk with the Beloved Lord await me, pray for me.

<<< 07/06/2023 LIVING Post Santa Fe Letter 2023 It is very difficult to describe the feelings after this getaway. At first, I could say it was an answer to many searches I had in my life. From the beginning, with the Mass, I noticed something different; it was truly the most beautiful Mass of my life, with devotion and those fantastic songs. I have done many retreats, camps, formation meetings, but nothing like a getaway. It was LIVING close to Jesus for a weekend, enjoying life and loving God at all times. Hakuna is a perfect harmony between tradition and novelty. It respects the center, which is Jesus in the Eucharist, but with details that make those moments a little piece of heaven. You can feel in every moment that love that comes from Eucharistic adoration. Something incredible I noticed was that there was nothing “supernatural,” but it was something simple and straightforward yet different. Finding God in that simplicity is difficult, but Hakuna makes it easy. And I believe God is that simple; we are the ones who complicate everything many times. Without appealing to “sentimentality” in adoration but focusing on enjoying that time with Jesus and letting him transform our hearts. I leave thirsty to know more about Hakuna, to learn and share this spirituality and this beautiful way of living faith. I believe God acts in every moment of history to support His Church in times of difficulty. He promised us: “I will be with you until the end of time.” I consider that Hakuna is the tool God wants to use in our times to return to the foundations of faith in these very hard times. But from the side of freedom and love, not from demand, obligation, or duty. And also from the side of beauty and art. Music and beauty lift our soul to heaven. That is the fantastic part. Nowhere did I feel so FREE as this weekend. When I returned from the getaway, I had a Corpus Christi adoration at my parish. I usually don’t sing, or if I do, it’s very timidly. And this time it was so different from other times; I sang stronger than ever, without fear of making mistakes or shame. All with that freedom to be myself 100 percent that I found in the getaway, with that desire to do things “With all my soul,” to go to sleep tired from so much love, as I’m sure many experienced these days. Finally, I leave with the certainty and conviction that I want to tell God every day of my life: “Lord, you are free to do in me whatever you want.” That is what I did this weekend, and I found a peace and happiness impossible to describe. Thank you, Hakuna, for so much! >>>

06/07/2023

Submerged
Carta Post Santa Fe 2023

Hello, a little to tell you my story, I am a Son, brother, friend, I like to play the guitar and sing, I really like to help people with whatever they need and I am very willing, I am a bit disorganized and a bit spaced out, with all this and much more I immersed myself in the getaway we recently experienced.
The truth is I arrived very eager to play songs, and learn more about why the group was here and what kind of new activities we were going to do, but I also lived it in a freer way, not knowing what was going to happen, not asking about what was next, not asking names or ages, but living the moment, living what came, making the most of what I could once again, meeting with very Godly people.
The truth is that at first I didn't understand why during the holy hours they kept so much silence, or why I saw most people writing in notebooks or on their phones, generally, my adorations are more about thinking internally about what is happening to me, talking with Jesus but more with background instrumental music, the silence surprised me a lot, which at first was a bit uncomfortable but then being able to reach the depths of your being and talk more calmly with Jesus.
It helped me a lot to reflect on my life, how I am, what path I have to take from now on, maybe I was coming a bit tired from a service I was giving in my church and I needed that renewal, that reflection and those desires that routine and clashes with people had been wearing down; also, thinking if today my charism is the same as a long time ago or if God is calling me to a project, to a different work but that I have to live in this moment.
In this getaway I met great people who taught me that religion is not an obligation, but that one is free and through that freedom this love for God arises, they taught me the inclusion of people, I remember that all the time they wanted us to participate if we wanted in the choir, liturgy, decoration and activities, they also taught me the transparency that exists among them and that being sincere is the most important thing to do.
I really loved the getaway and from now on, I wanted to get a little more involved in this charism, to be able to participate in whatever is missing and well to be able to continue serving God in prayer, adoration and in others.

<<< 07/06/2023 Eyes meet, you and I. Post Letter Santa Fe 2023 I state it with total clarity, I will never be able to describe that moment, Life shakes you, amazes you, confronts you, becomes tangible, how can He be like that? That with a look He invites you to give up in His presence and imitate His actions: to become small like a child in his mother's womb, to His fullest expression, the extension of the arms. On this escape, just one look was enough to discover the meaning of Hakuna in my present and to live it closer to Jesus. Just as He looked at Peter and did not stop to remind him of the denial, but to return the look with simplicity and show him the value of his treasure. He also looked at me, and so it was with Jesus. The white Bread made me shape my gaze with total delicacy full of truth, to the same extent my hard head has been forced to always look at the good, that is Alive in the center of the altar. As a result of that encounter, I see His reflection in my brothers, joy for being alive together and dancing, leaving behind stories, simply dancing. A new meeting of eyes confirms to me that with Him in my reality I can freely escape from everything, except His presence in every place, if I accept that He be there. I only see His reflection in those tired eyes, His feet walking with and towards Love. So that this family remains here. And if it counts for anything: the desire is also mine. Stained by the madness that is the expression of those who show us the way, who come from afar so that we can experience Hakuna as a lifestyle, may this way of living close to the Eucharist remain, making a mess. For them: Thank you! And immense thanks to those who silently moved everything, with prayer in between, temperance in action so that it would be God who pulled the strings of the matter, our well-being and enjoyment which is the event of Christ. Who wouldn’t want to live like this? Aware of the love of this community. Well, they were there, because they are very crazy, for the White One and upon discovering Him they did not keep it to themselves, they wanted to share it; true apostles. There He also looked at me[...] Crazy to live, to see me share more and not just a mate between chats but sincerely looking at Christ from the heart. And that was noticeable just by observing his face caught by the face-to-face in the chapel. So much to learn from everything[...] As I write I take as a certainty that this family is not great just because of its people, but because they are aware that God is not absent. They come to me like photographs, each face keeps repeating: “How Great God is and His way of looking at me!” From this whole beautiful adventure I cannot leave out the Mother, so beautiful, hidden and submerged at the foot of the altar embracing with the Son our surrender when Love escapes. Mary, mother of Hakuna, teacher of the embrace, may we only know how to say YES to you. >>>

<<< 07/06/2023 Post Santa Fe Letter 2023 Mom: You look so simple there, at the feet of your Son. So white, why don’t you wear any color? I think maybe it’s to highlight your humility, your simplicity, your desire to go unnoticed, not to stand out in front of the greatness of the One who, from above, seems to illuminate and outline your white silhouette against that background, also white. How is it possible that I see you? White on white. Then, I remember the Eskimos who distinguish dozens of whites, because otherwise they couldn’t survive in that eternal ice. Could it be that you want me to add the color? I see many colors and I don’t understand, why do they sing all the time? Why does no one tell me what to do? Something doesn’t add up, it makes me uncomfortable. Where is the “new”? Mass, adoration, talk... nothing else? I turn around and look at you again Mother, there on your knees, your eyes closed, your head covered. I don’t understand the veil, it looks different. Your hands embrace your belly; they tell me you are the Virgin of the Embrace, it makes sense, I think... I still long for colors, although I see you differently now. They talk to me about living, as if we were dead, what does that mean? I look at Him, maybe by looking so much I’ll understand something. You motionless, at his feet, kneeling. The first adoration, in that imposing monstrance, in that place, captivates me. The next day, in the smallness of the chapel, it’s harder for me. I want to return to that moment, how to do it? I lack grace, that must be it, I have to confess. Then... “boom!” I feel that you see me and say to me: “My daughter, I love you just the same, with or without sin, imperfect.” All that time what I was seeing was my own framework with which I wanted to measure God and make my experience of that weekend “fit.” Whether I was surprised or not, the organization, how they didn’t see this, how they didn’t think of that, why they sing here and not there... “Boom!” Freedom. That was it. Freedom. God blows as He wants, where He wants. Who am I to say what is “the right way”? Who am I to judge? Who am I to try to understand God’s love in others? Your LOVE EXCEEDS me. I can’t explain it, much less fit it into “my” framework. You are God and you love; nothing more, and nothing less... I still struggle. I think about it, I pray it. Did I invent it to give it meaning? It’s hard to explain, to put into words. Freedom, that. Meanwhile, you remain there Mom. Teach me about your simplicity, teach me about that freedom that the Spirit allowed me to sense this weekend... Teach me to return; to return to Him, to the Eucharist. That I thirst for Him, that I remember He is there. That I am lucky to be able to approach often. That I rekindle my love and rediscover His presence. That I always know how to say YES to Him. Amen >>>

<<< 07/06/2023 Make Me Aware Post Letter Santa Fe 2023 I come to shout out the desires of my heart because only your hands reach its deepest folds… “Sing, for praying twice is what it is to Heaven,” the little nun who accompanied me through much of my childhood would say. “Come on, come sing with me,” my dad would say, trying to keep me from being embarrassed to go to the parish choir. “Sing loudly, you have to bring joy to the mass,” my music teacher would say. Music is always my quick way to Heaven. My smile on the saddest days and the one that puts words where there were not even letters. It is my warm hug on days of distance and the instrumental in anxious silences. Music is always my quick way to Heaven, not because it takes me away from my reality, but because it makes me live it with more intensity, more meaning, more life. These days with HAKUNA were lived days, accompanied days, days with Heaven on earth, with Jesus alive in the Eucharist, in others, but first in my heart. Make me aware that I am the only one who can quench your thirst for me >>>

<<< 03/15/2023 HKN UNIV Boí Taull Ski Trip 2023 What a weekend!! Days before leaving, everyone was asking what the plan would be, how we were going to get there without a car, and a thousand other doubts. And the answer was Hakuna style: “hey, we’ll see as we go!!” And that’s it, letting things happen, letting Him lead. Maybe it’s a bit providential, but it’s incredible how everything flows!! It’s chaos and harmony. As the psalm says, “Blessed is the one who goes down the slopes of the Lord.” This getaway was short but great. Every smile, every conversation with those you barely knew but quickly got along with, every run together and a few funny falls, the photos with the best views and the best company, and also, and above all, every HS and every mass. And by the way, what an adorable altar server we had!! :) The spirit filled every corner and each one of us. Simply put, this weekend was a constant meeting place with God. Because as Don Josepe writes in Sts de Copas: “Holy is the one who lives their own reality in an intimate context where they share their reality with Christ.” And while we were going down the slopes or climbing to the top of Boí Taüll (although some were a bit scared to take the chairlift hehe) I thought: God is so great!!

Thank you all so much, you’re the best!!

A hug, see you soon!!

To all, ALWAYS!

>>>

15/03/2023

Today I received from a friend the initiative to write a "Post Letter" that is usually done after a God Stop or a Getaway like the one I have been on a week ago. I was encouraged to do it in case it helps someone and also as a way to give thanks for all that was lived and received.

Hakuna had been knocking on my door for some time and in various ways: influencers I followed on IG, a conference on education, a comment from someone in the online postgraduate course I was taking... and so, googling to see what it was about, I also came across don Josepe, who coincidentally was a priest whose books I had read and audios I had listened to a long time ago. I asked, read, wrote to someone from Argentina and it seemed I had arrived a little early: there was no Hakuna in CR and someone had to have experienced it to be able to transmit it. And that was where my story ended at that moment.

Many months passed, and by a God-incident (or several) I found out two days before that the people from Hakuna Spain were coming with don Josepe and there would be a Getaway. I called, asked my husband if he was up for it and suddenly we were ready to LIVE something I never expected to find. They only told me "come and you will see" but no one could explain well what it was about. The only thing I could see was happy people in love with God and life.

Many obstacles and hurdles arose that I don't know why one puts up at the last minute: whether it would be for younger people, whether it was too far, the thousand pending things, and even blocked roads while we were going up to the place. There was my husband's encouragement (that's what makes a team... when one falters, the other encourages) to continue.

From the moment we arrived, without knowing anyone, and being among the "older" ones, they welcomed us as if we had been with them all our lives. It was noticeable in every detail that they wanted us to be well. And everyone did it! As an anecdote, when the youngest who received us heard that we told them "it seemed like we were the oldest," in a few seconds we had Chema and Bego by our side who, on their own initiative, had gone to look for them, thinking that surely with them we would feel more "age-placed." These are details, but they say a lot.

In Hakuna we found a faith simply lived by people with resurrected faces: infinitely joyful and living the ordinary, the everyday, the fun, the sharing, happily immersed in God. Everyone naturally devoted (it was not forced at all) to serving others, attentive to others. The moments of celebration suddenly turned into a moment of prayer before Jesus Eucharist, and these last ones, so intimate, gathered and lived with so much love and reverence that it seemed one was transported to a piece of Heaven: Pray for everyone. Adore. Meditate. Love. Then, again the afternoon lit up with everyone dancing to the rhythm of a guitar: Enjoy. Share. Live. Love... it was bringing that Heaven to Earth.

Far from that little spontaneous and not at all simple relationship that one can sometimes have with God, I discovered what it was to treat Him SIMPLY, enjoying the serenity of believing (as the song says). It was a before and after. It was sitting down and putting myself in front of Jesus like this: with doubts and cold, and feeling loved by Him and by everyone.

We were left wanting MORE and we want to continue. We have already signed up for a Revolcadero and we will continue going, God willing, to the Holy Hours and to whatever is organized. But I don't only want to receive, I want to give myself.

Maybe I can also do it through what I do professionally: my work with young people, couples, families, marriages. Or simply serve wherever needed.

The words of don Josepe touched my heart when he told us that we had to live the compassion of Jesus for the pain of His Father, Who suffers the suffering of His distant children, of those who do not feel loved.

<<< 02/15/2023 It is difficult to put into words the spark of life that Hakuna and this getaway have been for me. After several years away from the Church (though not from spirituality), since last Lent I began—by a grace from the Virgin of Medjugorje—a process of returning to the Catholic Church that has shaken me to my core. It involved a radical life change and a review of my past through the eyes of our beloved Jesus, which has been more painful than at times I felt I could bear. I have been living my own passion of crucifixion—yes, led by the hand of Jesus and Mary—but with deep moments of sadness, despair, shame, helplessness, and remorse. I have an infinite thirst for God, and at times I have thought—as our beloved said—“Father, why have you forsaken me?” But after these periods when it has been hard for me to believe there is light after this tunnel, God shows me that He is faithful. For me, Hakuna, this getaway, and other blessings I have received have been the beginning of the fulfillment of His promise that He “will wipe every tear from their eyes” because “behold, I make all things new.”

What a renewing spirit and spark of life Hakuna has brought me! From the first time I heard one of their songs, I knew this little Spanish group had something special, a charming grace that could only come from the Holy Spirit Himself! I did not suspect that I myself could be part of such a movement of renewal in the true love and joy of our Lord! From the moment I sat on the bus for the getaway, I began to receive graces that made it clear to me that angels were accompanying us. An email confirming a job contract, greetings from old friends, emails with awaited responses, the sudden disappearance of a discomfort I had in my body, and a feeling of love and grace in the air. It’s no lie, I find myself with a love and an authentic smile blossoming from me when I think of HAKUNA and our recent getaway.

I gladly accept HAKUNA’s invitation to “simply believe,” “ignite myself,” “let myself be loved,” and “dance without overthinking.” I want to be “completely joyful” to shout to the four winds that “blessed is His holy Name!” We will keep escaping together and see where this HAKUNA wind takes us because “the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound; but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

They have restored my hope, and I can only say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for helping me in my resurrection process!

>>>

<<< 02/14/2023 It has been exactly one week since our getaway to Villa de Leyva. It feels like a strange experience because just two days were enough to live some of the best days of my life and surely the best days so far in 2023. This getaway seemed very "cool" to me, sharing and meeting incredible beings full of God. Seeing God in many ways on this trip—in brothers, sisters, friends, families, couples, in a guitar, in one or many songs, in laughter, in short, so many things that comforted me and made me strongly confirm that God is incredible and that His great love made us live this great getaway. It brings me great joy to return to Villa de Leyva for this kind of experience, as I usually used to go with different plans and different people. With a different focus and without God, I am very happy to have returned and made this kind of plans. What happened on the getaway seems crazy to me, and I am still processing in my mind what happened there. I can't describe it yet, but I can say that in my opinion heaven was on earth. Infinite thanks to God primarily, to all the members of Hakuna Group Music, and to all the people who made this possible, because personally, and I believe speaking for others, this getaway worked miracles and changed many lives. AUPA HAKUNA!!!! I HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON! GOD BLESS YOU, THANK YOU FOR THIS MISSION. >>>

<<< 11/02/2023 Hello family! This getaway was a surprise for me. First, because I didn’t think God would speak to me so directly and clearly during Masses and Holy Hours. Second, because I reaffirmed that not everything has to be perfect to have a good time with family, as many here used to tell us before any group activity. Unlike the others, I couldn’t spend 100% of the time sharing with all of you: for long stretches, I had to step away to check Teams and work messages. But well, you have to embrace plan B, right? Which in this case was to participate in some way. These days in Chaclacayo I would sum up in 3 points:

• Live loving, intensely, giving the best of myself to others: from a smile, a big hug, advice, words of encouragement, a “how are you” or “how can I help you?” Without expecting anything in return. Just the desire to help others already fills one with joy and much peace in the heart.
• Thank God for what we often take for granted: from the sunrise, hearing the birds singing in the mornings, sharing quality time with family, friends, partner, having a job or business, walking, feeling, hearing and smelling, arriving home, so many things… the list goes on, but how important it is to remember.
• Pray for everyone, for one another: prayer is the greatest gift of love we can give to others. When we ask God, our Father, with all the faith and hope we have in our hearts, let us pray not only for our desires: let us remember those around us, always under the intercession of Mother Mary (that’s what I call her), who is always attentive to the needs of each of her children.

I want to thank each one of you for the welcome and joy received throughout these days. Although I couldn’t talk to everyone, I want to thank Renata, whom I met in the Slope group last year, and who invited me to the Holy Hour in Lima; José and Nati, for always being attentive to answer questions; Marcia, for her patience and listening to my stories these days; Pablo and Esther, for telling me about their work on the bus and in Chaclacayo; Leo and Diego, for accompanying me to buy ice cream! and sharing their experience on the getaway; Héctor, for the hug when he saw me cry at the nursing home remembering my grandfather; Aitana, for recommending places to visit when traveling to Spain; Cristina, for sharing her experience as a doctor; Pablo, for happily receiving the little meditation book; Victoria and Walter, for listening to me sing… (I hope you’re all in this WhatsApp group).

To finish the letter (I usually get carried away when writing), always remember that God’s timing is perfect. Here’s an example: I have always found a Chapel or Parish near work to go pray. The Chapel of Jesus Host is literally a few blocks from the office, and interestingly, it was here where I met Hakuna last year.

A big hug, family! I hope to share here soon the song I wrote to Jesus after a Holy Hour. God bless you. Lots of encouragement and full speed with the prayers, for one another! I pray for you.

>>>

<<< 01/30/2023 Being before the Blessed Sacrament is being before the source of everything. The retreat has allowed me to drink, once again, from that source of life. When in the book of Genesis we read "He made man in His image and likeness," I believe it finds its fullest meaning based on two approaches (approaches I learned and experienced during the retreat):

1. The Eucharist

In the Body of Christ I recognize my nature. In the living piece of Bread, I can understand how loved I am and how intimately connected I am to Christ. Only by seeing Him can I truly see myself. Knowing I am loved only by Him, I know how much my heart is truly worth. Only in Him can I find my true self. Recognizing His greatness, I embrace my misery.

1. The Neighbor

I understood that our being, being made in the likeness of God, is called to love—not with just any feeling, but with a love like God's (we are made by and for Love). I understood that it is indeed possible to love as God loves us and, rightly so, Jesus asks us to do so as a new commandment: "love one another as I have loved you." The only way to undertake this commandment is through the neighbor, in an embrace, in a look, in a smile. I find myself in the other, and the other finds themselves through me. Why does this happen? Because we all have the Spirit of our Creator, a Spirit that burns away sin and embraces the sinner..
>>>

<<< 09/30/2019 So many things from these days in the Holy Land resonate in my soul. I review one by one in my mind each of those memories that the soul wants to keep forever, forever… Don’t let me, my Jesus, forget each of those moments when you looked at me and loved me more. You know I am a cold, planner person, one who measures every step… I had imagined this trip as I organize everything in my life: structured, measured, calculated… And then You come and blow it all up. You really have a sense of humor, and you laughed at the things we told you. And when, exhausted, I went down the stairs of the Way of the Cross, I felt you telling me: Don’t speak anymore, don’t tell me more things… I know them all, and you make me laugh. Let me carry you, let me carry everything. Get in at the end, next to the Cyrenean, hold on tight and you will see how I make all things new. Do you think this trip is the best thing that has happened to you? My son, you have no idea what I have prepared for you if you let me. The best is yet to come and I will show you Mediterraneans, Tiberias, and deserts you don’t know, and I will make your heart a great soul, and every night at the end of the day, I will hold you in my arms, rock you, and tell you the good things I have prepared for you. And I could only hide my tears behind sunglasses so others wouldn’t see them, and shout with all my strength: “Mom, I will never leave him.”

30/09/2019

Tierra Santa, now I understand the greatness of being Tierra and being Santa. Because
we have held on to the Earth to fully enjoy the
greatness that God has placed at our feet.
Being there you realize how worldly we often are,
the worries and anger that we can dodge, avoid and without a doubt we
wallow in them like fools. Here we have fallen and gotten
up, we have gone from the uncertainty of not knowing where we are to
reaching a safe harbor, because we believed we could. And leaning
on others.
We have held hands so as not to fall, hands of those we did not know
and with whom we have prayed with all passion. We have united our
prayers in such intense moments that no one can break those bonds,
no matter how far apart we are.
I have understood the meaning of effort, that the limits are set by ourselves, the importance of having a good travel companion
who encourages you, sometimes it is very good and necessary.
I have enjoyed friendship, laughter, lots of laughter... But most of all the
Great Love of God.
I looked forward to the moment of Mass, the Holy Hour, chatting... And the intensity
and sincerity from everyone, the joy and faith have been our best
travel companions.
Through the streets of Jerusalem I felt great sorrow for treating the Son of God this way,
I cried at Calvary and asked for forgiveness. Well, cry, I cried many times... Also
from emotion, from joy.
I wonder what I would have done if I had been there, the inner journey
begins now for me. This can only be to keep moving forward
knowing how to cry and knowing how to laugh, life is a path where the air never stops
blowing like a pleasant breeze or a strong gale.
Now I want to enjoy what I have lived, seeing, reading, listening... I do not want
routine to prostitute this immense peace of God that I have felt upon returning,
being there. Unrepeatable moments to reach the "more difficult still", and with
a triple somersault, bam!, we managed to reach a moment even more special than the previous one. Certainly, the Holy Spirit has always been
with us.
And still is.
I take so much that I can only be grateful for helping me
feel this great embrace of God

<<< 09/30/2019 Today marks 15 days since, in search of it, we landed in the Holy Land. Great hopes, great prospects, great desires, everything big, big, big... all as big as He is... But it was not like that, quite the opposite; it was not all “big very big,” but small, very small. And let me explain... I think we all expected the majesty of a great God - both newcomers and returnees - and I believe we all found the smallness of a simple family, of a brother, of a mother, of a grandfather... with the closeness of the family of the first Christians. Because we really were not a pilgrimage group, but a “pilgrim family.” We have enjoyed ourselves like few times in our lives, but it has been a special enjoyment. Maybe you could say it was free. Truly free. And therefore full of Life and Love. In abundance. We have experienced that Christ frees, that Christ is abundant Life and that Jesus is Love, is family, is an “unlimitedly limited us...” The world speaks to us of the self, and the Church speaks to us of the us. In the Holy Land, one can experience (although as a returnee I can attest that unfortunately it is not always so) that Life makes little sense lived from the self, from comfort, from demands, from my will, from my reason. It gains all its meaning from the experience of the us, from the deep acceptance of myself, my weakness and my limitations. And from there, loving myself, Life gains full meaning in the unconditional acceptance of the other by letting oneself be crushed by the teeth of their imperfections, loving them too. And so, loving the imperfections of Life and deeply accepting them, you can change the perspective, the point of view, and readjust what you expect from it. With this, everything changes by itself, effortlessly, gently. The Gospel is full of indications, but we are so stubborn that we keep crashing against concrete walls, or Jerusalem White stone walls. Nooo! It’s not like that! The Christian life is not sterile suffering! Holiness is not perfection! Relationships are not based on debts or demands! Life is endless forgiveness, not just 70 times 7 or 490 (because this is a metaphor, Mr. Pepe would tell us hehe) Life is a "I do not condemn you either, go and sin no more" but know that I will keep forgiving you... Life is the Freedom of the Spirit "who blows where it wants"... Life is a "you did it to me"... Life is not demanded, but lived as it comes; it is not about transforming situations, but about changing the point of view to Christ’s perspective. And all this is something very big, but also very small. Because God is like that, very big but very small, and at the same time so big... like holiness, which is like that, very difficult but very easy, but very difficult and at the same time very easy... In the Holy Land we experienced that Golgotha is just a normal stone, that the Holy Sepulcher is just a church, that in the Jordan one can bathe (although one should not) in underwear waving a flag as if it were the pool of one’s town... We experienced that the Sea of Galilee is a normal sea with shabby boats, and St. Peter’s fish, well it’s not that tasty... The desert is not sand, but rocks, and the exoticism of an oasis and a garden well... let’s just say it can be more hygienic. But in all this simplicity and smallness there is something bigger than the whole universe: the presence of God that continues to soak that Holy Land. And we have truly experienced it; in the looks of each morning after hardly sleeping, in the sincere gestures of affection helping each other in the hills, in the normality of desert beers and in the joy of the flamenco in Tabor. Sharing the 40 years of faithfulness of a marriage of this family, the 4 that Mr. Pepe would say like the 400 years, or the 40 years, or the 40 days... what a beautiful celebration with the wall in the background... We have experienced it above all as true Freedom in the heart, in the intelligence and in the will after facing nights of 3 hours, marches without a compass and with a hurricane wind through the desert that gave a bit of "scaryyyy," mountain paths unthinkable with our ages and our knees, black ascents in a wheelchair, beds that are towels on the grass of a pool, the reorganization of mass and visit schedules and the surprise that if one got lost another better one came out... a diet based on chickpeas and chicken with chickpeas and chicken, and desserts of chickpeas and chicken, with chicken and chickpea sauce... that yes, with some beer to wash it down hehe. We have experienced God in the Holy Land, but not in the grand constructions (which also) but above all in our hearts, in the smallest things, in the simplest moments... because that is where Jesus is, in any of these small ones. You don’t need to go to the Holy Land to be with God, no way... but we had to go to the Holy Land to realize it. It is beautiful to go to Bethlehem and "reverse" enter its cradle to kiss its ground (although maybe it is not, Mr. Pepe dixit). To go to Jerusalem and pray, and cry, on the tomb of my Lord, my Life, the Love of my loves. But it is a gesture, a symbol, a beautiful devotion... Because our Love is in our heart, and in the Host; in each of our cities, in our Hakuna groups, in our "domus ecclesiae." Jesus is a normal, ordinary man, who eats, digests and... enjoys life. He is a friend who is by our side at every moment. And if we talk to him normally and naturally, avoiding complicated and artificial forms, his presence floods us and if we let ourselves be carried by it... That presence of the Grace of the Spirit of God sweeps inside, makes the heart seem like it will burst with Love, and one knows that nothing matters, that the world could end and that we could all die at that very moment... and it doesn’t matter, that doesn’t worry... in fact, it is desired, it is asked for! Because in the middle of that experience one only wants to remain there, with Him, in Him, in his presence, in his peace, in his love, in Him... forever. And this happens in Cana, but also in canó, as my mother would say, that is, anywhere. Anyway, my dear ones, this is what I take from the Holy Land: the simplicity of God in every small detail of any and simple ordinary life lived in his presence. In the simplest, in the most mundane, in the most ordinary. I love you all. All of you. But I love Jesus and Mary more; sorry, you understand me. Hehe. Always yours. >>>

<<< 12/31/2018 Jesus, thank you. It is the only word I can say after the most exciting, most beautiful, and happiest weekend of my life. Monday afternoon, dead tired, and I am still not aware of the gift this trip has been. Thank you Jesus for this weekend in which You have let Your grace flood Hakuna. Thank you Jesus, for teaching me that everything we do is not for ourselves, but for and to You, for our Poor Madly in Love. Thank you for teaching me how beautiful it is to get dirty just to make You smile, to sacrifice without expecting anything in return, to give until it hurts, just as the cross hurt You. A very close person told me when leaving the Vatican with tears in their eyes: “Someone tell me now that this is not real, that God does not love us.” And how right they are. Thank you for Hakuna, Lord. We want to be your instrument to revolutionize the world, to make things new. Ro said it at the concert: “You can hear the rumor of a Revolution.” Thank you for letting me be part of it. We have sung in the Vatican, your headquarters. We have decorated and made the walls of centuries-old basilicas resound with our songs. We have shouted at the top of our lungs until we lost our voices that Your Mercy has entered our home. Thank you my God for this first HAM. And since you know me, I also write to ask you. I ask you to never let me forget that I am not alone, that I have a huge family, your family. Thank you for reminding me where happiness is. I ask you to remind me every night what my motto must be: “Nonconformity, Joy, Compassion.” To us Jesus, your Right Hand said these words. I ask you to teach me to look with the love and hope with which the Pope and Don Carlos looked at us, reminding us that it is us who have to bring your light to our friends, and not only the priests. Because they can’t keep up Jesus. Don Josepe, Don Arturo, Don Javier… and all your generals, they can’t keep up, and look, you have taken the best. They always need soldiers ready for war. Remind me of this always Lord. Light me up Lord, and let me bring your light to all my friends. Oh Lord, they don’t know what they’re missing. If they knew what it is to jump and shout Revolution looking at the sky, embraced with your friends. Pffff, that really is a high. Thank you Jesus for the most exciting, most beautiful, and happiest weekend of my life. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, and you’re welcome. You’re welcome because I know how much you have smiled. I am sure you have smiled as much this weekend as those times when when you stop smiling your cheeks hurt. And how could you not smile. Thank you for the Love I have felt this weekend. Thank you because I know that is only a little piece of the Love you have saved for me, a caress compared to the big hug you want to give me. So you know Jesus. Thank you, and you’re welcome. Thank you my Mother for taking care of us. Thank you because without you none of this would have been possible. I am sure of that. Please keep walking hand in hand with us, because without you we easily get lost. Thank you because you manage to bring out smiles that no one else can bring out. Those smiles that come out when, embraced, we sing to you not to leave us, those smiles do not come from this world. Thank you, King of my life. Thank you, Queen of Hakuna. The Revolution with you is Real. >>>

31/12/2018

Three days. Rome. The eternal city. The truth is I don't even know how to start,
so many things have happened in so few days.
It's the first time I take a getaway with Hakuna. And I am speechless.
They say Hakuna is a family, I think I had never really
believed it until now, from the first day I have felt
hugged by everyone. But not just anyone, but people full
of Christ.
I have been in Hakuna for over a year, how could I have taken so long to go on a
getaway? I'm a scatterbrain.
At the HAM I really discovered that there is that line of crazy people who follow
Christ drunk with love.
Jesus, we are spoiled. We have been with the Pope, and all I can say is,
how beautiful your Church is! I am stunned. This one is really crazy about You,
and yet, he asks us to pray for him so that he is less and less unfaithful to
God. And us? And me? How many times have we failed you! And yet, you
love us madly, it's very strong.
Before the HAM I was content just getting by, but there, in Rome, I
realized that you ask more of me, that I can give more, I want the world to
know that we have someone, a lover who loves us madly.
Now here, one day later, a normal Monday, everything seems the same, but no, you have
entered deeply into our hearts. And all I can do is thank you.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Thank you for the HAM. Thank you for Hakuna. Thank you for that line of crazy people. Thank you
for the Pope we have and for the priests who accompanied us.
Thank you for the example of the married couples and the grandparents who were there
like one more young person. Thank you for the choir that sings to you. For the kitchen team.
Thank you to all the unsung heroes behind the scenes who made all
this possible. Thank you for letting us make a mess in your world. Thank you for letting us
start this revolution.
I repeat again, words are unnecessary. But one last thing, thank you for entering
fully into my soul. Into our souls. You are the master!

<<< 12/31/2018 Surrender, serve, enjoy... To be able to explain a little about what the HAM have meant to me, I have to go back in time. About a year ago, I was asked to start forming Hakuna in my city. The first thing I thought was: "phew, I don't have time and I don't want to commit, I'll go to some Holy Hour and that's it, but I won't commit to giving 100% of myself." A few weeks later, I suffered the loss of a loved one and decided to go to Hakuna to see if it would help me. I arrived at the first Holy Hour and as soon as I knelt before the Blessed Sacrament, I broke down crying. The next Holy Hour was more of the same. Crying, crying, and crying. After a few weeks, I thought: "why am I going if I'm going to be crying the whole hour," so I distanced myself and started making excuses not to go. Maybe I was afraid to face everything I felt when I heard the choir sing, or what came to my mind when I prayed. It has been a year of comings and goings, with a family situation that has made me feel many times that God had turned his back on me, that He had abandoned me. I didn't understand why what was happening to me was happening when I never did wrong and always tried to please others. In June, I decided to go to the HAM in Rome, mainly because I never miss a trip and I sign up for anything, to be honest. I went with a wrong and selfish mindset thinking: "great, I'm going to see Rome and eat lots of ice cream and pizzas." And I can tell you in advance that there, praying and sharing my joy with everyone, that was the least of my concerns. When I arrived in Rome, I felt very welcomed and began to feel the love of Hakuna in the atmosphere... how wonderful! It was the third time I visited Rome, but I must say that filled with hakuners, Rome seemed more beautiful and holier than ever. The Holy Hour with the Holy Father made me react, realize that joy, restlessness, and compassion are essential elements in the life of a Christian. The Holy Masses celebrated in Rome were another opportunity to open my eyes and realize that prayer can do everything. The HAM has opened my eyes and made me see how little life is to give it away. Surrender, love, pray, laugh, serve, enjoy... What else to say... sometimes it is hard to express feelings in words and it is necessary to live it to understand it. If someone asked me to describe what Hakuna, especially the HAM, means to me, I am convinced I would say: "Love, Faith, passion, and joy." From here, I thank each and every person who makes up Hakuna. Especially Don Josepe, my goodness, what a mess you've made. May the Christian revolution continue and reach every corner of the world. >>>

31/12/2018

Good morning, Lord! What a weekend... how good it is when things are good! I wanted to start by thanking You... but everything I say to You will never be enough, You know the deepest thanks of my heart. THANK YOU because I am fortunate. Again I see You in others and experience the certainty that You are there, that You are in others, that by serving I am happier, that being in plans with people who want to follow You, seek You and love You, is amazing! THANK YOU because You have renewed my Spirit again, You speak to my heart through each one, and You create in me the need to know You more, to know more about You to be inseparable, to want to spend more time with You and for You to make my heart bigger, to help me be better and that means happier! From heart to heart... Face to face... That is how friendships are forged, in good times and bad. THANK YOU for reminding me that no moralizing, Lord, as they said at the Congress, I do things because I really want to and for YOU, so that You are happy and not for a check... which sometimes does so much harm. And yesterday Saint Paul said it again in the reading: "faith that works through love is what counts in Christ" and that's that. THANK YOU for opening Your heart through the Pope, what an early birthday gift. I saw You in him. How simply he speaks and how clearly... how You clearly told me: 1- That I have to truly pray for the Church, but TRULY, for the priests and their faithfulness, really that of all men to their vocations. Every time I see a priest... pray for him / for them... but truly... at that moment pray a Hail Mary... that has helped me understand the Rosary better and to pray it, why it is needed... and I hope I fall in love with that prayer, to need to pray it every day, not just now that the Pope has asked with greater insistence. 2- Not to show off - to move forward, not to be afraid. You have to get into the mud and get dirty! That sometimes is hard for me... because getting dirty... involves many things... but the commitment and even more if it is WITH YOU is worth it. Thank You for teaching me from the hidden how many people get dirty and that, without that, the journey would not be possible. And that they are serving in hiding, it is a gift only for YOU, and at Hakuna we all do something, so seeing others get dirty with Your mud helps me not to believe anything and as Josepe says not to "get stupid" and that it is not a space for personal self-training... so after Rome, the Lord puts everything back in its place inside me. THANK YOU because again, a HAKUNA plan is life all with all, a family that never stops causing a ruckus constantly. Every time I come back I just want to talk about this... but how hard it is to explain: you have to LIVE IT. THANK YOU to the Choir, you have made it possible for us to pray better than ever... what voices... what talents... and what dedication... many hours of effort were seen and very very sanctified. At the concert at night you made me enjoy SO MUCH seeing everyone sing, so many families, mothers, grandmothers, fathers, daughters going up on stage!!! How you sang the song of Mercy in the adorations... I listen to it on loop all day... it takes me to Rome... to you and to HIM. THANK YOU FOR HAKUNA because it helps me live life, not just survive. It is life when you see some guys causing a ruckus at the airport and spreading it... it is life when you see them doing holy hour on the return boat, it is life when we arrive at our jobs and they ask about the weekend and you tell it just like that. It is life when some guys get together and do a musical and dedicate so much, so much time having a great time. It is life when I just landed and took a taxi home and the taxi driver asked me how the trip was and where I came from. So I told him everything... I told him about Hakuna, I told him we had been with the Pope... he was Protestant and we talked deeply with much respect, I showed him Hakuna's songs. So thank You Lord because I was only completely grateful for what I had been able to live, for the desire I had to explain things and to show him that the Lord loves him very much... and even though I was very tired and didn't even want to talk, the Lord wanted us to have that conversation... the guy was amazed and I got off and he was listening to the Pasión album... hopefully Hakuna will again be an instrument with its songs to bring this Protestant man, whose name is Pol, closer. May none be lost. And THANK YOU for all the THANK YOUs I haven't said and only YOU know!

<<< 12/31/2018 A glass of wine, please! - I heard someone ask as “Revolution” closed the concert in grand style. No, no! The best parties are not always with your select group of friends and to the rhythm of reggaeton. This is a party without capacity limits and it promises! This party doesn’t need grand halls or exquisite delicacies, only you are needed. There is no closing time, no dress code, no differences of any kind among the guests, all are equal in the eyes of the Host, who attentively watches as his guests enjoy themselves. It’s 5 in the morning and the party continues, still without music; the dance floor transforms into a stage of hugs and smiles, goodnight kisses, and many “see you soon”s. There I stop and think, the music started around 10, but that party had started days ago, specifically on Thursday. It began with the warmth of hugs we gave to those we hadn’t seen in a long time, with greetings and welcoming gestures to all those we saw for the first time, with the willingness to help in whatever was needed, with the desire to gather once again with Him. Lord, this party has been an absolute blast, a weekend non-stop! We have rested very little, and although You know me and know that when I don’t sleep I tend to be in a bad mood, something happened this weekend, and that is that I haven’t stopped smiling. Neither I nor anyone else. I have seen people get up early with a smile, endure cold or heat with a smile, sing even without a voice and with a smile, cry with a smile, hug with a smile, help with a smile, and go to bed late and exhausted, but with a smile. And I have seen You in every single one of them. You have become Father of an unparalleled family. You have become flesh and bone in all the people who have not stopped serving so that everything would go perfectly, in all the looks of joy, emotion, and gratitude that we have exchanged over these days. I don’t know the exact moment in this great party when You changed my life, I only know that I never want it to stop. I want to be an inexhaustible source of service to others, I want to be a smile that lights up, I want to be the ear always ready to listen to the concerns of my friends and companions, I want to be the steps that start the great dance that is part of Your party. I want to share with everyone what You have given me! I want everyone to understand that only through You can one love unconditionally, that only when You are behind it do enthusiasm and desire overcome laziness and turn what might seem like a heavy effort into an exciting challenge to overcome. I want people to understand that this party is not an hour of worship on Mondays, nor 45 minutes of Mass on Sundays, that this party is a nonstop way of living as You have taught us, of serving You and serving others, and doing it all out of love and with a smile. I want everyone to know that with You every day is a party! >>>

31/12/2018

Thank you Hakuna!! Thank you for making this HAM in Rome 2018 possible!!
Two long weeks after our meeting with the Pope, and I am still connected to his words,
praying, meditating, and reflecting on how I can return to life everything I have received on
this journey... which is a lot!!
It is about spreading his message to our surroundings, with those we are with every day, in the
workplace, in the family... and I repeat to myself the three key words that serve as a framework for our
action: Nonconformity! Joy! Compassion!
We are drops in this immense sea! and I never tire of thanking Jesus for the privilege of having
known Hakuna, through one of our children, who has been volunteering in Colombia and India.
His life now has other challenges, he sees Life with different eyes, his Motto being: how
little a life is to give it!
The five of our family who have been in Rome have felt very comfortable,
completely identified with Hakuna, in our way of being, thinking, and acting.
The Pope has asked us to cause a stir. I see that the key is to abandon ourselves into the hands of Jesus and believe
that all the strength is in Him, acting through us, in words and deeds, recognizing
our smallness and being brave in acting, to achieve a better world where we return
all the Love received! And I repeat to myself: How little a life is to give it!
God loves us and loves us very much! He trusts each one of us for this Revolution, to
change our Church and be wherever He needs us. It is clear He wants us with Commitment,
with Passion, with Coherence in Being.
Thank you Jesus! Thank you Hakuna! Thanks to D. Josepe, and the rest of the priests who have
accompanied us, to all the dedicated ones who have made these HAM 2018 possible! to all the
Testimonies that have been present these days! Thank you all!

31/12/2018

Flipping out, Dad, flipping out

People have been asking me, it's normal, after 5 days in Rome with 1500 Catholics, I
expected the questions.
How is it there? What is the Pope like?... And many more questions of that kind
I always answer the same: Flipping out, I keep flipping out
You can't explain in words what you go through in a situation like this, living things like
the ones we have lived, sorry to be so repetitive, but I keep FLIPPING OUT
How can you feel bad having this? How can you return to your hometown without
completely revolutionizing it after this? How can it be that 5 years ago, this was 20
losers praying in a Church in Madrid? How can it be that the Pope gave us
some minutes of his day to talk to you on your behalf? Anyway, I keep flipping out
It's amazing, it gives you goosebumps, 3 hours by train, 22 hours by boat, another 2 hours by
metros and trains, walking for 10 minutes and finally arriving at a place many
kilometers from your home, a beautiful place, full of tents and bungalows, a few
caravans and many, many people who love each other and love you until it hurts,
you see young parents, and others not so young, with their children living faith in community, you see
whole families who have endured hours in vans or caravans to live for a few
days, unforgettable and magical moments by your side. You see young people who like you, have escaped
a few days from University to fill themselves with you, to revolutionize their hometown, to be
the salt of the earth. When you see that, you see that love people have for each other, and the affection with which they
treat each other... guess what...
FLI-PAS
You arrive, greet those you know, they introduce you to those you don't, they show you that you sleep inside
a 1.70 meter long tent, in which you don't fit, but you think, yes Yeyo fits,
who is 2 meters tall, so do I.
In the blink of an eye and with a beer in hand, you are listening to Josepe saying
that the next day, that is, Friday, you will see along with everyone around you and
many who have yet to arrive, Pope Francis, after this they expect you to go to
bed but you keep flipping out
The next day, after having slept little and badly, because as you are a genius, you have
forgotten the sleeping bag and the mat, you take a quick shower and a bad coffee, take a taxi and go to
visit Rome, you kill time to enter the Vatican and wait for the Pope to arrive, as if
you were going to a friend's house and sat in the living room, waiting for him to finish showering.
After this, and after the Pope gives you some advice and the music group makes the Pope's hair stand on end again, I meet you for the first time Dad, I
meet you in The Host and at that moment FLI-PAS
After an hour with you, I go to see you again, but in another place, because we had already
flipped out enough, can you imagine? Holy Hour and Mass in the Vatican... It will come
The next day was a spectacle, I had a great time like a little kid, to be honest this day
was marked on my calendar, since I had been spoiled that there was going to be
concert, and even Napoleon knew that I was going to have a blast that day. But
besides the concert what we didn't know was that there was going to be what was called The
Congress of the Christian Revolution, in which 3 doctors and a translator spoke, they
gave us testimonies and we saw a small preview of several Hakuna projects, one of them
caused me one of the biggest laughter attacks of my life, the Hakuna play,
called "Godspell", my goodness, what a damn riot.
This was just the beginning of the day, since after a long walk and without eating anything
we arrived at the church of Santa María La Mayor, where a great friend of yours, Don
Carlos Osoro, was waiting for us, who gave us Mass and then enjoyed a Holy Hour with all
of us.
When we arrived at the campsite, we found what I like, a good mess, concert and
party.
What to say about the concert, a damn madness, with stellar appearances by the mother of the
Martí, or with Vertigo sung by an internationally renowned baritone, also
we enjoyed songs from Hakuna Group Music and some new songs, all this while
we enjoyed the party, the alcohol, the dancing, shouting REVOLUTION, with goosebumps,
wanting to cry, loving each other, loving each other more and more, leaving our voices in every
song, enjoying you dad, enjoying the gift you have given us by bringing Hakuna forward.
Dad, I flip out with you, with the love you spread, with the will to live you give us, with the strength
you give us, with the purpose you have tattooed on us that none should be lost, with the
revolution you have started. I have been with the Pope!
Dad, people ask me how it was at the HAM, and I can only say one thing...
Flipping out, I keep flipping out

<<< 12/31/2018 Happiness is real Who would have said 4 months ago that I was going to live this experience, Lord? Who would have said less than half a year ago that I would spend a few days in Rome with HAKUNA? Who would have said that one day I would feel like one more hakuner? I met HAKUNA less than 5 years ago and, after a couple of holy hours, I decided to stop going because I didn’t share the ideals being conveyed. Or so I told myself. I chose the excuse that it was all show, an opportunity to meet people and to be known. But no. With this trip I have learned that it’s not just that, that there is something more, something addictive. I had already been feeling for a while that, despite having everything in my life, I had nothing, that I was missing something and that something had to be very important. From time to time I forgot the value of pillars like friendship or family and this emptiness could be summed up in a couple of words: THIRST FOR LOVE. Clearly, this clash with reality was not something radical but everything started with a Holy Hour in summer that marked a before and after in my relationship with you, Lord. After that time with You, and thanks to the advice of a friend, I decided to take the plunge and participate in the HAM. AND, WHAT AN ADVENTURE, MY GOODNESS! These days, Jesus, I have been able to understand the reason for the revolutionary spirit. I have understood, lived, and felt what the Love of Christ is, I have seen what the brotherhood of the family that is your Church is. It has taught me to discover people, not to be led by prejudices, by what people say. As you said, Lord: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. For one to be able to afford the luxury of judging something, one has to immerse oneself in it, know it, fully engage to have a complete opinion. And this is what this trip has taught me. Life is full of good moments, experiences full of laughter and fun that must be taken advantage of and enjoyed to the fullest. But it also comes with hard moments, times when we feel needy or start to deceive ourselves to console and justify our own mistakes and flaws. The Pope, when he addressed us on Friday, asked us for 3 things: JOY, COMPASSION, and DISCONTENT. These 3 words have been engraved deeply in my heart but I want to refer to the last one. Lord, I do not want to settle for how my character is, my way of being. Break that shell in which I protect myself so that those bad moments do not affect me, although indirectly they always do. Let me feel that joy of a good Christian, Father. Let Joy stir my spirit to fight to reach each one in a different way, as I know it will fulfill Him. During this trip I have been able to see what HAKUNA is and I wanted to keep 3 adjectives that would help me convey it to people who don’t know it or criticize it, myself included. The first is LOVE, God is Love. As Javi Navas explained in his testimony during the congress, I have had you in front of me for 20 years and, for 20 years, blind. Why? Because I saw you as a Father who had to be satisfied by fulfilling some mandates of now do this, that is forbidden... an endless list of duties that sometimes even made one lose the ability to discern what is right because it is good and what is right because that’s how I was taught. But with HAKUNA I have been able to see that my happiness does not consist of this. And it is that You are not an authoritarian Father, judge, or oppressor who imposes what I must do and what I must not, but pure Love which you make me reach through others, through the service of oneself to others. How obvious it is that you use each one of us to reach every human heart. That your grace flows, out of LOVE, from your divine nature and acts through every person who receives you. Father, may I learn to transmit and help those around me to see your Love through me, as I have lived these days. The second characteristic is the last thing I just asked you for, SERVICE. But not a self-interested service, that knows that this is what it must do, but a service that does not understand attachments, that serves and lets itself be served as You did with the Apostles. I have understood that this service can become a reality because You are acting through each of your children, each servant. Father, may I know how to serve you and serve others with that Love with which they have served me in Rome when I return. The last, but not least important, is PASSION. I don’t know what you have put in the body of all these people to make them do everything with Passion, with the Passion of God. In every barbecue, in every Holy Hour, in every greeting on the street, in every song, in every smile, in meals, in some drinks... In any insignificant thing of the daily routine they add a pinch of your Passion. And it is true what they say, the sea is made of drops. What I am telling you reminds me a lot of the song Passion of God, a song that every time I hear it gives me goosebumps. And, IT IS VERY HEAVY, LORD!! That I am the Passion of God, Your Passion. Now comes the return, Mother. That moment of the trip you don’t want to arrive because you know you are going to leave this bubble of happiness. But this is the key moment, the one that really matters. That return that no one wants but that serves to test us with daily difficulties. My Mother, help me because without you I can’t do it alone. I can’t get up alone while I’m having a beer with my friends after class to go to Holy Hour. Because I can’t remember to pray the rosary alone, as the Pope has asked us. I can’t be serving others transmitting the Love of your son in EVERYTHING alone. Because I can’t do it alone if not with you, with your help. May you revolutionize my spirit more and more every day, Lord. May I smile at all the people I cross paths with every day. May I frequently dedicate my time to those who suffer. May I be able to start each morning with a moment of prayer and offering. Pray every day for everyone. May I be able to commit to taking care of YOU in a tabernacle. May I go every Monday with the enthusiasm and willingness to help in the Holy Hour. Help me see the importance of personal formation to be closer to you, to know you more and, therefore, to love you more. May I be able to see and act as your spring for those who are thirsty for love in every moment of my daily life. May I appreciate the meaning and value of the Sacraments. And, finally, help me take care of Your Mother, Mother of Hakuna. “I want to live life: to know how to enjoy everything, not to sell myself to false fun, to seek happiness within myself. I want to bet on great ideals: to know that my life is worth a lot, not to sell myself to mediocrity, to seek to serve and love. I want to make the right choices: to know how to distinguish good and evil, not to sell myself to be like others, to seek what is worthwhile. I want to be free: to know how to enslave myself for love, not to sell myself to whim or passion, to seek inner freedom in you, Lord.” >>>

<<< 12/31/2018 The Good Life or the Good Life of Jesus I am the father of a “Hakunero” who encouraged us to come to Rome. What an experience!!! When we returned, our son thanked us for the trip... we were the ones who should have thanked him!!! What a “whirlwind” of the Holy Spirit!!! Just arriving at the campsite on Thursday night, late, I was already amazed... We went out for a walk around the Flamingo, hundreds of young people, hugs, genuine smiles, “beers,” Kinder Buenos... The joy that the Pope asked us for the next day!! He introduced me to his friends and it was as if I had known them forever, I realized we were in for a special weekend!! And what a weekend it was!!! Meeting the Pope, Saint Peter for us, reminded me of when we left the parish in our town after Mass and the doorman “hugs” us because he wants to close the gate, we were at home!!! When the Pope spoke to us, I wanted to jump up and hug him (Don Josepe will kill me). He asked us for forgiveness for a thousand things!!!! I wanted to shout at him, I am the one who should be asking forgiveness for so many times I have failed the Church, you, and all my brothers... Holy Mass in Trastevere, beautiful. But something that touched my heart was Father Bianchi’s talk. He said few things and very simple ones but I stayed with one idea that I can’t get out of my head: “Jesus lived a Good, Beautiful, and Happy Life” I have always thought of Jesus’ life as a mystical, sacrificial one, ended by brutal suffering for us, for me!!! I never thought that Christ had a good time in this world, honestly I had never considered it. But Father Bianchi made me see that Jesus enjoyed this Earth. Friendships, nature, food... When I think of the Wedding at Cana I love it!! It was already the end of the wedding: Jesus could have said, come on, come on, you’ve all drunk too much, everyone go home... and instead he turns water into wine, (and what wine). I imagine his after-meals with his friends from Bethany. I think of his walks with the disciples through those lands... smiles, joy, hugs, jokes... “looking out” for each other... “All for all.” Just like the weekend we lived at the HAM!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! The Revolution has arrived!! >>>

31/12/2018

LAS HAM

I would like to start this letter by thanking each and every person who made this amazing reunion possible. God will reward you well.
LAS HAM for me have been a new birth in God and in the Church. The opportunity to see the Pope and hear the beautiful words he addressed to us has made me reflect and pray a lot these days now in Spain. What especially caught my attention was that the Pope began by thanking us for our presence there, in the Vatican. The one who should have been giving THANKS to God for this gift was me, the one who should have been giving THANKS to the Pope for his dedication and his willingness to pray for an hour with us (despite the much work he must have had) was me.
Obviously, from the first minute, the Pope was already giving me a great lesson: to be grateful to God. What we have lived makes me feel and know that I am FORTUNATE.
The second thing that caught my attention the most was that he asked us for forgiveness. I should be the one asking you for forgiveness for not being the Christian you expect me to be and for whom you pray every minute, I have to ask you for forgiveness for not praying every day for the Church and for you personally, I have to ask for forgiveness for not giving the testimony you expect from me and I have to ask for forgiveness for the times I find it hard to defend the Church and Christians. The forgiveness the Pope conveyed to us was full of pain, a very deep pain reflected in something he has not even done. He showed us how he suffers with others and how he makes that suffering so his own until he ends up attributing EVERYTHING that happens in the Church to himself. What an impact.
Joy, nonconformity, and compassion. I will never forget these three beautiful words with so much meaning. I do not want to settle for the organized and comfortable life I have been leading lately. I do not want to and I cannot. I cannot because I call myself a Christian and I want to revolutionize everything and everyone. I want to bring HIM everywhere. I want to dream big!! I want to say yes to you!!
I can only give thanks. Thanks because LAS HAM have opened my eyes. They have taught me what life is. Thanks to all of you who were there. Thanks because there, at the Holy Hour in Santa María La Mayor, I could see the need we humans have to carry our faith in community, in family, ultimately, in life. Thanks for being the three things: community, family, and life. Thanks because I have been able to melt into the eternal embrace that God offers me and in which we all entered this weekend. Thanks, because Mercy has not only entered this house but also my heart, which I had so stony...
God has given me so much, so much, so much that I must respond. I cannot and do not want to stand idly by watching life from the balcony and using all the gifts I have received from Him only for myself. Having been at a meeting with the Pope is a luck and a blessing, but I also know that God was there wanting to convey something to us. That something has to do with saying YES to Him.
He is the way, the truth, and the life. If I say YES to Him I know I will reach happiness, but how hard it is to let go... Therefore, thanks again for tearing away the stone I have for a heart so I can reach a little more each day the resounding YES I want to give HIM.
This weekend I have seen God in Hakuna. I have seen that God is the one who moves hearts, men are only instruments there. I have seen God in every smile and in the eyes of everyone. I have also seen Him in the concert and in the musical. I believe the choir is not aware of the many hearts it has touched and how much it has helped to pray. The concert was pure praying together, praying as a family. The family that prays together stays together. Thanks to all!

31/12/2018

You Haven't Missed Anything

One arrives in Rome. There is a campsite to set up. With a thousand people to
welcome. Warmth. Joy.
I arrived overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with excitement. For months the letters H, A, and M had
resounded a lot. Eucharistic Family, together, all of us, in Rome. And then, the fact that the Pope was going
to receive us... Overwhelmed. With my heart almost jumping with emotion. And it all started on Wednesday.
Some privileged ones were already there on Wednesday. Celebrating the First Mass and Holy Hour
of the journey of our lives.
And what a Mass. And what a Holy Hour. If I tell you that if you haven't come to the HAM you haven't missed
anything...
There, on the little terrace of bungalow 102, was God made Bread, and it seemed almost heavier to me than
having Him in front of me in St. Peter's. Heavier, because in a lost campsite in Rome, with a few
hangouts, God also became Bread no more and no less than in a Bungalow to be
among us. There. So small. So Him. SO huge. SO HEAVY.
And Thursday came. And the thousand arrived. The thousand, as one. Behind One. In One. The thousand, family.
To celebrate that family. Hugs, smiles, excitement. Playful faces seeing the tents...
A little walk from reception, a beer... And Friday. And what a Friday. A Friday in
heaven, on earth. And what a Pope, and what voices, and what God. Because there, in the cradle of the Church,
in the grandeur of the columns, the dome, and the stained glass, God was still the same as the
one who waits for us every Monday in the Monstrance... In that wooden monstrance. The same little piece of
Bread, setting on fire a thousand who looked at Him.
What a show... If you talk to Jesus, tell Him from me what a mess has been made. Or better, what is being made.
Because after the Vatican, we went to receive Him at Santa María del Trastevere. To stop
at His Mother, in that first church dedicated to Her in Rome. To learn to be every day a
little closer to the Mother of Hakuna. Of the mother of all.
And another day. And everything was flying by. And people working from top to bottom, finalizing details so
that everything would be perfect. In them, Jesus was just like in the Monstrance of St. Peter. In those
who were receiving at the door of the Italia theater, in those who gave up seeing Rome to
shop for a thousand (the ones from the Makro in Rome are still amazed), those who barely moved
from the paella pans, those who decorated the different Churches in our style before everyone arrived,
those who prayed out loud to help us with their voices offstage, those who fought every day with poor PierGiorgio,
the one from the campsite, who was desperate with our noise. From the musical team, who
made us all cry with laughter. From the choir, who when they weren't singing, were rehearsing... So many, them, who got dirty, without anyone seeing it.
In them, was the same Host we adore in St. Peter's. The same Christ. And in them,
at the same time, a friend, an acquaintance or simply one more with whom, without necessarily
knowing each other, to share that night shouts of Revolution in a concert where the poor
crazy man shone on everyone's faces. Joy. Joy. Joy.
Because, to top it off, that concert was better than any other. And there too was the same
Jesus, making, from our Life, a party, from a thousand, a family, from songs, prayers, from the
party, Life.

If I tell you that if you haven't come to the HAM you haven't missed anything... Maybe, I tell you, because it wasn't anything special. Nothing different. Simply a big celebration of what
Hakuna is, the Church.
But, simply, Hakuna, the Church. If I tell you, that you haven't missed anything, maybe, I tell you,
because that White Bread from the Vatican, is waiting for you this Monday, again. And that party, every
day.
And those people, are you. You and me. The murmur of a revolution.

31/12/2018

I sit down to write this post letter and honestly, I don't know where to start.
I am a person of few words, but let's get to the point.
THANK YOU yes, in capital letters, thank God and Mary for having put that weekend in my path, thank you all for sharing it, for having opened your hearts to people unknown to you, thank you to all the ones who prepared it with so much love so that everything would be a gift.
At the moment I signed up, I was afraid of not knowing what I was going to find, if I was going to feel comfortable or like a weirdo, but I closed my eyes and said I have to trust, if He put it in my path it is for a reason.
Upon arriving and seeing how you welcomed us with open arms, thinking that people from other cities would welcome you as if they had known you all your life, that was like being at home.
During the weekend, a real hurricane passed inside me. Despite going without expectations, my only wish was to disconnect from my routine, to unload the weight I was carrying on my back, and I didn't just take that away, I came back knowing that I am not the only one carrying my backpack, but the Lord carries it with me.
The Lord is amazing and of course, if we trust in Him and His plans, the only things we find are wonderful things, through every talk or every sharing through you, He was gifting me words and gestures that filled my heart with peace, increasing my thirst for Him.
I have returned without being able to properly explain to people who ask me what I experienced at the SW, because words cannot do it, I can only tell them one thing, that I have returned wanting more, to keep seeking Him.

Thank you for this gift.

31/12/2018

An Enthusiasm That Infects

Several days have passed and I love receiving the post HAM letters, I enjoy reading them, I thank God for what has been lived and for the enthusiasm that everyone puts into sharing what they feel after the experience.
And I, why don't I say what I feel? You don't need to write well to be understood, you don't need to be 20, nor 30 nor 40, it doesn't matter to be over 50 to feel that your blood also boils with the same enthusiasm and fervor as that of these young people who also make you feel young forever.
Well, here it goes! It seems that you already have everything done and yet you think that at the same time there is much to do and that you have to do it, that you want to live from what has been lived and that you want many to also want to live with this enthusiasm that infects.
God, may I never lose the desire!
Give me what I lack, turn my Holy Hours into a giving thanks and asking you.
Asking you for those who do not ask you so that they learn to do so.
Asking you to give me much faith so that those around me also live faith.
So that even though we are few now in my city we know how to infect so many who are to come.
So that also in your small cities the churches we are going to fill become small for us.
All this and much more I want to be my post HAM.
Thank you Lord and I, like everyone:

!!!!!WITH YOU I CAN!!!!!!

<<< 09/30/2018 This is feeling super weird. Coming home and being alone, everything clean and tidy, a closet full and a bathroom just for me, a pantry just steps away. Messages reminding me of a thousand things I have to keep an eye on today; being attentive to several things of mine that have to go well. With the inner peace I had in Saboga, I don’t know why I didn’t miss the plane. Don Josepe was so right about not having mirrors; my reflection has made me focus only on myself in less than a day, on how I look based on what I do, on what I say and what I don’t, on how tan I am or the face I have... and two days ago I was commenting on how cute a girl in my lunch group was, how fun it had been to dance with the kids at the farewell, how amazing the mud bath was... These days we have lived with our gaze totally outward, and I think that’s why they have been so amazing. And deep down, that’s how Jesus lived, with his eyes on the suffering of others, on his mother to give her a hug, on each one of us to listen and support each other in Him. The days have passed and I have gradually filled myself up with me, with my things, with my plans. I had almost forgotten the peace I had on that island, until I realized that holding my phone in my hand makes me uneasy, that I have been thinking for two hours about how tired I am instead of talking with my family at lunch, that since this morning I have been organizing my day according to what I feel like most and what suits me best. I realize now that these days have been what I would like my life to be, and I’m not saying that because of the swim in the sea before breakfast. I say it because of living with people I had known for a week but who never stopped exchanging smiles, because the end of my morning was helping with whatever the town needed, because we could all be together painting amid laughter and conversations with the sole interest of enjoying each other. I say it because of a life without mirrors, because I wish I didn’t care how I look so I wouldn’t have to be attentive and, like on the island, only see what I have around me: from a stunning sunset over the Pacific to helping the person next to me by bringing them bricks. But I also say it because of being so close to people who make you laugh and care about you, completely giving of themselves, of Don Josepe worrying about how we were doing, of Panamanians on the streets greeting us good morning, of children running holding our hands or singing in catechism. I don’t remember who said “of course, it’s easy to say here because God is here,” but I think they were right. God was there when two of us gathered, and when twenty of us went to the soccer field; in the smiles of the children when we played on the beach, and when we sang at the Holy Hour on the shore; in the mud baths and when we washed the dishes. And that is the peace I want to seek, the presence I want never to be missing in my life. I hope now that I am here (even though my mind wanders from time to time) I can live with Him as we have these days. Enjoying everything, speaking with my gaze on them and not on myself, without mirrors and forgetting my tiredness or preferences, serving but really loving. May I not forget to “be present,” as they said at the bonfire, to give myself to everyone, in everything, with all my soul. May I not forget that we are God’s “now.” >>>

<<< 09/30/2018 Making a paradise of our life Back home, it seems the paradise is already over. How hard it is to return! It’s getting difficult, why don’t we stay more days? Shall we go back to Saboga? We all ask ourselves the same questions. But after hearing the Pope say “the present,” Christians of the now. Then I think that going back is not the solution. What I propose is to make our day-to-day like the Island. To make our life a paradise. It’s not easy at all, but I think it’s worth it. You can still see the beach but now it’s the diagonal. The little island where we used to swim is the bar with friends, the soccer field is the office. It’s about making our life a paradise! With everything that comes with it. Saying YES to Christ, embracing life as it comes, but with everything. With its difficulties and contradictions. We must know how to embrace those fragilities, which can be family, friends, colleagues. Our tiredness, contradictions that on the Island were mosquitoes and ants or eating rice again. Now those contradictions are the boss, missing the bus right in front of you, or having your car towed. I always end up making mountains out of problems when in truth they are nonsense. We give too much importance to our work, our lives. We fill ourselves with mirrors that only make us see ourselves and we are not able to see anyone else. We want to be important and see ourselves in the mirror, see that even the tan lasts. But if we remove all those little things that limit the mind and heart, if everyone fits in the mirror except me, that is when our heart is completely filled, with God and others. Upon arriving at the Island, Don Josepe said some of us were looking at the sea: here it’s very easy to get stuck, that’s why, “you shouldn’t pay too much attention to the body.” I loved that comment. Honestly, I really wanted to lie down there, but when those days ended I realized that the best way to enjoy the Island was not to be on the floor, but standing up; not to stay on the floor, which is very easy and what today’s society calls us to. Then I thought: the Pope is not only referring to staying on the floor when I’m feeling bad, when I have problems and sink into them without knowing how to get out, but the fact of lying down, doing nothing. Resting from rest... it made no sense. Doing whatever I want whenever I want but without staying on the floor so I don’t stay in my mirror. The last idea I keep is that nothing can be saved if it is not loved. You have to put love into everything, putting love means putting your soul into everything we do. This has been one of the phrases of the trip: WITH ALL THE SOUL! That is love, whatever we do always giving love so that it can be saved, which is nothing other than bringing it to the Father. Now I know you can even go calmly but doing it with all your soul! MAKE A PARADISE OF OUR LIFE! >>>

<<< 09/30/2018 This might be the way to start when I think from home about the crazy month I have lived with what has become a big family: HAKUNA. Going back supposedly means subjecting yourself to a constant bombardment of questions: How was the experience? Did it shock you a lot? Was it hard? A lot of poverty? Has it been a before and after in your life? Have you been with the sisters? Have you talked to them? Faced with these questions, I found a half smile drawing on my face and a thought crossing my mind: If you only knew... If you only knew what it means for 193 people to become family, a hand that offers you help and support, a smile that gives you strength, a hug, a sincere "how are you?", testimonies that make you open your eyes to things you had never considered or had not given the right perspective... If you only knew what it means to see people with their serum bottle leaving the pain but still walking with everyone because we are ONE team, walking through the desert carrying your backpack or you carrying someone else's, starting to sing at the top of your lungs and that giving you a good boost of energy to keep going, walking with people and having passionate conversations, connecting with people you had never exchanged a word with before... If you only knew what it means to feel part of the group, of a family that is incomplete without you. If you only knew what the words kitchen team and vegetarian menu mean... If you only knew what a Mc Joseph imitation like "Hombreeeeee, how are you, what’s up??" is like. If you only knew the fun that pasta and rice bring, cereals sneaked outside of breakfast, chocolate croissants that don’t taste like chocolate... If you only knew the wonder of entering the desert night, walking with that fresh breeze hitting your face, under a starry sky and with an Indian in flip-flops leading... Arriving and celebrating Mass over a sea of dunes, under a vault of small and twinkling lights headed by a big, round Moon. God, THANK YOU. If you only knew what it is to give thanks or to be thanked from the heart nonstop, 24 hours a day!... If you only knew what the pain of laughter from countless bad jokes is and what a couple of guitars can do... If you only knew what it meant to be on a train for 33 hours, whole nights and days on tin buses... with birthday celebrations, improvised roll-arounds, spectacular landscapes, Mass in a car like "sardines in a can," relaxed conversations, trips riding on the bus roof or sticking your legs out the train door... Oh God, if you only knew what it is to feel good, to feel free, to feel fulfilled! If you only knew what a testimony is... the luck of having amazing people like Luis, Caro, Ana... who have a monumental heart and strength, brave ones who have You, Lord. If you only knew what it is to see that love without feeling is love... If you only knew what it is to look into the eyes of an Indian child, into those two black stars that disarm you and make you rethink everything; to feel helplessness at the impossibility of changing the situation and smallness because everything is too big for you. If you only knew what it meant to have the luck to go to Calcutta, where the legacy of a great one like Mother Teresa still continues, to manage to see God despite so much misery, to test yourself, to discover new facets of yourself in different situations; to see the love with which the sisters do everything, to feel loved when you give yourself to that disabled old man and to grow. To grow in that love. If you only knew what it meant to see your own poverty surrounded by external poverty, to feel at home curled up in the tomb of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, to feel what I felt when I knelt with my eyes closed and felt peace like never before... If you only knew what it is to live (not just attend) an Hour of Adoration, to pray with songs that stir the tornado of thoughts, doubts, and questions you carry inside and to bow before HIM and say: YOU ARE THE KING OF MY LIFE, THE NUMBER 1 OF MY HEART. And to manage to make 194 voices into just ONE voice that makes anyone vibrate. If you only knew what it feels like when you realize you feel God... If you knew what it is for Him to show up for you, to wrap you with His life, to bury you inside His Heart and that no one can take you out... If you only knew what it is to call God, Dad and feel that smallness before His immensity, that VERTIGO... If you only knew what it is to feel that: You, GET UP. That call to set the world on fire. If you only knew what it is to truly know you are loved by Christ, to get up for love, to serve, serve and serve for a Poor Madman... If you only knew what it feels like to sing with 194 mouths, "come spirit come" and for Him to come... If you only knew what it feels like to be kneeling and shout: I love you more than my life, I love you more than my life, I love you more than my life... If you only knew what Santos de Copas means, what it is to feel Santos de Copas... If you only knew what the euphoria of a revolution is, that inner flame that in an instant becomes a fire that spreads fiercely... If you only knew all this, you would know what I mean when I say HAKUNA, that I am not crazy, when I talk about friends, that I have grown with others, when I talk about God, when I say I never knew what praying was until now and that there is still much to learn and grow, you would know why I am not afraid of returning to reality, of living with Him this summer, of not being lazy to go back to class and work, because I greet the day with a smile and because I need to go to Mass and be with Him... because with His hand I know I will reach everything. Because I have begun to trust. If you only knew all this... You would know why I am happy. >>>

30/09/2018

Dear future me,

I don't know where or how you are, but even though it saddens me to think about it now, I know it's likely that you have forgotten some things you learned in India. That's why I'm here, because it's always good to take a break and put your feet on the ground.

First, remember your Indian family, those 194 crazy fools who decided to spend a month living in less-than-ideal conditions, giving themselves to others simply out of love. Those 194 angels who opened their hearts to you and won you over with their smiles in the toughest moments, their looks of love and complicity, and their resurrected faces. Remember how they loved each other and how they loved you, just as you are. Remember how they kept telling you over and over to let yourself be loved and how you felt when you let them do it.

Remember those moments with Him, with your best friend, the king of your life. Remember how you talked with Him for hours and how He listened to you. Remember how you sang shouting with your 194 brothers. Remember God's caresses and your Mother's hugs.

Remember everything you have learned this month and, please, never forget the resolutions you made and the eagerness to conquer the world that you brought back to Spain. That's why I want to leave them in writing for you, at least some of them.

Don't let the race, work, or earthly worries of your life sink or embitter you. Don't let all those day-to-day things, which although they seem like horrible obstacles to you are nothing more than stones on the path, make you lose your way and stray from your path.
Remember when we walked through the desert at night, there was a moment when you were ahead, next to the guide, and your light was the one illuminating the path for everyone. You have to be that light that shines, and you have to walk next to the guide, next to God; because if you stray, you lose yourself and all those who follow you. You will also remember that since you carried the light on your forehead, if you looked down or to the sides and stopped looking straight at the path you had to follow, you didn't see the stones in front of you and you stumbled. So, look ahead, toward the path the Guide marks for you, and when you don't find it or have strayed, ask Him, He will always be there, ready to help you. So remember, head high, steady step, and keep moving forward.

There is another thing you learned on this trip that I don't want you to forget. Rediscover, every day of your life, the happiness and greatness of serving. Always accompanied by the importance of selflessness. That giving yourself to others, getting involved for them, without expecting anything in return, without anyone noticing. As María Soria said in her turmoil, may every movement or action of your life be for love, after all, God is Love, if everything you do you do for Him, you will be making all things sacred. Living for love takes you to the heart of people and the heart of God and is a direct springboard to Heaven; although many times you forget it, that is your goal and not a good professional and personal future. Your goal is Heaven and life is nothing more than a path toward it. Never stray from your path. Remember, repeat, and live those incredible phrases you have heard so much this month:

"To serve, serve."
"We were born to serve and we will die serving."
"Whoever does not live to serve, does not serve to live."
"How little a life is to give it away."
And many others. But the most key one, never forget it, is:
"You did it to me."

Remember that everything you do to every person you meet, you are doing it to Him.
I only have one last piece of advice for you. Although you hear it a lot, don't swim against the current, the sea is strong and if you get tired you won't reach your goal. I propose that you change the current, revolutionize the waters of this sea, if the current changes you will manage to drag many more swimmers. So start now, gather strength and start swimming because you have an entire sea to revolutionize, ask for help from above who is the best coach. Remember that there is no barrier you can't jump with His help, no sea you can't revolutionize.

Remember, always, that once upon a time, in a country on the other side of the world, you had the luck to taste a little piece of Heaven. Remember what you felt, remember what you learned, remember what you did, remember what you prayed, remember what you loved. Remember your 194 Indian brothers. Remember mom's caresses. Remember that poor crazy man who looks at you mesmerized from a piece of white bread. Remember that you fell in love with the one who loves you most, remember that you learned that love without feeling is true Love. Remember that you embraced your Cross, remember that you accepted your reality, remember that you are a reflection of His greatness, remember that you are God's passion. Remember what Hakuna means, remember the greatness of being a true fool, remember the selflessness of serving. Remember the importance of revolution. Simply, remember.
A huge kiss future me.
Namasté.

<<< 09/30/2018 I went to India seeking a direct and personal encounter with God, to gain strength, clear all my doubts, and recharge my faith 100%, but as the song says, "when I want to control my life... I'm foolish." The only thing I had to do was let myself go and trust in God, who knows best. A trip that has changed my life. Not so much my life itself but the idea and way I had of living it. It’s not about leaving everything behind and changing your lifestyle; it’s about continuing to live the life of a normal young person, but hand in hand with the one who died on the cross for me. It’s about knowing for sure that He is here, with me, holding my hand. Knowing that when I give up, He will be by my side so I can keep going. I’m the first to live a busy life; I don’t stop to think about everything I do. On the contrary, I get overwhelmed by every situation or moment of the day. I do everything without thinking about what I’m doing, finish, go to bed, and the next day is the same, day after day. Many days I don’t even pray; I might go to bed without remembering Him for even a second. But today, during one of the holy hours of the trip, I fell. I fell because I clearly saw that the life I was living is not the one I want, that this life where I sought happiness in going out with a perfect guy, or with my friends, or having plans at night, or in my grades... is not the life I want. It’s not about that. Of course, it can be important but not essential. None of this will ever give you the happiness that knowing He is by your side 24 hours a day for everything you need and that He can do everything gives you. If I “prayed,” it was at most 5 minutes to ask for this and ask for that and ask for that... but it was in a tumble in India about Prayer where my life clearly took a huge turn and I learned that praying fills you, that praying relaxes you, that praying helps... That praying is not asking and thanking an almighty God whom we believe is unreachable and see as something distant. Praying is believing without seeing, loving without feeling, wanting and wanting. It’s talking to your best friend, laughing with Him, sharing good and bad moments, venting, it’s something incredible, it’s pure love...!!!!! Truly, I have experienced that change between asking to I don’t really know who and talking, being, and sharing everything with my best buddy. Of course, there will be moments when you sit in front of Him and don’t know where to go or how to start, but as they told me in that tumble, sometimes just sitting in front of Him and repeating “I love you, I love you, I love you...” is more than enough; I’ve tried it and I do it almost every day since then, it’s AMAZING, goosebumps! Until before the trip, “My poor Crazy One” didn’t quite convince me, but now I realize that He really is our poor crazy one, in love with us, with each one of us, who wanted to carry all our burdens to understand us, and He is CRAZY IN LOVE!! But after realizing all this, I can only say thank you, for this incredible month, because I have learned from each one of you, and because it’s amazing to take trips like this!!!! It’s impressive, wonderful, a pleasure, how from minute zero, everything was already prepared, the rooms assigned, a chapel with a special charm, the volunteer groups, everything, everything arranged. And I hope I can learn to reach my maximum, because I have seen them, and I have seen them exhausted but with a smile, and a look that shows the presence of Christ. I have seen those who despite the heat and tiredness, went into the chapel to play the guitar and help the rest of us pray, I have seen them handing out songbooks and little blankets with a smile; I have seen them sitting in the front row and singing as if it were the first day; I have seen them staying day after day at the hotel to prepare food for 200; I have seen them carrying suitcases on the buses with enthusiasm beyond the norm. I have seen them praying a rosary at 7 in the morning, having slept only a few hours, their faces showing tiredness, voices just waking up, but you could feel enthusiasm and eagerness to be there, more than one spent the entire rosary on their knees, or the whole holy hour! It’s impressive. I have seen people opening up like never before, letting out everything they had been holding inside for a long time, I have seen them reach such a point of humility that you could see in them the seed of Christ’s love. I give thanks for having met people who teach you that in life you have to bet on great ideals. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to live this experience, and thank you for making me feel more than ever that You exist and that You love me. >>>

<<< 09/30/2018 TSAJENÀ: I was lost, alone, in the dark, the only thing that mattered to me was my well-being, my clothes, me with myself... nothing fulfilled me, nothing made me feel, nothing and no one mattered to me. For a long time, God was just an accessory to me, something that had always been there but distant, not essential, not a crazy lover, but an all-powerful and unreachable father. A few days before the trip, I didn’t want to go, I couldn’t take it anymore, I didn’t know what was happening to me, I was suffocating. Then someone told me: “you are thirsty for God,” at that moment I didn’t quite understand what they meant because I thought I had everything: grades, family, clothes, everything one could wish for. I arrived in India with the purpose of having a good time, meeting people to keep filling that void and well, to see what this thirst was about, but thinking it was just a simple religious phrase and nothing that could fill me or be real. I’m going to talk about 4 words that would define this experience: surrender, love, sacrifice, and gratitude. The first day I got up early after a tough trip, and I only saw smiles, gestures of affection, surrender, that’s when I started to freak out, it was 8 in the morning, terrible heat and brutal sleepiness, how could they smile? For what? But that’s not the best part, I entered the chapel of the Mother’s House for the Holy Hour that afternoon without really knowing what I was going to find and suddenly I saw hundreds of young people praying, but not like I had seen before, each on their own and praying a little just to fulfill it, no, they were singing from the heart, they were giving their all after such a hard day, they were shouting ALL TOGETHER, love was in the air, they were one voice worshiping a monstrance, they looked at it with so much love it seemed they were going to get up and hold it in their arms. To top off my amazement, the voiceover came and I heard: “THAT WE LOVE EACH OTHER MORE,” who were these people who instead of asking for their worries or fears asked that we love each other more? Us, 193 strangers! On this trip I was also lucky to interact with the sisters and that completely changed me, never in my life had I seen more sincere smiles than those nuns’, and they didn’t smile because they had everything especially, they were wearing habits in 50-degree heat, without air conditioning, barefoot, dealing with the sick all day, standing, kneeling, and the only rest they took was to pray, they forgot who they were just to serve others! And not begrudgingly like I might have done, on the contrary, with love. They taught me that the richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least and certainly, they are the greatest example of surrender and love. I remember carrying a heavy bucket and after less than a meter, three people immediately came to offer me help with a smile, they wanted to carry MY bucket, I didn’t understand anything, why did people smile so much, why did they take on more work than they had to, for pleasure, when I was cursing having to carry it. The same happened on the train, where I had my pack of cookies and wipes for MYSELF, I remember secretly taking out my wipes to clean myself so they wouldn’t ask me, one time I ran out and had the nerve to ask the person next to me, I remember thinking: “how silly you are, she won’t give you any” and suddenly, against all odds, she pulled out a half-empty pack of wipes, there was one left and she offered it to me as the last one, I told her to use it herself and laughing she replied: “do you think Christ, when cleaning himself, would have left the other without cleaning? We are a family,” she was happy even without being able to clean herself. I was amazed, I had never seen so many people sacrifice themselves and out of love!!! Then I understood everything, it wasn’t MY bucket, it was OUR bucket, it wasn’t something I had to carry to fulfill myself and be better, no, it was something I did out of love for the group and for Christ reflected in each one, they weren’t my wipes, they were common wipes, it didn’t matter if I ran out because I had sacrificed out of love and without expecting anything in return, sacrifice and not exchange. Something you could see in how quickly the tobacco boxes flew because people always gave their last cigarette, not caring if they were left without one. That’s when I realized what all together meant, it wasn’t a Hakuna phrase they said just because, it was a feeling, it was surrender and sacrifice out of love, it was thinking of a we and shedding the I, it was belonging, it was being unique and not just one more, it was being a puzzle piece that alone is useless but without which the puzzle would make no sense. That’s when I started to live what Hakuna really was, I fell in love with God, my best friend, the poor crazy lover of me, as Sastre said, the first fool who was up on the cross for ME, out of LOVE for me. Who was I not to follow his steps? I wanted to be like Him, I wanted to love like Him. That’s when I understood why they asked to love each other more, that without love, nothing was the same and with love everything changed, I surrendered out of love for the rest, I suffered, I was hot, I had low moments, but every drop of sweat, every leg pain and every sacrifice made me happy, they filled me a little more. One night I entered the chapel to say goodbye to God, thinking I would be alone and suddenly I saw them, about 10 young people with guitars singing at full volume even at that hour. I heard the phrase “I want to be born again in you,” I repeated it and then I remembered, “you are thirsty for God” and indeed, I was thirsty for God, I was thirsty for love, I was thirsty for surrender, I was thirsty for belonging, I was thirsty to feel loved, I was thirsty for Him, my father, friend and faithful companion, the one who never failed me, and I saw it, I wanted to be born again, I wanted to start over, but in Him, with Him. Suddenly, all that emptiness and darkness that I hadn’t been able to get rid of for months had disappeared, I felt whole, I felt loved, I felt accompanied and I couldn’t stop crying and smiling. From the sisters I also learned the importance of being grateful, they started the day thanking God for the opportunity to live that day and at the end, after having given their all, after having suffered, they thanked again! How good it is to be grateful and how little it costs! That’s why, Thank you for this crazy trip, because I went to make friends and live an experience and I came back with an incomparable family and a weak God by my side. Thank you for teaching me that you have to love until it hurts and then keep loving because that gives happiness, for teaching me that everyone is unique and equally important, that God loves me as I am, thank you for teaching me the value of a smile, of surrender out of love, thank you for teaching me that without God, nothing fills and with Him, nothing matters, thank you for being who you are. THANK YOU. And thank you God for putting such spectacular people on my path, for giving me the opportunity to live Hakuna and above all, for quenching my thirst. I love you. >>>

30/09/2018

Drunk with enthusiasm, that's how we arrived on the first day. 194 young people heading to India. A country that grabs your attention, that breaks your expectations. MADNESS in capital letters and in every language. That's where we headed, eager for everything and not knowing what to expect.

Drunk on impacts, impacts of all kinds. Heat, poverty, misery, bad smells, noise, chaos, hellish traffic, bargaining, humpbacked cows, rabid dogs and rats, live and dead rats, trash, lots and lots of trash, piles and piles of it.

Drunk on serving. Giving, giving and giving more. Devoting ourselves to the poorest in Calcutta, to the dying on the street, to the scrawny children, to the disabled, to the deaf-mute and blind, to the elderly, to the mentally ill, to the indigenous settlements, to the families who live happily without having anything, nothing for us, for them that was having everything.

Drunk on learning. Because yes, our initial goal was to give, to give ourselves 100%. But more than that, or at least speaking for myself, we have learned and received what we never would have expected. Because they have nothing and have everything. And well many don't have You, or at least they don't know they have You. But we have learned to see You in all of them and also to let You be seen in us. Because you go full sail, completely still.

Drunk on heat, and my goodness what heat. Sweat was already part of us. Dizziness, fainting... Where is the air conditioning?!

Drunk on rain. Blessed monsoon, that poured down on us every day soaking us to the bone and flooding the streets, and thanks to the crocks you could feel the warm black water with trash and floating rats.

Drunk on tiredness. Sleeping on the floor or on the good bed, packed like sardines in a can, on the train surrounded by Indians or sitting on the bouncing bus. Every day you slept less and worse, but it didn't matter. We were there to lift up the person next to us. The number of hours slept didn't matter, You gave us the energy boost we needed.

Drunk on kilometers and kilometers. 33 hours by train, 12 hours by bus, 40 minutes walking to the volunteer work, hours walking through the desert surrounded by stars or climbing and climbing stairs until there were no more to climb. The more hours, the farther, the better, because that means we were taking You farther and farther.

Drunk on hunger. And sorry kitchen team, you really did an incredible job and I can only thank you from the heart. But I hope I'm not the only person who was hungry all the time, and repeated whenever possible. Maybe that was a sign that we didn't stop. But I must say I already miss the rice with vegetables and the driest croissant in the desert, and you have also made me enjoy a good steak more now.

Drunk on sharing. Sharing experiences, life stories. Sharing testimonies and ideas about some topics in the gatherings. Sharing what we learned. Sharing your water and your food. Sharing a lifestyle. Sharing love. Sharing the greatest thing we have, our best friend, Jesus.

Drunk on discomfort. Diarrhea with serum even for breakfast, cuts all over the body, burns, even some emergency surgeries. Incredible medical team, honestly I would have already given them the MIR and everything.

Drunk on unity. 194 people made one. 194 voices shouting in unison. 194 people in a chain carrying suitcases. 194 people with makuto on their backs through the desert. 194 people packed in 4 buses. 194 people dining as a family. 194 people dancing to give You glory Jesus. 194 brothers I take with me. 194 strangers that You have made become my family. All for all and none lost.

Drunk on being Saints of drinks. That alcohol has not stopped us from enjoying like little children. Necessarily joyful. That yes, thanks to the beers that tasted like glory and made us true saints of drinks. United, drinking in Your name, to Your health.

Drunk on You, Jesus, my best friend. I don't know what I have done to deserve You. Nothing, obviously nothing. But there You are, here You are. I have let You in me, You are in me. You and I, are one. We all longed for the moment of Mass and better if it was among dunes, in a train car, on top of a mountain or at the Taj Mahal itself. And not to mention the Holy Hours. It's not magic, it's You, Jesus. Speechless.

Drunk on Mary, Your Mother, my Mother. The Queen of Hakuna. How she takes care of us, how she is with us, attentive to everything, worried, caring, because we are her children. Blessed are You, Blessed be Your purity mom.

Drunk on gratitude. I don't even know where to start thanking. Simply thank you all, from the heart, thank You personally and thank You too Jesus. Without any of you nothing would have been possible. And thank You for everything I have, for everything I lack and for everything that will come. Thank You for the life I have and thank You because I can help. Thank You because You give an example of life through me.

Drunk on revolution. Because we are going to change the world, better, we are going to conquer it! You have conquered our hearts Jesus and with You it is possible. HAKUNA REVOLUTION

Drunk on love. I have fallen in love with You, my poor crazy one. You are the king of my life, the love of my life. I love You more than my life. I have discovered what love is, all the love I have to give and how beautiful it is to let yourself be loved. Hakuna is love and it has not only shown me what it is, it has let me be part of it. And as our motto says, my life motto: LET US LOVE EACH OTHER MORE

And may the hangover last forever.

30/09/2018

The return has not been easy, between the hard farewell and this whole superficial world that surrounds us it has been a strange blow. How right D.Josepe was, how little superficial superficiality is. I have realized that by untying myself from all these nonsense this month I have been free, totally free. And it has been in that freedom where I only have words of gratitude, first of all towards Him, and to all of you.

Thank you Lord for these days in Calcutta, Pushkar. I think I can say with certainty that it has been the best month of my life. But, they ask me, how can it be if you have slept nothing, lost weight, been hot, argued with Indians until you couldn't anymore. The solution is simple: YOU.

This month Lord you have transformed me, this spending about 2 hours in front of You has changed my life. It wasn't a brutal feeling either, but now I see everything you have done in me. You have changed me, I have served until it hurt without realizing it, I have loved you much more and I have known you more, I have loved and served others and I have let myself be loved a lot. How much you do in us if we let ourselves be done. Just by putting myself in front and begging you, do in me what you want, when, how and where you want.

You have used me, Lord, and how right Luis was; how everything changes from the shot glass to Guillem's balloon glass.

I try to think that this month I have gotten a little closer to your cross and your passion, with the service and the little suffering endured. And how undeserved your suffering is. All that for me? What have I done? Sin every week? Return and return and return? Turn my back on you? I don't understand it, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU SAW IN ME. But I give you infinite thanks, because thanks to that I realize how much you love me, and damn, it's crazy. When do you do all that for me? I ask you Lord to learn to suffer and serve, at least a small part of what you did. Help me to put my heart on the ground so that others step softly.

Thank you for everything you have given me, I realize everything you have invested in me. Thank you very much for having been able to know you and be close to You always. Why me? I am a poor, narrow-minded, selfish and miserable person. How much you have put in me. This Lord gives me confidence, that you have invested so much, I don't see it, but damn, if you have done it, who am I to deny your will and put a brake on your desires. I ask you Jesus to be up to the task, and above all to accompany thousands of souls all my life by your side. How eager I am Lord.

Also thank you for that holy hour in the middle of the party, in which many of us half fell asleep, but what madness. For me it has been the best moment of the month. To see 200 guys who are hyped with a beer in hand, stop, be silent and kneel before you shouting I LOVE YOU, I WANT TO LOVE YOU. That Lord has changed me, to see how others look at you, to see how others love you, to see how you love them.

And how am I going to forget the family that has been created, what an amazing group of people you have put by my side. I have learned a lot from people around me, from looks, smiles, and many conversations. What joy was in the air!! The heaviest thing is every moment you crossed paths with someone, just SMILES. You have conquered us this month, whether we wanted it or not! And for many of us you have changed the way we see everything. Thanks to ALL and each of the 200, I have only been able to learn, learn and learn from all of you.

I will never forget the songs to the Mother of Hakuna, nor any of the 200 smiles that encouraged me at all times.

I ask you to amaze me and make me fall in love more and more every day.
REVOLUTION.

30/09/2018

India. That word we all heard with some intrigue, respect, and eagerness.

It's easy to ask from the outside. The classic "How are you? Did you like it?" Occasionally comes a "Is it as horrible as they say?" And a "I couldn't do it."

The latter has made me reflect quite a bit these days. We are made to serve, to give ourselves, to step out of ourselves and learn to see Jesus in the person next to us. But we all know we are limited. BUT, where is our limit?

It's simple, it's a limit imposed by our heart, by our capacity to love.

We live in a wheel of constant pressure, work, and demand; we ourselves have become part of this wheel by demanding more of the same from ourselves. But suddenly, one day you stop and think "I'm doing something wrong."

Personally, I have never had an idea of God as a judging judge. I have always thought that since God is the purest love that can exist, He will judge us exclusively regarding that. So the question will be, How much have you loved?

If I'm not mistaken, India has been a kind of slap for all of us in that sense.

I imagine many of you have experienced the same; I spoke with my parents, my sisters, and grandparents and they couldn't believe it: photos of the streets, little anecdotes of the adventure that living there every day entails, the moment of telling your mother you're carrying an orange bottle for reasons you'll explain when you return, bites, true physical exhaustion, constant noise and heat, lots and lots of heat. "I'm happy mom." It's the phrase I told them every time I had the chance to talk to them. Beyond the impact of India itself, they were shocked by a surreal image: 200 HAPPY people in India.

Luckily for me, I arrived in Calcutta a few days before the group and during that time I had the opportunity to share some moments with the sisters. I will never forget the first Mass I attended with them. It was 6 in the morning in Calcutta. We rang the bell of the Mother House. A smiling nun opened the door and invited us in and to take off our shoes. And as soon as we entered, an army of little sisters of charity. The first thing I thought was "With how dirty India is, how can their habits be so white?" Then the Mass began.

They didn't look at a piece of bread, they looked at a person. Without hearing a word I could perceive the inner dialogue these nuns were having, without blinking and with a fixed gaze on their goal, the Custody.

It seemed enviable to me.

Kneeling without moving, some serious, others smiling, tall and short, some white and others black. They all shared one thing: their gaze. To Him.

Later, we had the opportunity to distribute some dinners with them to the people on the street. Despite the bad faces of some, even being kicked out on some occasions, they never stopped laughing. Thanks to them I understood that we were not there to take anyone out of poverty, nor were we going to change lives. They explained that all we could do for them was to give them the love we would give to Jesus, that was the only way to restore their dignity. "Try to see the gaze of Jesus in the eyes of the poor"; for the first time I really understood that phrase.

I could say that one of the best things I take from this trip is the amount of admirable and spectacular people I have met, starting with the little sisters, passing through the Indians and ending with the Hakuna group.

As each day passed, I got to know more and more people, each more special, with whom I have practically lived everything on this trip. Airports, Calcutta, Hotel Sakalá, World War I trains, deserts... I could go on, but I think we all know well what I'm talking about.

I arrived in India with the idea of meeting people like me, and to my surprise little by little I have been meeting people from whom I could only learn.

In that sense, I am sure we have all won, we have all taken with us more than one person who outshines us, people who just by seeing them day to day make me think "Rocío WAKE UP", friends for life.

For that and a thousand more reasons that would require pages and pages, I can only say to you and to HIM one thing: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

30/09/2018

I was praying one day like this before the Blessed Sacrament with the Liturgy of the Hours:

My eyes are tired of seeing so much light without seeing through the darkness of the world, I go like a blind man who sees. You who gave sight to the blind man and to Nicodemus as well, filter into my dry pupils two fresh drops of faith.

And I thought that those fresh drops of faith are those moments when we cry. Because yes, we have cried in India, we have cried with the joy of the neighborhood, we have cried with the sisters praying, we have cried leaning on Mother Teresa's tomb pouring out all of ourselves there and wishing to catch at least a bit of her holiness, we have cried saying goodbye to the tuberculosis patients, we have cried before the greatness of a God who is praised and blessed in those who have shared their testimonies, we have cried making the voices off our own, we have cried with others when You have also put in their pupils two fresh drops of faith and, above all, above all we have cried prostrate before You, before Christ the Redeemer.

Jesus, there, in the Host, you overwhelm me, your two fresh drops of faith become a great river of waters that stir between the joy of experiencing Your Love, Your light, and my blindness. Why do You love me so much, God?

And yes, when they keep asking how India was and I begin to remember all these moments, those fresh drops of faith that illuminate the eyes jump out again, and make me feel strongly inside who my best friend is, how mercy has entered this house, and what great joy it is to see the "that we love each other more" come true.

My God, I need those two fresh drops of faith every time I hear "how was India?", every moment I remember that I was in Calcutta, that I stood barefoot before You, empty of myself, and prostrate before You I asked: Help me, father. And I ask You, Jesus, for everyone, for everyone, those fresh drops of faith daily, that bet on You, a row of crazy people who follow Christ, the poor crazy drunk with love, who shout Hakuna, who shout revolution.

<<< 09/30/2018 This year has been a year of changes, disappointments, new beginnings, and without a doubt, a year in which I have drawn closer to God. The fact that Hakuna was born in the city where I study, certain conversations, and without a doubt, God's providence, made it possible for me to participate in this volunteer work, and I couldn't be more grateful for it. At first, I went to India with a clear goal: to find an answer to something that had been on my mind for months: "What does God want from me?" The first masses and the first Holy Hours arrived, I kept asking: "God, what do you want from me?", "Jesus help me to know what you want," "How do I know what you are asking of me?" I asked and asked, and more than wanting an answer, I demanded an answer. In my rigid mind, there was no room for the idea that my heart could feel more than my mind could handle. After all, I didn't realize that HE is the only one who can guide my life, and that I don't need to understand the situations that happen in my life, that HE doesn't put things in my path for me to understand them, but for me to live through the stages. And how important it is to know how to live each stage of our life. And it was there, in the middle of the talk by the nun from Madrid, in her constant struggle with God, when I realized: "If you want nothing from me, but me." HE wants me, He wants me completely, my whole being, because nothing is mine, I am entirely His. I understood that I didn't need to give God a concrete answer, that it was enough to give Him my whole being, that it was enough to lose the fear of surrendering, that it was enough to let HIM take the reins of my life. "I want to do your will, Lord, I want to please you, I want to always give you the first place" To this day, I still don't know exactly what God is asking of me, but I have discovered that when you trust God blindly and leave everything in His hands, you are enveloped by a feeling of peace and total security. >>>

30/09/2018

I think I need to write a post-India letter. I really need it to finally believe that I have been there, a dream come true.
How many times have we heard about Calcutta, about the sisters... And now we have been there, it's over. How lucky we are!

How lucky to wake up and go to bed surrounded by car horns, tuk-tuks, buses, cows, or whatever you can imagine, and despite it all find my inner silence. How lucky to share a room with twice the registered number, that was true coexistence.

How lucky to have been hungry the first days in Calcutta and to have survived on Cheese noons. Sometimes we need these things to realize how fortunate we are and to appreciate it.

How lucky to be able to pray every morning under the tomb of Saint Teresa, yes, the very Saint Teresa, to give her a good morning kiss and ask her to transmit her example and love for others to me.
How lucky to have been able to attend the sisters' mass at 6 in the morning and enjoy a good muffin from Raj afterwards. As Amparito would say: a little piece of heaven.

How lucky to be able to clean the streets of Calcutta, pick up rats, worms, cockroaches, or whatever was needed and take them to the crow-infested landfill. But above all, how beautiful it was that our Indian friends joined us, followed our example, and did it happily.

How lucky to have learned from the work of the sisters, women devoted to the most needy out of love. How lucky to have been able to see through children with cerebral palsy the love of God and to take a kick or a slap from them as a hug.

How lucky to have been with lepers, to smile at them, look at them, hug them... Seeing in them much more than an infectious disease. At first, it seemed we didn't belong there, but I realized it wasn't about how much we were giving but how much love we put into what we were giving.

How lucky to have taken a 35-hour train ride and not just any train... An Indian train, a train with a certain charm, a train where we woke up in a puddle of our own sweat, a train with doors wide open, a train with interesting smells, a train where we had time to do a bit of everything: singing, discovering very valuable people, playing, telling jokes, riddles, making Indian friends... we even found time to celebrate what we sometimes forget is the most important: the Holy Mass.

How lucky to have been in a sacred city for Indians, Pushkar, where cows were one of them and monkeys tried to be, where we learned to appreciate a hamburger, a beer...
Where we could dance in the rain, or rather MONSOON, enjoying every drop, getting soaked and keep dancing.

How lucky to have taken a 12-hour bus ride to reach the desert border with Pakistan, walk at night and sleep during the day. Take safaris and enjoy them like children, shower with buckets, celebrate mass and holy hour on the dunes while the sun was setting... Thank you Lord!

31/12/2018

I didn't know that being so bad could lead to feeling so good. Without shoes, without food, without family... but with your love in every hug.

How can they be so bad and yet smile so much?

Lord, what a thing. What a thing to see you in the eyes of that baby who smiled at me while I rocked him
How envious I am. Of his smile. Of the strength with which those children hug.
How, receiving so little affection, do they convey so much love? Why do you love them so much?
I see you in each one of them. And next to them my misery.
I don't know how, being able to receive you every day, I don't do it, how I don't greet the people in my class, when they said hello to everyone who passed by, looking at them with affection. But, what's wrong with me?
I am in love with their gratitude
With the love of the girl who sang to you with such strength that it stirred the heart of each one of us. How good it is to be without luxuries and pretenses, with people who truly value what they have, and the first is You, how they adore you singing Lord, as their most precious treasure, that's how I want to do it.
And even though their life is so miserable they expect nothing in return. And I, if something bad happens to me, blame you...
And now that I am here
I don't know what's wrong with me
I don't need to go out partying every day, nor always be away from home
And you are the only thing that truly satisfies, with you I have no emptiness to fill, in fact, the only thing I want is to make you known, so that all my friends can smile on a Sunday studying, so they know what it is to enjoy with their family, to have fun without anyone seeing you. To know how to enjoy life, to know how to live in you

Lord, thank you for the piece of heaven you have let me see
Happiness with hunger
The desire of the people to be with you
Thank you for that love that hides in the songs of hakuna that make us want to be the best version of ourselves
Thank you for those tears on Good Friday that announced a change in my life, a change with you
Thank you for the people of hakuna whom I looked at and saw you, thank you for their enviable smile that makes us believe it is possible, that calls us to desire you more
And above all
Thank you for giving me the moment when I realized that your gaze was searching for me