Two organisations came together: BESJ from Switzerland and Micii Exploratori from Romania. The real challenge went beyond reaching out to one another. It was about understanding why the Swiss handle certain details so much more strictly than we are used to. And then you are standing there at the cliff, responsible for every single safety protocol. One oversight, and things could get dangerous for the person on the rope.
At the edge of a 15-metre cliff, everyone is secured. Simona stands right at the edge, holding on to her safety rope. She needs a clear head: fighting her emotions, she sets up the rappelling station herself and lowers someone down. Every instruction and every tip reaches her only through me as her translator. A foreign country, an unfamiliar culture and one huge challenge: overcoming fear and putting freshly learned skills straight into practice.
“I learned that when troubles come, God can give us the strength to keep going, as long as we trust in Him.”
Simona, participant from Romania
I had the privilege of accompanying a group of eight Romanians to the BESJ pioneering module in Switzerland. My work at YoungstarsWiki usually means helping Youngstars leaders around the world connect online. This project let me live the same mission in person. As a translator I filled several roles at once: I was not only bridging two languages, but translating between two cultures, in both directions.
Simona made it. Looking back, she shared how she had learned an important lesson about courage, trust, endurance and pushing past her own limits.
The openness of everyone involved allowed us to put the Youngstars value of multiplication into practice across international borders. At the same time, the Swiss participants got a taste of international youth ministry. Who knows: maybe one of them will stand at a cliff in Brazil one day, teaching a local participant through a translator how to lower someone down safely.
