It was a sight to behold: from 7 August to 5 September, 470 Gen4 (children between the ages of 5 and 9) and their chaperones from more than 50 Brazilian cities travelled distances of over 2000 kilometers. Their destination was the Gen4 Congress in Recife (19-21 August), at Mariapolis Ginetta near São Paolo (26-28 August), and in the areas around Brasilia (2-4 September). With effort and imagination the Gen4 prepared themselves with acts of love and collecting money for their journey. Some sold their toys; others set up a puppet market; some started a small bakery and sold the bread to friends and neighbours. Others used their savings or found financial assistance from relatives and local community. They were welcomed into an environment that was colourfully decorated, with beautiful backdrops, dancing and clowns. The congress began with taking off on the greatest possible adventure: to discover the will of God! But how do you discover it? Beginning with the story of creation we examined how God manifested himself throughout history, always full of love and mercy, and we are also part of this story. Then we examined many episodes from the life of Jesus, who is the Father’s greatest gift to us. The stories about Jesus showed us how he always did the will of his Father and how we can imitate him in every moment of our lives. Of course, to know what the will of God is in the present moment, you need to open your heart and “take a moment for silently listening to the correct voice,” one Gen4 noticed. Maria Voce sent a message that was immediately put into practice: Always say “yes” to God and carry the flame of Jesus’ love to the whole world. Everyone was actively involved in creating the congress, during games in the large park, participating in group activities, tidying the rooms and dining hall, and presenting scenes from the life of Chiara Lubich and the Gospel on stage. Also during the Mass – the moment to meet Jesus – the children were actively involved with their songs and skits, and with their acts of love which they presented at the moment of the Offertory. But now we let the Gen4 speak.”

From Recife:

• “Jesus, I love you to death. You can always count on me and I always want to be faithful to you. I promise, I will never betray you like Judas did. I’m eternally grateful, that you gave your life for us. Gabriel
• I liked when we spoke about the Word of God, because now I can remember to help my Mummy more, and the new man can live in my heart. Pedro
• Jesus is my treasure in life; he’s the true man of the earth and of all of us. Abraão

From San Paulo:

• I helped my friend Ragael to carry his luggage to the room, because he’s very small and couldn’t carry it. Eduardo
• I wish my whole family were here to witness this great moment in my life. Matheus
• I sold 50 packages of biscuits to help pay expenses for the Gen4 from my city. Pedro

From Brasilia:

• Dear Jesus, I’ll never forget you. I’ll spread joy in the world and have lots of friendship with those around me. André
• I gave up the swing for my friend. I shared my snack with a friend. I shared my things with others and lent my toys. . . I love you very much, Jesus. Paulo
• Lord, I ask you for a bit of money, so I can give it to the poor. Carlos
• I know that sometimes I’m not the boy who helps everyone, but I try to do my best. I hope you understand me, your dear Gen4, André.”

Matthias Bolkart – Gen4 Centre [nggallery id=69]