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Twenty-year-old Arianna from Italia shares her experience of spending a summer with the OM team in Poland.
I'm Arianna. I'm 20 years old, and I'm a student. I was baptised three years ago in the Church of Montespertoli, in the province of Florence, Italy. In the summer of 2025, I participated in a programme with OM in Poland, aimed at providing psychosocial support to war refugees from Ukraine.
I learnt about the programme through OM in Italia's website, where I was looking for opportunities to volunteer in difficult contexts. I was in Warsaw for a week, during which I followed the OM in Poland team, along with other volunteers, during their usual weekly activities. We visited hostels, where we organised programmes for children and adults, and we also helped in a practical way by cooking and cleaning.
During the week, I understood what it means to be on a mission and work for the glory of God. I have seen that carrying on the Kingdom of God is not only for great evangelising events and sermons but also in small gestures of support, affection and benevolence. I was particularly struck by a conversation I had with an elderly lady in one of the hostels, translated thanks to a girl on the team. The lady shared that for her, it is always a great encouragement to see how many volunteers come every week and still remember them, after all these years.
In addition, it was touching to see the happiness with which the children of the hostels welcome the volunteers, for them to be able to talk and play with people who come there specifically for them is an important gesture and they appreciate it immensely.
We are called to love as He has loved us, and even in this, we put it into practice, reminding us of the lost, the oppressed and those in difficulty.
This trip had a great impact on me and encouraged me to return to Italia with a spirit of service to those most in need, even in our country. God works in the big and the small, and each of us can do our part.
Moreover, getting to know other volunteers from all parts of the world and serving with them was a joy and reminded me of the union we have in God as His children.
I would absolutely recommend going as a volunteer, for a week or, if possible, for a longer period! The team is welcoming, warm and creates an environment where everyone can collaborate according to their gifts.
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