By Louis Purba from Indonesia

We met digitally and stay connected while being physically apart in nine different countries. GYFE is encouraging young people on a global level to still put hope in this pandemic situation. I think this digital event is the right thing to do in this time because feeling socially isolated makes a lot of people feel stressful including me. Spending time together brought a new joy and happiness to me.

On GYFE, we spent a week together to do some activities. We used Padlet to share the information about the activity each day and also sharing our thoughts. We also used Zoom to meet in some activities. All things became easier because nowadays we live in a digitally connected world. We did lot activities, for example Bible sharing, cooking, writing, drawing, painting, singing and dancing. We also did virtual choir in music workshop.
It is an honor to be a part of it. I prepared everything in participating in this event with joy. Listening, following, and participating made me learn many things. I learn from every meeting that exists. This experience is very valuable for me, meeting new friends, sharing; praying for each other has become its own strength for me. Even though it was virtually, it didn’t reduce the meaning.

It is another pleasure for me to spent one week with GYFE here in Dortmund. I met some new friends and spent a week together with some different activities. There are 10-15 person were coming to Volunteers house every day. Before meeting we did Corona Test individually. I learned a lot from friends who have a lot of experiences in various things. The vibes was very positive.

During our meeting in Volunteers House we separated ourselves into several small groups, there is a group for cooking and there is a group for making art. Trying a new recipe from different country each day was my favorite part. It was very interesting to learn a new culture by the dish. Meeting in person with some friends like this made me realize that it is precious and meaningful to be in that moment, having conversation and also sharing our thoughts together.