After much fund-raising, Natasha Rivalland and Kendall Hodgson departed on July 17 and finally touched down in Poland on July 18.
From the St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City, Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, the Basilica of St. Paul outside the walls, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, to the Lady of Czestochowa and the Shrine of Devine Mercy it’s safe to say Kendall and Natasha surely painted Poland red.

Both described the trip as amazing. “We had a wonderful and unforgettable time,” they agreed. 58 young people from South Africa were privileged to be part of the trip to Poland. They spent two days in Rome and two weeks in Poland. Some of the main events hosted were held at the Bologna and Campus Misericordiae in Poland. While in Rome they enjoyed the cuisine and did lots of site seeing.

“We went down as a group, which was lovely but quite challenging as well, the trip itself was spiritually, physically and mentally challenging,” commented the pair as they reminisced on the trip. For the first week in Poland the group of youth stayed with Polish families and during the second week they resided at a homeless shelter.

They said that the people who hosted them were very welcoming and wonderful at heart. During their stay they got to mingle with the Polish, French and Italians, to mention a few. “We stayed was very close to Bologna, the place we met with all the other pilgrims for our Masses and where Pope Francis addressed us.”

Kendall, Natasha and all their new-found friends got to take in the beauty of each location, as their main form of transportation was walking. Kendall and Natasha befriended youth from all around the globe even though at times the language barrier was an issue.

“Bishop Stan who took us around is from Poland so that helped a lot as he knew English and Polish,” added the pair. When asked what they had taken away from the trip to Poland and whether they would recommend it this is what they had to say:

“We learnt that being around 2.5 million people for the same reason; to praise Jesus is the most amazing feeling in the world.
“It was spiritually uplifting; we really enjoyed seeing some of the most beautiful Churches and Basilicas in the world. We learnt that despite any obstacles we may go through, God will get you through it all. It was nice being surrounded by people with the same faith as you. During our stay we all became very close, our spiritual leaders – our Cardinal Wilfred Napier, our Bishop Palana and Bishop Stan, and our many priests helped us so much we would not be able to have had such an amazing trip without our wonderful spiritual leaders.
“We would definitely recommend this trip to the Catholic youth as it is spiritually uplifting and absolutely amazing for growth in your faith.”

The pair wants to thank everyone who helped make the Poland trip possible.

“All your support enabled us to go on that wonderfully spiritually uplifting journey, from the bottom of our hearts thank you.
“This trip will never be forgotten,” expressed Kendall and Natasha. The girls returned to Estcourt on August 4.