We took the Eritreans to their respective houses of worship on the 22. In this group the majority are Orthodox Christians, and there are 6 Muslims. It is amazing to watch them interact seamlessly as brothers and sisters, rather than divided by faith. I asked a man named David about this he answered with a giant grin, "In our country, we are Muslims, Christians, Baptists and so on. . . This is the way we are working together. It is our culture." Perhaps their problems transcend the superficiality of religion. To survive they must cultivate faith in life, rather than belief in difference.
The next evening we took the Orthodox Christians to an Easter Vigil. After lighting our candles by the flames of those next to us, we then shared our flame with those next to us, and so on. Once we had a flame, we left the church and walked around the church 3 times. Once we were on our private bus home, the Eritreans sang an Easter blessing song in Tigre. Due to the confidential nature of their files, I am unable to show the video as it would compromise the safety of their families and friends still in prison. However, my friend and colleague, the very tech savy Brittany Taylor, created an MP3. To have been here was a privilege, and I would love for you to be able to see for yourself how special these shared moments were. So close your eyes, imagine you are on a city bus in Romania surrounded by 18 Eritreans who have been in prison for doing nothing wrong. The smell is of candle wax, muskiness before rain and faintly of sweat. It is dark except for the few candles from the vigil that are still lit. These brave men and women arrived in Romania two days before, where they are staying until they continue on to a new life in America. They were able to speak to their families after many years of being unable to do so. Here is where we see faith and hope. Please enjoy the sounds of freedom.
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