For Lent I have created a backpack to carry the things for my Lenten journey.

The rosary is for protection from evil and to pray for the poor and sick.

The Bible, to read, to stay religious and keep my faith in God.

A healthy lunch to remind me to look after myself and to share my food with others.

A water bottle to stay hydrated.

A Cross to keep myself safe from dangers.

A jar of money to donate to the marginalized.

My Lenten back pack will help me on my journey to stay on the right path.

Dear Diary,

I really hated walking that long. My feet were aching with rocks annoying the souls and toes of my feet. The screams of little children echoed in my head as they played over and over. I still hear now even though we stopped. It felt like it’s been forever now. I tasted burnt ash on my tongue even after it’s been washed with water. My legs began to give up on me from all the walking.

We finally found someplace to stay for the night. Families started to huddle for comfort and warmth. Other families mumbled, praying for themselves and others. I feel the warmth of my father’s body while he wraps me with his arms hugging me tightly.I feel safe in my father’s presence.

Kamusta. Good morning my name is Eldrich. I am twelve years old and my class is room 8 at St Patrick’s School in Panmure.  

I am terrific at math. I keep my friends entertained and amused at lunchtime. My goal for the year is to try to be the very best I can be. I love reading, drawing and writing blogs. Sometimes I find it difficult to stay awake at school because I can’t get to sleep easily at night time. Also, we get up very early in the morning because we live a long way from school.

 My parents inspire me to do as well as I can because they work very hard every day. I would like to be a doctor when I grow up. This year I want to be able to come to school everyday because I like being with my friends and I was staying home too often last year.

God is the trunk holding everything together.

Jesus is the leaves spreading the beauty of his his love.

The Holy Spirit is the oxygen coming from the leaves, breathing life into everyone and everything.

I wake up on a school day expecting it to be a normal day. To my surprise I see my dad rummaging through closets and drawers. He carries me outside with his yellow umbrella and yellow scarf. We run towards a large fence, reinforced for extra strength. As we get closer I hear the screams of agony as people are trying to climb over it.

I see huge boats filled with tons of people. Huge plumes of smoke are flying from the funnels on the boat. We try to get on the boat but we struggle through people. I nearly get lost but my dad holds my hand tight, comforting me with his warm hug. It suddenly starts to rain. My dad pulls out a yellow umbrella to cover both of us. The boat set sail. The waves are calm at first but as we get further out the waves get bigger and bigger. Waves are crashing onto the deck of the boat left and right. The salty drops of water enter my mouth forcing me to spit. I still feel the warmth of my father. The huge gusts of wind nearly pushed me away from his side. But nothing will separate us.

 We reach our destination, starving, hoping to find food and shelter. An alleyway is nearby. It smells of garbage and mold. My dad and I sit down and cuddle up. I try to fall asleep, but am disturbed by loud sirens and gunshots. 

My stomach growled loudly when I woke up. My dad tried to find a shop that would give us food. We passed by a shop. The smell of pastries and sweets infiltrated my nose. My mouth watered so much that it could fill an entire glass. Sadly we walked away knowing that we could not afford any food. 

We kept walking and it felt like an eternity. Arriving at a place called an orphanage. My dad looked me in the eyes with sadness and guilt. He kissed me on the forehead and walked away. I felt confused, sad.  I didn’t know what just happened, it was like a part of my life just vanished.