One of the brothers writes: "The mid day meal today was festive, although the menu was simple. There were at least 150 of us who sat down together! Thankfully our house is surrounded by a large garden, close to the Bramaputra River which flows through the town. Among our guests, we had over 50 children and young people with a mental disablement whom we know well, accompanied by young volunteers who share their daily life. Most of these children and young disabled people were abandoned at birth by their very poor parents. There was also a good number of very poor children from our two “children’s clubs” situated in two of the disadvantaged neighbourhoods of the town. Some of them live in a little shanty town near the station, or else in the station itself when they have no family. They had prepared songs and dances which they presented after the meal, during an entertainment improvised out of doors.

There were also a good number of Moslem friends, as well as Hindus and Christians from our little community, who were very happy to spend this time together; among them were crippled people, a blind man, and beggars we had invited the evening before…. There were also friends who support us all through the year and who are committed together with us among these poor people on the fringes of society whom we meet every day. It was beautiful to see these “everyday” friends who today had come with their families. We brothers know them all personally, but the meal and the festival that followed it allowed the families to meet and get to know each other. We really had the impression of being in a very large family, with all the generations mixed together.

This was a very beautiful moment to live together with much laughter and singing. It was like a great gust of joy and shared friendship that carried us along…. Added to all this, it was a beautiful sunny day; the previous days had been particularly cold."