After a long day on Wednesday, the students received a break on Thursday. They were given a free day until 4:30 PM. Most of them took advantage of it by sleeping in until past noon!
The group met at 4:30 PM and headed for Sevilles, the central location for the opening World Youth Day events. Today's event was the welcoming of the Pope to Madrid. While many had camped out in the heat since the morning, we arrived to our location, about 300 yards back. We made ourselves as comfortable as possible and sat on the hot asphalt. We are quickly becoming efficient at this bringing blankets for the floor, plenty of water, and even food! There was plenty of singing, dancing, and entertainment as we awaited for the Pope. The giant screens provided plenty of visuals as well, including much about the life of Benedict XVI.
At about 7 PM, the countdown began and the Pope began his journey through the streets of Madrid. While we only saw the Pope-mobile from a distance there was plenty of excitement. The sense of diversity and unity all at the same time is amazing. The Pope addressed the youth with inspiring and challenging words. He definitely has a genuine desire for youth, and all, to come to love Christ. It was a very special moment.
The event finished at about 9 PM and then began the trek home. Crowded streets meant holding on to each other and moving through the crowds as best as possible. After about 25 minutes we finally were able to find some freedom. Before jumping onto the crowded metro system we decided to stop for dinner and let things settle down a bit. We finally headed home around 11 PM.
The students continue to have an enjoyable time!
Day 7 photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/102724799321486999240/August182011#
The pictures are great... Looks like everyone is having a good time.
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