Our journey together as a couple started many years ago; in fact, we met in high school. Since the beginning, during our engagement, we shared experiences of closeness with the poor, especially with disabled children. As we prepared for marriage, a great fear for us was to find ourselves locked in the house, caught up in the daily routine of a young couple at work and managing the household.
For this reason, the desire that poor brothers could live in our daily life and in our life as a couple has led us on this path. Since the beginning of our marriage, we have opened the doors of our home to people in need, planning to accommodate no more than two to three people at a time, in order to also preserve a family atmosphere.
We immediately understood that we did not have any particular professional skills to offer them, but that we could share our most precious asset: being a family. Our four children were born in the early years of our marriage in an atmosphere characterized by the richness of human relationships, a gift that, like a balm, healed many wounds.
In 2001, we met the Missionary Community of Villaregia, of which we are now a part as missionary spouses; it was around the same time that we welcomed the first person from Africa into our family. This did not seem like a coincidence to us. In the Community, we found the values we aspired to, including a simple life, trust in divine Providence, a desire to serve the poorest of the poor, and the opportunity to embark on this journey with other couples. Our family situation did not allow us to go on a mission, but it was Africa that practically came to us, bringing a certain commotion!
In the following years, we welcomed other African children, mainly migrants who landed on our shores. It was natural for us to respond to this new need. In the meantime, our children were growing up and living together with other children from afar. This circumstance helped us a lot in building relationships: it seemed like a beautiful way to live integration with others!
We also encountered the reality of Islam, and as it often happens, direct knowledge broke down prejudices: sitting around the same table, exchanging recipes and anecdotes… diversity is not scary!
