I remember an incident concerning a child who, while trying to get close to a fire to warm up, had stumbled and fallen into it: burning almost all of the left side of his body. His burns were extensive. The treatment that was necessary, bearing in mind the means at our disposal, meant it was extremely painful. We all expected the child to be unable to stay still because of the pain, but he surprised us by the forbearance he showed: a forbearance you don't even meet in adults. I shall never forget how tightly he squeezed my hands while I was holding him in my arms during the treatment. We had almost become one body.

At such moments, you realise not only how important and multidimensional is the help you give but also that you receive from your fellow man. Unexpectedly, a young child became the teacher to all of us. We bow to his mettle from which we all learnt a lesson. Through his own example, his enduring forbearance, we were taught a lesson. From our little friend, we received a worthwhile and unique example of forbearance for our own future trials. We also learnt how to deal with God's presence through pain and suffering.

Hieromonk Polykarpos