(ANS – Warsaw) – Another year of training for missionary volunteers has come to an end, a time of intense preparation, of discovering one’s talents and of maturing in the service of others. Since last September, the volunteers have been meeting at the Salesian Missionary Centre in Warsaw, where they have learnt about the specific nature of missionary work, listened to the testimonies of missionaries and former volunteers, and deepened their spiritual formation. It was also a period dedicated to acquiring practical skills for working with children and young people, as well as to discerning their own missionary vocation. The culmination of the entire formation programme was the solemn missionary sending-off celebrated in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Warsaw. The volunteers received their missionary crosses and were sent out to carry out their service in various countries in Africa and South America. Over the coming months, they will support local communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Zambia, Ethiopia, Malawi, Angola and Bolivia. Six volunteers will undertake long-term missionary service, lasting between five months and a year. Fourteen, on the other hand, will set off on a short-term volunteering experience, committing to help for two or three months. They will work mainly in Salesian projects, but also in activities run by other religious congregations. In the missions, they will support the work of nursery schools, schools, oratories, clinics, and homes for children and young people. Through their daily presence, work and commitment, they will share what they hold most precious: their time, their talents and a heart open to others. A special period awaits them, full of challenges, new experiences and encounters with many people. Their departure is the fruit of many months of preparation, prayer and formation, but also a concrete response to the call to share goodness with their neighbours.