Our trip to Othona Community

At the end of August 2026, our member-volunteers and their families were very kindly invited for the second year running to stay for a weekend at Othona Community West Dorset. Othona and their surrounding community fundraised for our vols to stay for free and enjoy some much-needed time relaxing, visiting the beach, gardening, cooking together, and connecting. A huge thank you to the wonderful people at Othona for having us again.

Keep reading to hear Nisrin's experience of the trip.

Traveling to Othona holidays, connecting with people from different nations and cultures, and learning about different religions and ways of life has a unique beauty and a special kind of spiritual peace. It gives a person a renewed sense of life and a fresh perspective on the world.

Through these experiences, you begin to realise just how many beautiful, kind, and good-hearted people there are in this vast world. Our trip with BHN to the Othona community, together with friends from different backgrounds and cultures, gave us the opportunity to experience this beauty firsthand.

It reminded us that, although life may contain pain, hardship, disappointment, and hopelessness from one person’s perspective, life still has so much more beauty and peace to offer. That is why searching for beauty and goodness in life is always more comforting than dwelling on its pain.

I can honestly say that the people responsible for organizing and running BHN were among the first people in my life who truly showed me what it means to be a friend of humanity. They have hearts filled with hope and kindness for every person who visits them.

I sincerely wish to thank each and every one of them—from the organizer of the trip to every single person who helped make the journey possible, and to everyone who welcomed and hosted us.

From the bottom of my heart, I say to you: you are greater than simply being human. You have offered something incredibly valuable to humanity without seeking any material or personal gain in return. Your generosity, kindness, and service are truly beyond words.

As travelers, we were so happy and deeply touched that we wished we could remain there for the rest of our lives. We will never forget what you gave us and the joy we experienced because of you.

We pray to God to give you strength, health, and continued support so that you can keep sharing the same joy, hope, and kindness that we experienced with many others.

You are greater than simply being human.

A heartfelt thank you to God for allowing us to meet you.

And my deepest thanks to every servant and member of the Othona church, to those who prepared and shared the meals with us, to all the brave and wonderful drivers, to every single person working within the organization, and to everyone who played a role in making this journey possible.

To every one of you, I say: you are greater than simply being human.

I sincerely apologize that I cannot mention everyone by name, simply because there are so many of you. But please know that each and every one of you has a special place in our hearts.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for showing us that there is still so much beauty, kindness, hope, and humanity in this world.