In St. James Church in Antwerp, Belgium, a worker found a letter dated 1941.
The message was hidden in a matchbox, which was found in the keystone.
The note was left by painters who worked in the church in the early ’40s
“When this ceiling is painted again, we will no longer belong on this land,” they wrote.
A letter was found in this matchbox:
In the letter, the men admit they didn’t enjoy life because their lives were very hard and they survived two wars, in 1914 and 1940, and now they have to work for pennies.
The painters gave advice to future generations in case they too had to endure war and famine:
“We want to give advice to future generations in case there is a war again. Always carry plenty of food, especially rice, coffee, flour, tobacco, grain and wheat in order to survive,” the men wrote.
They also advised living life to the fullest:
“Enjoy life to the fullest and, if necessary, get married. Those who are already married – take care of your home,” they added.