Providence in the Storm
B. & A. are members of the Focolare Movement and own a shop that sells women's, men's, and children's clothing, as well as bags and travel suitcases.
With the beginning of the war and the arrival of many displaced families to their area, the Focolare Movement invited everyone who could to offer good-quality items to support those in need. B. & A. made an inventory of their shop and gathered everything they could donate from their stock that was still in excellent condition, offering it with love and joy to the displaced families.
At the same time, they themselves were going through serious financial difficulties. They even tried to sell a piece of land they owned in order to overcome the crisis and ease their financial burden, but because of the difficult economic situation in Lebanon, they were unable to sell it. As a result, they had to borrow money from relatives and friends, some of whom were themselves in need of their money.
After some time, the Focolare Movement, trough the Humanité Nouvelle association, contacted them and informed them that displaced families would come to their shop to buy the clothes they needed as part of a support project organized by the Melkite Patriarchate and sponsored by AMU. For B. and A., this initiative came at a time when they were in great need of work and income, and they experienced in a very concrete way the Gospel words: “Do not be afraid.”
B. & A. sat together and decided to live this experience as a gift from God and, in turn, to become a gift for others. They felt that what had reached them was itself a gift from God, and therefore they wanted to become a gift to the families who would come to their shop.
For this reason, they tried as much as possible to reduce prices and share part of their profit so that families could obtain as many of their needed items as possible. They also made sure that each family could fully benefit from the amount allocated to them.
Although they were working alone in the shop and the workload often required additional help, everything unfolded with an unexpected sense of peace and joy. The families left happy, and B. & A. themselves experienced deep joy and peace in their hearts.
Through this experience, B. & A. witnessed Divine Providence in a very tangible way and discovered that the words “Do not be afraid” are not simply words to be spoken, but a reality that can truly be lived even in the most difficult circumstances.
They also discovered that the joy of giving is no less than the joy of receiving, and that the good we offer to others returns to us in many different ways.