Builders of peace “In a situation of extreme crisis which the country is undergoing, we want to help each other lives as authentic Christians. In Valencia, the city most struck by plunders, we experienced days of confusion and mass hysteria. Many industrial zones were savagely ransacked without the intervention of the police. We even saw the same army incite the plunder of shops, even bringing trucks and equipment. The city is blocked, there are arrests and a tense climate, anger and hunger. In the meantime, in the family and with other friends we are trying to support to one another and convey hope, without judging those who have taken away all sorts of items from the stores, even kitchen appliance and auto components. But we are also witnessing the help of Divine Providence with the arrival of medicine and food for entire families. It is amazing how God’s love watches over us, his children.”  (O.T. – Venezuela) Cook “As a cook, I like to imagine life as an exercise to reach the banquet in Heaven, Didn’t Jesus start his public life with a wedding banquet in Cana? Didn’t he take part in many banquets, up to the last supper, and promised a final banquet in which, certainly, many cooks like will find their seats? In my service in the kitchen, the objective is not so much the dish in itself, but the people who will taste the fruit of my work. I try not to work only in view of my career, but to be a good husband and father, but for God.” (V. – Italy) The “trick” «In the apartment I share with other students, cohabitation isn’t always easy t because their habits are very different from mine. One day, discouraged, I was thinking of finding another lodging, when my girlfriend suggested that I take the initiative to do something for my co-boarders. She herself helped me bake a cake. Such a simple gesture! And yet, it helped to ease our relationships, in such a way that a kind of competition to help one another started among us. Now I know the “trick” whenever some difficulties arise: I can start by being the first to love.” (B. C. – Czech Republic) Real poverty “I have a disabled friend who gets a minimum pension and is isolated by his brothers and sisters. One day he told me: “I bought a pair of shoes for G. and every day I offer him breakfast at the bar. Now I am thinking of paying for his denture.” He does such acts daily and yet they say he is antisocial and that he is even short of mind. Instead the goodness of this man, in his conditions, is able to pay attention to others’ needs, always moves me. One day he said “When someone suffers, I feel that he resembles me a lot. And being able to help him makes me feel alive and fulfilled.” (T. – Italy)