God does not let himself be outdone in generosity and He surprises us with His providence. This is confirmed by the experience of Urs, from Switzerland: a gesture made out of love can have many positive effects. I was invited to celebrate Christmas Eve with my two brothers and their wives. I wanted to give each of them a present, but there was no money. So, I placed my wish into God’s hands. A few days ago, our friend Peter, a pastor in the Reformed Church, invited us to his parish community to make candles out of beeswax. It is a tradition in many places here, but I had never been involved. I went with the others to make my candle and, to my surprise, I saw that it was beautiful. I remembered that my younger brother’s wife is a candle enthusiast. The first gift was ready! Every now and then I go and help out in a small company run by my friends, especially when they have to prepare a shipment and are under pressure. The last time I helped, a couple of weeks ago, during a break, I looked in the warehouse among the items they sell and I found a nice box full of notebooks: one a phone book, another a diary, etc … They were very beautiful. I asked the price, but it was beyond what I could afford. So, I continued preparing the shipment. It was an intense day of work. In the end I was tired, but happy to have lent a hand. When I was leaving, the person in charge gave me a bag thanking me for the help I had given during the year. I opened the bag and I was almost in tears: it was the box with those notepads. The gift for my older brother was ready! A few days ago, a friend gave me an envelope with money: He said:  “It’s for you – for your personal needs”. Since it was the day of the Christmas market in our village, I went to have a look, but the prices seemed exaggerated. Before I left, I discovered the stand of a farmer who produced organic vinegar enriched with ginger, just what my older brother’s wife likes. It was packaged in a nice little bottle and the money I received was just enough to buy it. Another little gift was ready! When I got home, a friend tells me that he has received a leather briefcase, which he doesn’t need because he already has one and asks me if I could use it. So, I thought about my younger brother, it could be useful as he deals in consultations and estimates. Then I heard from him that, a few days before, his own had broken, so mine arrived just at the right moment! In the end the presents were ready. A personal note was added to the gift, thanking each person for what they meant to me.  It was nice, they were very happy! I thought I would go to the Christmas party empty-handed, but Someone thought to find me a gift for each one.

collected by Gustavo E. Clariá