“Sunday, November 22. It is afternoon. The doorbell rings in the focolare of Kinshasa. There is a big car at the door,” Edi writes. “We see a lady getting out of the car who is involved in one of the most important political parties of the Congolese government. The woman is accompanied by her bodyguard and carries a large package. We are happy to see that it is Georgine, a former Member of Parliament, who is still engaged in politics and now takes care of indigent mothers. We only came into contact with her recently. The heavy pack that she is carrying is full of Congolese panie, a local fabric from which traditional clothing for both women and men is made. “I wanted to come and see you – she says – because I heard that you had lost a suitcase … Here, with these panie you can make some new clothes.” The woman gives us panie that are worth quite a lot, corresponding to at least two monthly salaries, sufficient for us and for others. A few days ago one of us, returning from a conference in Rome, had lost her hand luggage on the plane. The suitcase contained not only her clothes, but also the “communion of goods” that she had gathered in Italy for the poor; a fact that had caused us much pain. We are amazed and spontaneously start to dance around the lady! But why this kindness from a person who only recently got to know us?” What happened was this: at Mass that morning, the lady had noticed that one of us, rather than just remove the dust from her own bench, had dusted all the others as well without being asked. She was curious and wanted to know about the lives of these young people and was very impressed. “After having danced around her, to thank her – they write – Georgine explains the reason for her gift: “I wanted to give thanks to our God for you and share the joy in my heart because you are here! The One you have followed does not forget his daughters. In this dark world where evil forces reign, you live like lambs among wolves. It is not easy to live in the midst of the world and be totally given to Him. But take heart, you are a light for the world.” We went, then, together to our small chapel to thank the Lord.” From the Focolare of Kinshasa