[:mt]Ngħixu l-Vanġelu[:en]Living the Gospel: An Unexpected Gift[:gb]Living the Gospel[:]

[:mt]Tifla bi bżonnijiet speċjali

Omm u missier qatt ma jistennew li jkollhom tarbija bi bżonnnijiet speċjali. Meta aħna għaddejna minn dan, marti li ġa kienet xi ftit fraġli, waqgħet f’depression kbira. Sibt ruħi nieħu ħsieb il-familja b’mod li qatt ma kont qed nistennieh. Fl-ewwel ġimgħat bdew jiġu quddiem għajnejja ħafna mistoqsijiet, u bdejt ninqata’ mill-ħbieb u dawk li jiġu minni. Darba, waqt li kont nieżel it-taraġ, iltqajt ma’ koppja li joqogħdu fl-istess blokk tagħna u għandhom tifla bid-Down syndrome. Innotajt is-serenita’ kbira ta’ din il-koppja u staqsejthom kif kien jirnexxilhom ikunu daqshekk trankwilli. It-tweġiba li tawni ħallietni mistagħġeb; qaluli: “Din it-tifla hi għalina l-akbar rigal; ġabet f’ħajjitna ċerta realta’ li l-familja kollha bbenefikat minnha”. Marti u jiena ta’ spiss bdejna mmorru nżuru lil din il-koppja. Skoprejna l-fidi kbira li kellhom, u ġurnata wara l-oħra aħna wkoll bdejna niskopru mill-ġdid il-valuri li konna warrabna.   (G.F. – Italia)

Rigal mhux mistenni

Stedinna għandna xi membri tal-familja li ma tantx konna f’relazzjoni tajba magħhom minħabba xi wirt. Għidnielhom jiġu jgħaddu xi ftit ġranet magħna; iżda  meta qalulna li kienu ġejjien, inkwetajna, għax ma tantx kien mument tajjeb għalina. Konna għaddejjin minn żmien ta’ diffikulta’ finanzjarja u ma stajtx nipprepara d-dar kif xtaqt. Iżda mbagħad irraġunajt li l-paċi ta’ bejnietna kienet aqwa minn kollox. Bħala familja  ddeċidejna li nagħmlu l-aħjar li stajna biex narawhom kuntenti. Xtaqna nagħtuhom xi rigal, iżda ma stajniex nonfqu flus; it-tifel iż-żgħir  lesta tpinġija u l-kbira kitbet poeżija ta’ merħba.

Propju ġurnata qabel ma waslu, ir-raġel irċieva pakkett mingħand il-kumpannija  fejn jaħdem. Meta ftaħna l-pakkett sibna żewġ arloġġi: wieħed ta’ raġel u ieħor ta’ mara. Waslu r-rigali  li tant xtaqna nagħtu lill-qraba tagħna.  (R.H. – Germany)

Ċans ieħor

Waħda minn ħut żewġi talbitni  tiġi toqgħod magħna għal xi żmien  u anki biex nagħmlu tajjeb  għaliha  għal xi self  li riedet  tieħu mill-bank. Għalkemm id-dar tagħna hi żgħira, konna lesti li nilqgħuha b’qalbna kollha; iżda r-raġel ma tantx xtaq li nidħlu fil-biċċa tal-bank għax xi snin ilu konna sellifnieha xi flus li qatt ma ġew lura. Għidtlu li jien kont lesta għal dak li jiddeċidi hu, iżda fl-istess ħin fakkartu li stajna  nagħtuha ċans ieħor, għax Alla hekk jagħmel magħna.  Wasalna biex iffirmajna l-garanzija li kien hemm bżonn. Hi qed tagħmel ħilitha biex tħallas  dak li ssellfet, ukoll jekk mhux dejjem tkun fil-ħin. Inħoss li għandi nibqa’ ngħinha, u xi drabi ddum ħafna titkellem miegħi  daqslikieku kont oħtha. Hekk qed negħlbu dak kollu li seta’ jifridna.  (M.D. – Paraguay)

 Għotja b’mod sħiħ

L-ewwel tarbija li kellna  kienet tifla li mietet  ta’ erbtax-il xahar.  Warajha  kellna żewġ subien, u bdejna ninnotaw li dawn kienu qed juru l-istess sintomi tal-marda li kellha hi. Il-mara u jiena sibna ruħna f’dar li saret sptar ċkejken, iżda l-imħabba ta’ bejnietna  kienet twassal biex fid-dar tagħna  ikun hemm  paċi sħiħa.  Kemm-il darba kont inħoss li għandi nikkonverti meta nħares lejn uliedi! Meta niġi lura mix-xogħol, kont nipprova ninsa l-problemi kollha biex inkun nista’ ningħata b’mod sħiħ għal uliedi. Hekk biss  stajna nibqgħu mexjin mingħajr ma nħallu l-problemi jkissruna.  Bdejna nindunaw  Alla kemm hu kbir u nistgħu ngħidu li f’din is-sitwazzjoni daqshekk diffiċli għexna waqtiet li fihom doqna  xi ftit mill-ġenna.  (G.M.B. – Italy)[:en]

A faith that gives peace

[:gb]A disabled daughter
A parent never expects to have a disabled child. When this happened to us, my wife, already psychologically fragile, fell into a depression. I found myself taking care of the family in an unexpectedly new way. The first month, full of queries, I was isolating myself from friends and relatives. One day, at the staircase of the condominium, I met a couple who seemed to be very serene despite having a daughter with the Down syndrome. When I asked them how they managed to be so, their answer amazed me: “Our daughter is the biggest gift we could ever receive. She has brought us back to reality and the whole family benefited from it.” My wife and I went to visit them often. We learned about their faith, and day after day, thanks to them also we rediscovered the values we had neglected.
(A. e G.F. – Italia)

An unexpected gift
Some relatives who had distanced themselves from us for inheritance reasons, accepted our invitation for them to stay with us for a few days. But when they told us the date of their arrival, it was not the best moment: we were having financial difficulties and I had no time to prepare the house as well as I would have wanted. Then I thought that the new found peace was the biggest gift and with the entire family we decided to do our best to make their stay a happy one. We would have liked also to give them a gift, but for want of anything better, our youngest son prepared a drawing and the oldest one, a welcome poem. The day before their arrival, in my husband’s company, the employees received a bonus package. When we opened it, there were two watches, a lady’s and a man’s watch: the unexpected gifts for our relatives.
(R.H. – Germany)

Another chance
One of my sisters-in-law asked me the favour of taking her in our house for a period and to sign a bank loan she needed. Our house is small but we welcomed her sincerely. I saw that my husband however was very worried about the loan, considering that a few years back we had lent her a sum which she never returned. I told him that I would accept whatever decision he made, adding however that everyone should be given a chance to redeem himself. Doesn’t God himself do so with us? We signed the guarantee for the loan, which my sister-in-law is punctually paying back, even if at times not on time. As to me, I feel I have to continue helping her, and at times we have long talks during which she opens out to me as if I were a sister, overcoming the barriers that divide us.
(M.D. – Paraguay)

Totally at service
After the death of our first girl, at only14 months, also the other two sons that arrived started to show the same symptoms. My wife and I were with bated breath, and the house became like a small hospital. However, trying to love one another, our children grew full of peace. How many times was I converted upon looking at them! Returning home after work, I tried to leave all my worries and problems behind, so as to be totally at their disposition. It could only work out this way, otherwise we would have been crushed by anguish and worries for the future. We concretely experienced that God is all powerful, and can give us a taste of paradise even in such a difficult situation.
(G.M.B. – Italy)[:]