At the convent work continued amidst a thousand difficulties. The needs were endless, but Providence, ever vigilant and generous, made sure that everything could proceed smoothly. One day a large truck loaded with lumber stopped in front of the convent. The two drivers asked Giuseppe, where they could unload it. Giuseppe, surprised at that unscheduled delivery, was very upset, since, having neither a warehouse nor a suitable space to stack it, he would have to clear out narrow rooms on the ground floor, already overflowing with various materials. Fra Elia, had agreed that he would notify the warehouse manager himself when it was time to send it. Why had they arrived ahead of time? Fra Elia was not even at the convent-what to do? Eventually, and since the weather still held for the moment, they rested the whole load in a meadow and covered it with large plastic sheets, waiting to transport it, then, to a more suitable place. One could wait a week to avoid that unnecessary effort! When Fra Elia returned to the convent in the evening, he heard Giuseppe remonstrate, “Why did you bring all that lumber in today of all days? We put it on the lawn there was no other place, let’s hope it doesn’t rain…” But Fra Elia fell from the clouds-he had not ordered anything at all.
They telephoned the depot to ask for an explanation, but as already agreed, the person in charge had sent nothing-and sent nothing more, because the need had been filled by a providential blessed hand. Who must have sent that magnificent and precious load of beams, so perfect for the whole ceiling of the convent? But no one ever knew who the generous benefactor was.
In any case, even in the months that followed, in an atmosphere of surprising, unforeseen solidarity, building materials of all kinds, tools and cabinets, shelves and more continued to arrive at the convent, offered spontaneously by a small, hitherto unknown world, which came in small groups, driven by the hope of finding a remedy for its small and big problems, in exchange for a prayer and a blessing. Everything was needed and everything came on time. Groups of nuns also came, bringing their embroidery work, electricians, painters, carpenters ready to lend a hand in their spare time, and so, slowly, slowly the cloister was revived, resuming its vital aspect. Thanks be to God.