Years ago, we drove our old car across the continent and into Canada so we could take a course at a linguistic training school near Vancouver. One Sunday, we were invited to speak at an inner-city church that reached out to First Nations people recovering from substance abuse. I was impressed with the love and care served up with the simple meal shared before the service. The people were impressed with my husband, who looked strikingly like them, thanks to being from an indigenous Andes Mountain people group. They were especially intrigued by the fact that he now worked to provide his people with access to God’s Word in their own language. 

As the service drew to a close, I watched these seemingly-destitute believers cheerfully dig deep into their pockets so they could drop a few coins into the offering basket. Then, without even counting the cash, one of them gave the whole basket to us. My first reaction was to politely decline the gift. After all, their own congregation could surely use the money to feed the homeless and downtrodden people who come through their door each Sunday. But I sensed a voice whispering, “Take the gift,” so we did. It added up to $62.27. 

The very next day, the brakes failed on our old car. Since we couldn’t leave our only vehicle in a mechanic’s shop, nor pay the steep price for their repairs, my husband bought the parts and fixed the brakes himself. And you guessed it–the total price for the parts was $62.27! 

I’m grateful we had this experience early in our career as global workers, because it taught me an important lesson about God’s care for his children. Not only does he provide for those in need but he also makes a way for others to be blessed by meeting those needs. 

Many times since then, we’ve been tempted to politely decline a gift from someone in difficult circumstances–whether cash or a goat or a guinea pig–but remembering the $62.27, we always accept with thankfulness, both for God’s provision for us, and for the even bigger blessing that he will bestow on the giver.