Not just in Africa

A ten year-old boy raised his hand in Sunday school a couple of years ago and asked me, "Miss Rebecca, what do the older boys do when they are hungry in the orphanages or on the streets?” I responded by saying, “Well, they usually go into the market areas and steal, they are so hungry that they will do anything just to get food.”
“Are they bad for doing that?” asked the boy. “No, they are not bad for doing that. They are just so hungry they don't know what else to do. It is not right to steal but, in these circumstances, desperate and hungry children sometimes do desperate things just to survive.”
Many more questions were shot at me, and then the younger brother of the ten year-old raised his hand eagerly. "Do you have another question?” I asked. "No," he said, "I just want to tell you that my brother and I would have died on the streets of Houston if my mom and dad did not adopt us when they did." I soon found out their whole story and the miraculous circumstances that brought a young couple to adopt those precious boys off the streets.
From that point on, each time I spoke these boys were never at a loss for questions. I knew God was doing a healing work in their little hearts through getting their many questions answered not just for the orphans but for their own as these stories would bring up things that would trigger different conversations of God’s love and power to redeem even the worst of situations.

Last sunday I shared again at the boys' Sunday school class after about a six month absence. The older brother came up to me and handed me an envelope with $1.50 inside.
"Miss Rebecca," he said, "This is all I have to give. I am sorry I cannot give more, but use this for the orphans.” I looked into his sweet eyes and said, “Thank you so much. I love your heart to help these kids.” He looked at me very intently and said, “Miss Rebecca I want to go to Africa with you so that I can help those kids.”
"Okay, that is a deal. You keep that in your heart and when the timing is right you can come with me, okay?" We hugged, and God spoke to my heart of the symbolism of these precious boys lives representing the needs right at our doorstep, not just in Africa. May we always be as relevant domestically as we are internationally. May we open our eyes to those in front of us, wherever we may be.