A melon and the widows mite........

It is funny how little things can be so humbling. I think of Jesus sitting near the treasury watching as many rich people were putting in large amounts of money, then an old widow drops in her last few cents and Jesus makes a statement that seems to make no sense "she has put in more than all the others!" This year as with last we picked out a couple gifts for each of the center workers. We try to find things that they don't normally get, things that would be fun for them. We don't spend a lot of money or time although for them it is a fairly expensive present. But it doesn't even compare to the gift we received back. We don't expect anything from them as they are basically living below poverty level yet God continues to use them to be a blessing to us, and to remind us that it is not the size of the gift that matters but the size of the heart that is giving.
This year, again, one of our workers brought Christmas gifts for us. He saved watermelons from his garden to give out as gifts to a few of us here on the center. Watermelons are highly prized and often stolen from gardens. His wife carved a small note in them personalizing each melon. I couldn't stop smiling after he gave us the gifts and I saw the smile on his face. Below is a picture of the watermelon and the inscription which says "to mr. math (Matt) we wish you all a happy merry christmas God bless you all love from Patrick and family." We bought gifts out of our abundance and they out of their poverty they gave far more. I would love to keep the melon as a reminder but alas we will be eating it so a picture will be all we keep to remember this wonderful gift. You are probably thinking how wonderful it is to hear stories of God working in the hearts of His children but Patrick is not a christian and has never heard the real gospel in a way that makes sense to him. Many religions have taught him that he can somehow work hard enough to appease God so he doesn't understand the Gospel of Grace. The one gift we would love to be able to give him and his family is the gift of life. Whenever you see a watermelon we hope it reminds you to pray that God will open doors of opportunity for Patrick and the other workers to hear the truth of God's word and receive the gift of eternal life.