20 Cents

Hi, my name is Luana. I’m a lawyer and a missionary and served Amazon Lifesavers Ministry as a volunteer for a year and 4 months. During the training course we did outreach in Puraquequara, which is located in the vicinity of the base, and is one of the most humble neighbourhoods of Manaus. Due to the fact that I quit my job, and with it my monthly income, I eventually had to cancel my weekly offering plan. I was really sad about this – only God knows how significant this act of worship is for me. For a while I was able to maintain my offering plan at the SDA church in Puraquequara, until one Sabbath, I didn’t have anything left, not even one coin to put into the offering plate. While the video ‘Taste and See’ was played in preparation for the weekly offering, with a contrite heart, I said a brief prayer, expressing my sadness about not being able to give an offering that day. I was still in prayer, when a little boy, of about 3 or 4 years of age, that I didn’t know well at the time, sat down in the row in front of me. He turned around and very quickly put two 10c coins into my hands. Instantly I realized that God had immediately answered my prayer. I leaned forward to the boy and whispered: ‘Did you give me these coins for the offering?, and he responded by smiling shyly and nodding – no words, just a smile! My heart was filled with joy! The most sincere offering I could give to Christ was the one that little Leandro had given me. I’m so grateful to God because I have learned to depend on Him solely, and realised that as a missionary, my life is a constant offering of thankfulness and adoration to the Lord.

Today, as I continue to serve as a missionary .in a different place, I am able to say: ‘The Lord has sustained me thus far and invite you to try living a life of dependance on God. ‘O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.’ Psalms 34:8

Reprinted by permission from Fernando Borges, ADRA Brazil. Article first published in ADRA Brazil’s Mission Blog. http://www.amazonlifesavers.org/2015/11/16/20-cent...