God’s Helper

Jesse sat in church listening to a missionary speaker talk about a faraway country as he showed the class photos on a large screen. In one of the pictures, the missionary and several other people wore long white robes and had scarves wrapped around their heads. "This is the way we often dress where I live," he said. "The purpose of these loose scarves is to keep the sun off our heads. It really works quite well." Jesse sat up straight to see better as the missionary continued speaking. "It's often difficult to reach people in this country with the good news that Jesus died and rose again to save us. I'm happy to be there because I know God sent me to tell them about Jesus and how much He loves them." Jesse's eyes opened wide. He had never been away from home for more than a few days at a time. He hoped God wouldn't send him to a faraway country. He didn't want to leave his family.The next day, Jesse sat on the front steps. He could hear sounds from the kitchen where his mom was cooking, and he could hear the hum of his dad's lawnmower in the backyard. Jesse liked those sounds. He looked down the street and saw Mrs. Quarry, their neighbor, walking home with a heavy bag of groceries. She stopped in front of Jesse's house, set down her grocery bag, and leaned against the fence. The grocery bag tipped, and several cans of food clattered across the sidewalk.Jesse ran to help her. "I'll get your groceries, Mrs. Quarry."The old woman took a deep breath. "Oh, thank you, Jesse. But first, please help me up my front steps. I'm so tired." She put one hand on the fence and the other on Jesse's shoulder. He walked beside her and hoped she wouldn't fall. When they reached the porch, Mrs. Quarry sat down on one of the chairs. She looked up at Jesse and smiled. "God sent you to me, Jesse. He knew I needed help, and He sent you."Jesse felt lighter as he ran back to pick up the groceries. He realized there were many ways he could share the love of Jesus with others, and he didn't even have to leave home.–Ruth M. Hamel