Hi, Steve, what a beautifull story. It just goes to say that chilldrin have more faith then some adults. I love this one. Thanks for sending this. Original message: > A LITTLE GIRLS PRAYER > Helen Roseveare, a missionary doctor from England to Zaire Africa, told this > as it happened to her in Africa. > "One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in > spite of all we could do she died leaving us with a tiny premature baby and > a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby > alive, as we had no incubator. (We had no electricity to run an incubator.) > We also had no special feeding facilities. > Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous > drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the > cotton wool the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire > and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me > that in filling the bottle, it had burst. Rubber perishes easily in tropical > climates. "And it is our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed. > As in the West it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa > it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not > grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways. > "All right," I said, "Put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and > sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. "Your job > is to keep the baby warm." > The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of > the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters > various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny > baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning > the hot water bottle. The baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also > told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died. > During the prayer time, one ten-year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual > blunt conciseness of our African children. "Please, God," she prayed, "send > us a water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, > so please send it this afternoon." > While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added by way of a > corollary, "And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for > the little girl so she'll know You really love her?" > As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly > say, "Amen?" I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know > that He can do everything. The Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't > there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by > sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four > years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. > Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? > I lived on the equator! > Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training > school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the > time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the verandah, was a > large twenty-two pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not > open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we > pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, > taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or > forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I > lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them > out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and > the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and > sultanas--that would make a nice batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I > put my hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be? I grasped it and > pulled it out--yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle! > I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He > could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, > crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!" > Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, > beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted. Looking up > at me, she asked: "Can I go over with you, Mummy, and give this dolly to > that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?" > That parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed up by my > former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's > prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the > girls had put in a dolly for an African child--five months before--in answer > to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it "that afternoon."
> A single candle can illuminate an entire room. A true friend lights up > an entire lifetime. Thanks for the bright lights of your friendship. > -- Email services provided by the System Access Mobile Network. Visit www.serotek.com to learn more about accessibility anywhere. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Access the Recipes And More list archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/recipesandmore%40googlegroups.com/ Visit the group home page at: http://groups.google.com/group/RecipesAndMore -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
