Deputation Update: The snow continued to gently fall as the chapter on another Sunday evening quickly came to a close.  In my mind I can still see him as he walked up to me, and shook my hand and then walked away.  He left in my hand something folded and worn, and after thanking him, I tucked it in my pocket.  After saying our good byes, Amanda and I were just starting our 2-1/2 hour trip as I reached down and looked at what he had given us.  Unfolding it, I glanced at a five-dollar bill.

Most of us have heard the expression, “It’s not the quantity of the gift but the quality”.  It is sad to say, but sometimes phrases like this gets repeated so many times that we tend to become more frustrated with a particular truth than marvel in its glory.  Well, on that cold night that five-dollar bill stood as an example for all to see.  True, this bill would barely cover the cost of an extra value meal, but to us it was an amazing example of one elderly man who wanted to give from his heart and, in turn, gave us more that we could ever imagine.  It is through little circumstances like this that God has continued to teach Amanda and me that it is truly not about the amount that is given but so much more than that!  I still have that worn out bill, and I keep it tucked inside my wallet.  And while there are many times that we have been low on cash and I’ve let the thought cross my mind to use it, I never have.  It’s not that it holds some “lucky” power or anything, but it simply serves as a reminder that God has always and continues to provide and knows what is truly best for us.

Craig Dyson, Ethiopia