At first glance, I thought it was a scam. It turned out to be anything but that and instead was one of those blessings that will encourage me for the rest of my days.
On a recent afternoon, I was working on my computer and received a notification about a Facebook message from a guy in Ethiopia. To be honest, I assumed it was probably a scammer sitting in some dank Eastern European basement claiming to be an exiled African prince who needed funds to sustain him until he can again access his millions and oh, so richly repay my kindness.
But something about the sender’s name seemed strangely familiar, and though I couldn’t immediately place it, I decided to open the message. This is what it said:
“Thank you, Mom. I’m a member of this family. I’m your prayer answer. I don’t need anything from you. I just want to thank you for the efforts you did on me. I love you all guys!! I’m Biniyam Nigatu, a boy who grew up in Compassion Ethiopia. Now I’m a pastor in our church. You have to thank God for me because I’m your prayer answer.”
Biniyam! I knew that name was familiar. He was a boy we sponsored through Compassion International. A boy whose picture was on our refrigerator for a long, long time.
Like other kids we’ve sponsored over the years, we didn’t know what happened to Biniyam after he graduated from the Compassion school and stopped receiving the support the organization provides to youngsters in Third World countries.
But God certainly never lost track of Biniyam and I was overjoyed to learn that the seeds of the Gospel planted by Compassion International teachers had taken root in his heart and were apparently bearing such good fruit.
Now, a month after reconnecting with Biniyam, I’m receiving Facebook friend requests on a daily basis from Biniyam’s many Ethiopian friends and members of his church. Dozens of them.
Any of my American Facebook contacts looking at my “friend list” would probably assume I went on an extended mission trip to Ethiopia and met all these folks there, but I didn’t. All my new friends are a result of sending a small donation every month, years ago, to help one boy Compassion (and God) chose for us.
Our family experienced a similar blessing in the late 1990s when the coordinator of a student exchange program got her wires crossed and found herself desperately looking for homes, at the very last minute, to host kids who were coming to the Greenwood area from all over the world.
Several families with kids at Greenwood Christian School volunteered, including us. We got a student from Brazil named Tiago. He became a Christian during his stay and Tiago faithfully continues to stay in touch and consider us his “American family.” We will forever be grateful we said “yes” and allowed this wonderful young man to become part of our lives.
My husband and I are not spiritual giants by any stretch. We sometimes get lazy and selfish and probably say no when we should say yes. But in the case of Biniyam and Tiago, God has graciously allowed us to see how He used the little bit of water we sprinkled on His good seeds.
Following Jesus Christ has been called “a long obedience in the same direction” and sometimes it feels like we’re walking uphill. But when our obedience has made a difference and God lets us see that, well, it’s one of the greatest blessings in this life.
Sometimes He gives us a Biniyam or a Tiago.
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” – 1 Corinthians 15:58