A simple offering

I found a little coin purse the other day. I never use a coin purse. As a matter of fact, this is the only one I have ever used. This one contained some very precious coins, though.

I typically travel on short-term mission trips as part of a team. There is usually a pastor leading, along with some other team members. A couple of times, however, I have been on my own.

It was during one of those trips that I was preaching at a small church in one of my favorite Russian villages, Illyinski. The pastor there calls me “Dyadya Pasha,” or Uncle Paul.

After I preached, the congregation took up an offering. I was blown away. This was a first. I had never received a love offering before. What made it even more special was that the people of this village are very poor. I immediately put the offering into a little change purse. To this day I have no idea why I was carrying a change purse. I never do.

Thirteen years later, I found the purse again. I counted the money. (I must have counted it when I received the offering, but I do not remember how much it was.) When I counted it today and did the conversion to US dollars, the coins are worth about 20 cents.

My question was never “what can I do with this money,” and with it only being worth 20 cents today, I cannot ask that question now either. But my prayer is that God did something amazing with the seeds the people of Illyinski planted all those years ago. Giving out of their poverty, it reminds me of Luke 21:3-4:

“Truly I tell you,” He said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”