Six Small Seashells

Written by Bob Roberts, a missionary to the Philippines since 1988
The pastor dismissed the congregation and I, the guest speaker, sat down to relax for a moment. I had just shared my burden for the hungry children in the Philippines. When I looked up, I saw a young boy, about 7 yrs. old standing before me. By his appearance I could see that he was an "All-American" boy. He had apparently taken an oath not to comb his hair on the Sabbath, for it strayed in every possible direction. His right pant leg was grass-stained from the cuff to the thigh, probably a slide from third base straight into home. Freckles dotted his face, and there was a smudge of dirt on his chin. He was a Norman Rockwell painting waiting to happen. 

I motioned for him to come closer. He came running and threw both arms around my neck in an unexpected display of emotion. As he stepped back from his heart-warming bear hug, I saw tears in his eyes. "What's the matter?" I asked. He explained, "God spoke to me tonight while you were telling us about the hungry children." He stopped, looked into my eyes, and asked, "Do you think that's possible?" "Yes!" I encouraged him. "Go on." He continued excitedly. "When you said that for a quarter a day you would feed a child and give him a vitamin, I thought, I've got to help. But at first I didn't know how."

He slowly pulled his hand, now formed into a tight little fist, from his pocket. He was firmly gripping his gift to the ministry, whatever it was. He extended his fist toward me and slowly opened his hand to reveal six small seashells. Gazing at his treasure with pride, he said, "This is my shell collection. Ain't it beautiful? And I'm supposed to give these shells to help the children." With those words, he placed the shells in my hand. I said a prayer of dedication over the gift, and my little friend sniffed and sighed in a final farewell to the treasure he held dear.

As a missionary to a country of 7,000 islands and thousands of shells on every shore, I wondered what I could do with the boys gift. I placed them in my pocket and went home.

A few weeks later, I spoke to another congregation about my burden. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the seashells and shared their legacy. At the end of the service, a man approached me and asked to see the shells. I happily complied and placed them in his hands. He held them for a moment and then said, as he
pulled out his checkbook. "I would like to purchase these for $100!"


My freckled face friend may never know that his sacrificial offering provided 400 meals for Filipino children. He may not have understood how such a small gift could possibly be used to feed the hungry, he just knew he was supposed to give.

The Bible tells of miraculous events that take place when ordinary people surrender what they have to God. No matter how insignificant the gift may seem, it can be used in ways never imagined.