When we got to the church, the presentation was being hosted in the multi-purpose room upstairs. We met with the coordinator and the pastor to make sure that all things were in order and got prepared to begin.
Since it was a small church, we expected about 20 or less people to come. In the end, about 12 people showed up, but it has never been about the number of people and only about those who have ears to hear. No matter the amount of people present, the Lord has given us a message to deliver and we will deliver it, no matter what.
About 10 minutes before the service began, a young girl, her mother, and her father walked in. The young girl, Hope, walked up to me and introduced herself and her parents. I asked her if she had ever been to Passover seder before, and she told me no, but that she was so excited to be there and learn about it. She said that she was excited enough to "scream" and she had been anxiously waiting for this presentation and that she had begged her parents to bring her. Right then and there I knew that there was something different about this little girl. For the next 10 minutes she proceeded to explain to me how much she enjoyed bible study and Sunday school. She also began to tell me EVERYTHING she had been taught in the last couple of weeks regarding Moses, the plagues, the Passover and anything else that she could remember. My heart was touched by the joy this 12 yr. old girl and her devotion to learning about God. As we sat down to begin, she asked if she could sit with me during the seder and her mother said that they both could sit with me, so that really made her happy. Her father sat at the neighboring table, and I could tell that she was upset by this.
To make a very long story short, about 15 minutes into the presentation, her Father asked the Mother for the keys to the car and whispered in Hope's ear that he was leaving. At this, she began to cry, but her mother quietly spoke to her to calm her down and to focus on the presentation that she wanted so badly to attend. She composed herself and focused all her attention on what Neal was saying. I was so impressed by this little girl. Her devotion and desire was amazing for anyone, much less a 12 yr. old little girl.
All throughout the presentation, she listened intently on the teaching; asking me various questions during the presentation and smiling with delight as she began to understand the meaning behind all the symbolism regarding the elements of the seder. It blessed me so much! I kept thinking about what a treasure this little girl is and what a gift the Father had given me to meet her. It was one of those "divine appointments" and I knew it. It felt like holy ground.
So what is the purpose of this story? Why did I feel it was important to share this testimony with all of you? The answer lies in the very name of this child; Hope. I could see that this little girl clung to the hope that God was real. She kept telling me that she loved studying the Bible and what excited her the most is the fact that all that she read really happened and that all the God said was true. This was her hope. I was moved by this childlike faith.
You see, after talking with the pastor at the end of the service about her and explaining to him the impact that she had made on me, he explained her life and some of the difficulties that she had been and was going through in her family. After this revelation, I understood even more why this young girl had such a passion and desire to learn and know God; she knew, even at this very young age, that He was her hope and she held onto those promises.
I rejoice that God brought her into my life. That He allowed me to apart of her story and she apart of mine. I thanked him that I was able to comfort her and provide her with a little "hope" when she was sad about her Father leaving. I am thankful that I was obedient to His voice and attended this event, because you never know what is waiting for you at the destination that God has provided for you. But most of all, I am grateful that the Lord had given me a little "Hope", literally, in this beautiful child of His. I pray that the Lord will provide you all with a little "Hope", too.
