Jesus Cares about Lasagna

This article was first published in January, 2012. I translated it in French for TPSG and am sharing it again in English for any new readers.

Daniela and Luis are South American missionaries in Senegal.  They live down the street from us, and have two sons, David (age 9) and Caleb (age 5).  They recently opened a home for street children, where they care for six boys, and are hoping for a few more.  On New Year's Eve, David got so sick that, after vomiting close to twenty times in one day, his mom and dad took him to the hospital.  He was in rough shape.

David was pretty dehydrated, and the doctor wanted to keep him overnight for observation.  If you've ever seen a Senegalese hospital, you'll know why that was the last place Daniela and Luis wanted their son to have to spend the night.  The doctor recommended an IV drip and gave them permission to go home.

Three days later, poor David was in the hospital again.  This time, he wasn't alone, as his little brother had caught his bug and was equally ill.  Another round of tests ruled out malaria (which is a parent's greatest fear here, as it can be lethal when left untreated). The doctor said it was a stomach virus that was going around.  To make a long story short, the Condor's rang in the new year by nursing two very sick boys.

From the moment I'd heard of David and Caleb' being sick, I wanted to stop by for a visit, but I didn't want Isabella to get sick, so I waited a few days.  I finally got a chance to get away last Friday, and decided to take over some food.  I grabbed some homemade lasagna, artisan bread, and chocolate peanut butter squares from the freezer and headed on over.

"I brought you a surprise," I told Daniela, excited to share the treats.  As she looked into the bag to see its content, she was momentarily speechless.

"Do you realize that Sunday is David's birthday?  And that lasagna is his favorite meal?  And that we'd promised it to him, but weren't going to be able to get it because we spent all our money on doctor's bills?  He was initially sad when we told him he wouldn't be getting his much-anticipated lasagna, but took it like a man and agreed to a raincheck."

I could hardly believe it!  First, that the Lord would use me in such a wonderful way to bless my little friend on his special day.  What took very little effort on my part meant a big deal to him.  What an honour to be an instrument in the Lord's hands.

Second, that the Lord would be so gracious and loving as to care about a boy's birthday wish.  God knows us intimately and is interested in our little requests as well as our big ones.  So, be bold, ask for insignificant things from God and watch Him blow you away!  Because if it's important to a nine year-old boy, then Jesus cares about lasagna!