The Missionary Boxes

Last Sabbath Ruth had been given a blue missionary box, and so had her brother David. The missionary boxes were to be kept for two months. All the money saved in the missionary boxes was to go toward sending the news about Jesus to the heathen girls and boys across the ocean. The Sabbath School superintendent said so, and so did the sweet old blind missionary woman, who had talked to the leaders.

Ruth and David carried their missionary boxes across the fields toward their tent. They and their mother, aunt and cousin had come several miles from their farm to the tent, with an number of other people, near the Farmers’ Cooperative Fruit Drying buildings, during the fruit season, to cut fruit for drying.

Another girl was going across the fields with a blue missionary box. She was a Chinese girl, Louie Ming, whose father and mother had come from the city to cook for some of the owners here.

“Louie Ming has a missionary box,” said Ruth.
David laughed. “Do you really think she will save anything in it?”
“I don’t really think so,” said Ruth.
Ruth and David carried their missionary boxes into their mother’s tent. “We’re going to cut apricots and peaches to help the heathen,” announced Ruth.

Mother nodded “Well have a whole lot of money in our missionary boxes when we carry them back,” said Ruth.
“We’ll see,” said mother.
For two or three mornings Ruth and David rose early, and after breakfast hurried to the cutting-sheds to work. But, after a while, Ruth and David grew tired. It was more fun to run over the fields, and mother never forced Ruth and David to cut fruit, although she did look a little sad.

“The heathen children won’t know,” said Ruth to herself. “What if the heathen children were me, I wonder if they would cut apricots every day to send me Bibles and missionaries? I don’t think they would.”
The first month went quickly. When it was over, Ruth had two coins in her missionary box and David had three. “The heathen children won’t know,” said Ruth.

But one Friday afternoon Ruth and David were walking by the tent where Louie Ming lived. Inside the tent sat Louie Ming, with her week’s pay in her lap. In the Chinese girl’s hand was her blue missionary box. Louie Ming was putting her money into her box and did not notice Ruth and David.
“Wow,” whispered Ruth, “Did you see that? Why David, I do believe that Louie Ming is putting every bit of her pay into her missionary box. Do you suppose she knows what she is doing?”
Ruth and David stood watching.

“Do you suppose Louie Ming understands?” whispered Ruth again. “Why she’s giving it all. David she’s been working in the cutting-sheds every time I’ve been there. She didn’t cut fruit until she got her missionary box. There, she has put in every coin.”
When Louie Ming looked up, and suddenly discovered Ruth and David, she looked half scared. Ruth stepped toward the tent, and said, “What made you give all your money? Why did you not save some? You have worked hard for it. The heathen children would not know if you kept some money for candy and things.”

Louie Ming looked shy. “You are asking me why I gave all my money?” she asked softly.
“Yes,” said Ruth. “Why do you give so much?”
Louie Ming looked down at her blue missionary box. Somehow it seemed hard for her to answer at first. Then she spoke softly, “One time I had a baby brother, but he died. My mother cried and cried. I also cried a lot. I thought I would never see my poor little baby brother again, never again. Then I went to mission school and the teacher told me that if I loved Jesus that I could see my brother again when Jesus conies again. O that teacher made me so happy. Just to think I could see my brother again. I went home to tell my mother. She did not believe me, but I told the teacher to come to our house to tell her. The missionary came and told my mother and father all about Jesus and they learned to love him. Some day we all will go to heaven and our brother will be resurrected to come with us. Now I save my money to put into the missionary box. Way over there in China many little girls don’t know about Jesus. Their loved ones die. They cry and cry the same way that I did. Maybe some of my money will send a teacher to tell those poor Chinese girls how to go to heaven and see their loved ones again. So I work very hard to put money in my box, because Jesus has come into my heart.” Ruth did not answer but stood looking at Louie Ming. Then she suddenly turned and took David by the hand. She pulled him along until they were running together toward their own tent. Ruth rushed in. The baby was sitting on the straw floor, and Ruth picked him up saying, “0 baby brother, don’t you ever die, I could not think of living without you.”

“Goo!” said baby brother, holding out his arms to David.
David did not say anything, but took baby brother.
“David”, said Ruth, “I’m going straight to work next week, are you not? I am ashamed of myself. To think that a Chinese girl who once did not know about Jesus, would work so hard now for her missionary box. And you and I have not. Why David, I acted as though I did not care whether the heathen boys and girls knew about Jesus or not. I am going to work to fill my missionary box. Why David, Louie Ming’s box is almost full, and she used to be a heathen.

David nodded, and hugged baby brother tighter.
The next Monday Ruth and David began working hard at cutting fruit.
How they cut fruit the remaining month. How they saved. And how glad they were that their missionary boxes were heavy when the day came to carry them back.
The blind missionary woman was at Sabbath school again. After the Sabbath School closed, the superintendent, who knew Ruth and David, introduced them to the missionary. And the blind missionary said, “Bless the dear girl and boy who have cut peaches for two whole months to help send the gospel to heathen children.”

Then Ruth, being honest, could not bear to have the missionary think it had been two months instead of one, and she suddenly burst out, half crying and said, “O, I wasn’t as good as that. I didn’t work two months, and I’m afraid if Louie Ming hadn’t loved Jesus more than me, David and I would have had hardly any money in our missionary boxes.

The blind missionary wanted to know about Louie Ming, and Ruth told the missionary all about her. Then the blind missionary kissed Louie Ming’s cheek, and said, “Many that are last shall be first.”
But Ruth was glad that She and David had worked to send the news about Jesus to heathen children.
AMEN.