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Graham and I were eating lunch at the local mall when a 12-year-old boy came to our table. With his head down, he quietly said, "I'm hungry and I do not want money, but if you could share your food with me I would be grateful."

We talked with him and found out his name was Samuel. I took him to the counter so he could pick out what he wanted to eat. He looked at the woman behind the counter, then at me, and said, "I get to choose?" He chose a simple plate of rice, beans, and a piece of chicken.

He thanked me over and over and, when it was time to pay, he handed me $0.20. He said, "This is all I have, but I want to help." I looked at the cashier and she had tears in her eyes as she turned her head to hide her face.

I led him back to our table and he was a bit surprised that we would want him to sit with us. He asked about the United States and said he had seen photos of it in books. He does not go to school now because there is no money for his uniforms and supplies. We discovered that his father had never claimed him; his mother is sick and lives far away, and his brothers are scattered among various relatives. Samuel lives with his grandmother.

As I listened to him talk, I imagined my own grandsons in a mall somewhere, hungry and depending on others to survive. 

Later the conversation moved to God, and we talked a little about God being first above all things. Samuel eagerly shook his head and his eyes lit up. He has a hard life, like so many people do here, but he still believes in God.

As hard as it is to live here and see such suffering up close, we have great joy in serving others. Today we were able to fill a child’s hungry stomach, show him attention, and talk about God. My heart is full.

It is our prayer all the “Samuels” of our world will also look to God and put Him above all things—in times of plenty and in times without.

Graham and Sharon Nichols serve in Ecuador, ministering to children and adults through discipleship, music, ESL, and church planting.