Four-year-old Emma kept asking questions as she looked at my missionary picture books. “What are they doing? Who is that? Why are the houses built up high off the ground? That boy doesn’t have any clothes on! What are they eating?”

Occasionally her mother would ask more mature questions while her father kept up a steady conversation with Orion. The family wanted to become monthly donors and wanted to know the details of the project and the nitty gritty of how donating works.

Emma listened to story after story about children in the mission field who were learning about Jesus. She saw the need for missionaries and the funding diagram showing how much money had been raised. Finally, she slid off the couch and went into her bedroom. Soon she returned with a small hand-painted ceramic bank. She tried to get the stopper out of the bottom but needed her mother’s help. She poured her few coins out and examined them lovingly. Then, she scooped all of them up into her little hand and put them into mine. “I want you to use this for the mission,” she explained.

I looked at the money—four dollar coins and two pennies. It was all she had, and she was handing it to me, trusting that it would make a difference in the lives of children overseas. I looked into her bright eyes and told her, “I will use this money to help the children in Papua New Guinea learn about Jesus.”

I praise God for each and every donor who joins our team and for donations large and small. God loves a cheerful giver.

• Twitter