Oh, who could that be? I wondered.

I was sitting on the back porch when I heard Toussaint talking to someone with an unfamiliar voice and a strong French accent. Curious, I went into the living room to see who had come to visit.

I did not recognize the young lady right away, but when she introduced herself, memories came flooding back. It was Berenice!

Several years ago, Berenice and her younger siblings had been placed in the children’s shelter in our neighborhood. Some months later, social services found a place for them, and they disappeared again. Now here she was, talking to us about her life since those days.

Berenice had had some rough times in her young life, especially with her father, an alcoholic, but she had always done her best to protect and take care of her younger siblings. She managed to finish school and went to the capital, where she trained as a cook. There Berenice met a Frenchman who took her to France (hence the strong French accent), and now they were planning to marry. She had just come back to visit family and some of the people who had impacted her life along the way.

And so, after paying a visit to the children’s shelter, Berenice came to our house. It really touched my heart when she said how much the VBS program—which she and her siblings had attended at our house during the summer of 2018—had impacted her life. Berenice shared that even years later, when she found herself in a difficult situation, the songs she had learned during VBS would come to her mind and bring her comfort. As if she wanted to prove that she had not forgotten them, she started humming some of the songs.

After Berenice left, I reflected on what she had shared. How often do we think that the time we spend with children and young people does not really have any impact? Or that there are more important things we could do with our time? Children, people, have a way of disappearing from our sphere of influence, and we never know what became of them. But seeds are sown, and some of them will grow.

The surprise visit from Berenice reminded me not to neglect the opportunities I have to share Jesus with little ones.

Berenice promised to come back with her future husband so that she can introduce us. Toussaint and I are looking forward to that and hope to sow another seed in someone else’s life.

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