Sonya and her family were refugees. Refugees are people who have had to flee from their native country because of danger to their lives. They usually go to another country that will protect them.
At that time, conditions in Sonya’s native country of Albania were so dangerous that Sonya and her family and some of their friends and neighbors left Albania and went to live in Switzerland.
Mr. Richards, a gospel preacher, went to Switzerland. When he heard of the group of Albanian refugees, he decided to go visit them. He wanted to tell them about the Lord Jesus who loved them and died for them.
When Mr. Richards met seven-year-old Sonya, he found that she did not even know who God is. So he sat down to talk to her. He wanted to introduce her to the God in heaven who loved her.
Mr. Richards did not understand the Albanian language and Sonya did not speak English, but they both could speak some French. So Mr. Richards told her about God who loved her so much that He sent His only Son, the Lord Jesus, down to this earth to suffer and die for the sins of all who will trust in Him. He repeated this verse to her which she had never heard before: “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)).
Sonya was so happy to hear of such a loving God that she wanted to thank Him for what He had done. She closed her eyes, and in a mixture of French and Albanian, she prayed a very simple, four-word prayer. What she said was, “Merci, Zot, pour Jésus.” Do you know what that means? It means, “Thank you, God, for Jesus.”
Do you think God heard such a short, simple prayer? Yes, He certainly did, and I’m sure He was very happy to hear Sonya’s “thank you” for His wonderful gift.
Have you ever thanked God for sending Jesus to die for you? You do not need long prayers or fancy words to talk to God. Sonya spoke only four words and in a mixture of two languages, but the prayer came from her heart, and God heard it.
A few years later, Mr. Richards went back to Switzerland and visited Sonya again. He found that she was happily telling all her Albanian friends about the God who loved her so much He sent His Son Jesus.
Have you ever told anyone about the God who loves them? If not, why not tell a friend today.
ML-05/25/2003