Small Blessings

As a teen refugee, my mother was evacuated to West Germany after the war. She had lost her home, her family, and her possessions. Here she tells about small blessings in the refugee camp: Arriving at camp, we all looked terrible, crusted over from traveling with no opportunities to wash. Mothers struggled to clean children and comb tangles out of hair. Someone brought us a small piece of soap and we all shared, each using a little. What wonderful fragrance, what luxury! Cots were made available to stretch out on. I thanked the Lord over and over for such blessings. I was fortunate that I never went hungry, neither during the war nor afterwards, but food was scarce. Breakfast in camp consisted of a cup of coffee and a piece of bread, lunch meant cabbage soup and a piece of bread, and supper again consisted of coffee and bread. Once a girl found some potatoes, and when another woman produced a little bacon fat, we cooked a feast that evening. Potatoes never tasted so good. One day as I stood outside the camp, I saw a man with a small basket of apples coming down the street. A moment of homesickness came over me as I remembered the abundant variety we enjoyed on the farm. "And now, what I wouldn't give for just ONE apple," I thought. To my surprise the stranger walked right up to me and asked, “Would you like one?” I couldn't believe it. "Oh, yes, please!" He smiled and handed me a shiny red specimen. People did not have much, and I knew that he was making a sacrifice parting with even one apple. I thanked him profusely and in my heart whispered, "Thank you Heavenly Father for taking such good care of me."

And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).