By: Jessie Yount

Remember the excitement of finding a penny or a nickel on the ground when you were a child?  It doesn’t bring the same rush of emotion when you’re an adult, does it?  I noticed this recently even with our 12-year old son.  He found a penny on the ground at the park and while he did make a comment about it, there wasn’t any enthusiasm in his voice.

But a couple of friends were there with us.  One asked him, “You know what you’re supposed to do when you find a penny, right?”  My son replied, “Yeah, you pick it up and have good luck.”

But that wasn’t the answer she was looking for.  She said, “Well, a penny is worth one cent; c-e-n-t.  But think of it as one sent; s-e-n-t.  When you find a penny, pick it up and take a moment to pray for a missionary – someone who is “sent” to share the Gospel with others.”

What a great reminder to pray for those laboring for His Kingdom.  And an especially easy way to encourage kids (and ourselves – if we’re being honest) to be more intentional in praying for missions.

Since then, I’ve wondered where this cute saying came from.  So I turned to a reputable source – google – to dig up some history.  And while I didn’t find its source of origin, I did find another brief story from Randy Merrill about “cents” and “sents”.

Years ago a man told me to remember that a penny was one cent. He said “If you ever find a penny, stop, pick it up and pray for one sent by God: a missionary or an evangelist.”

Today I received several very thoughtful gifts. Yet one of the simplest was a little bag of pennies given by two people who said that over the last year when they picked up a stray penny, they put it in a bag and prayed for us.

Could you buy anything as valuable with a small bag of pennies?

Yesterday, The Chapel commissioned three groups of students who will be spending their summer on mission for the Gospel (one team will spend two years abroad).  When you find a penny, pick it up.  And pray for these students and for the seeds of Gospel truth to fall on good soil – that they might bear fruit, fruit that will last. (John 15:16)