Eva and her brother Willy lived with their parents in a small village in Bolivia. Like most families who lived there, they were poor. For most of Eva’s life with her family, they all lived and worked in a tiny stall in the marketplace where they sold a few vegetables, buttons, pens and other things. It was noisy, dirty and hot, and life was lonely for the two children.

A visit from their missionary friend, Mr. Albert, was always a happy change. He would read the Bible to them or bring them a calendar with Bible verses. He often left a list of verses for Eva and Willy to memorize. Even though it was sometimes a whole year before Mr. Albert got back to their village again, he would bring them a prize if they had learned their Bible verses.

One day Eva’s parents had to go on a long trip to the mountains. Eva and Willy had to stay behind for many days in their tiny home in the market until their parents returned. They also had to care for the stall in the market.

After their parents had been gone for some time, Willy got sick from an infected tooth. The side of his face was swollen into a lump as big as an orange and he was in great pain. Eva was only 10, but she did her best to take care of him, giving him medicine they sold in their market stall for his pain. She was worried when Willy did not get better and she had no one to help her or tell her what to do. Both Eva and Willy felt lonely and forsaken. Willy was sick for a week and finished the whole box of medicine, but he still wasn’t better. Finally, their parents returned and they immediately took Willy to the doctor. Willy got better after that, but their young hearts had an ache inside that never went away even though Willy was well.

Eva’s and Willy’s family moved several times, finally settling in a small home in the jungle. Although this home was deeper in the jungle, at least they did not have to live in the market. Soon it came time for Eva and Willy to go to high school, but their father did not have enough money to send them to live in the town that had a school. One day, however, they heard some surprising news from their neighbors. Some of them had found gold in their yards! Well, Eva’s father thought, maybe there’s gold in our yard too.

Digging a hole in the backyard as big as a well, he began looking for gold in the water that came up. Sure enough, there was gold! Gold right in their own backyard! There was not a lot of it, and it was only tiny specks like sand that had to be carefully collected and melted down before it could be sold, but it was enough to send Eva and Willy to high school.

Eva was glad her father had found the gold, but the emptiness in her heart was still there. Gold could not take it away. Because of the gold, Eva and Willy had enough money to rent a small room of their own in the town where the high school was. God had been watching over Eva and Willy and He knew about the ache in their hearts. He planned that they would find something in this town that would be even better than gold.

The town where Eva and Willy went to school was the very town where Mr. Albert lived. When he learned that they were there, he invited them to some Bible meetings in his home. They heard about the wonderful love of God in sending His only Son to die on the cross for sinners. They learned that God is rich in mercy, and that He wanted to give them riches much better than riches like gold, “the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7 NKJV).

Eva’s and Willy’s lonely hearts responded to God’s loving offer of salvation. Both of them believed that the Lord Jesus had died for their sins and that their sins were now washed away in His precious blood. Happy smiles came over their faces as they learned about God’s love. They found they now had a treasure in the Bible worth more than gold, a treasure that could make their hearts happy again. “The judgments [standards] of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold” (Psalm 19:9-10).

Friends, would you like to have the treasure worth much more than gold? This is a treasure that can never be lost or used up, and no one can steal it from you. Come to the Lord Jesus for salvation today and you will begin to enjoy the riches of God’s love. You may have it because the Lord Jesus Christ, “though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). We can tell you more.

Adapted from Messages Of God’s Love, May 19, 2024, Bible Truth Publishers