“I Have Come to Stay”

“Your Father in heaven does not want even one of these little ones to be lost.” — from Matthew 18

In those days, some little girls in South India were given away to live at temples, where they were not safe or cared for. Amy longed to help them, but she did not see how she could.

One evening in early March 1901, a little girl about seven years old was found alone outside the church in the village of Pannaivilai, where Amy lived. It was getting dark. A kind Christian woman took her home for the night. In the morning the girl said she wanted to see a certain foreign lady, so the woman brought her to Amy.

Amy was sitting on the verandah. The little girl ran straight to her and climbed onto her knee without any fear at all. Her name was Preena. “I have come to stay,” she said.

Preena had been given away as a baby to live with women at a temple. Nobody there loved her, and she was not safe. Once she had run away and walked for three days to find her mother. Her mother cried, but she did not keep her. Then the temple women tried to frighten Preena by pointing at one of Amy’s friends and calling her “the child-stealing Ammal,” which means the lady who steals children. So Preena decided to go and find that lady! She walked to Pannaivilai all by herself.

Soon the temple women came to take her back. Preena was frightened, but she stood up in front of them all and cried, “I won’t! I won’t!” Amy and the Walkers decided to keep her safe, even though it was risky. One woman said Preena had taken some money, just fourpence halfpenny, and the missionaries paid it. Later, when Amy taught her how Jesus paid for us, Preena said, “I know how much you paid for me—fourpence halfpenny!”

Jesus said that every child matters to God, every single one. God saw Preena when she was all alone, and he sees you too.

Dear God, thank you that every child matters to you, and that includes me. Please keep children everywhere safe, and help them find people who will love them. Amen.