Adapted from Highways and Hedges. Another true story about the orphan girls that lived at Mama Stewart’s shelter in India.

The Stolen Candy

Children in India love sweets, just like you. But people in India do not have things to eat like we do. They make their food spicy with hot peppers, and sometimes make an ice drink with peppers, too. Sweet things were a special treat for Mama Stewart’s girls.

One day a kind friend brought some candy for all the people at the Girls’ Home. The girls could hardly wait as the treat was divided up. When everyone had gotten their share, the helpers’ candy was left on a plate until they were ready to eat it. But later on, when they came to get it, the candy was gone!

All the girls were asked about the missing candy. One by one, they each said that they hadn’t taken it. So what could they do? “We’ll just have to let the Lord work it out,” Mama said at last.

The next day a strange thing happened. God had always taken care of them so that they always had food to eat, even during the hard times of the war. But now no money came in the mail and hardly any food was sent. There was a little rice for the babies to eat, but the older girls only had the rice water. Soon they were very hungry.

The next day it was the same way. Imagine not having any food for two days! The girls grew even hungrier. Maybe something will come tomorrow, they hoped. But nothing did.

Mama wept when she saw how hungry they were. She gathered all the girls together to talk their trouble over. “But, Mama,” cried one of the girls, “Why doesn’t God send enough food for all of us? Why do only the babies have something to eat?”

“I don’t know,” said Mama, “Unless someone has sinned and God is waiting for them to confess it and ask forgiveness.” She looked sadly around at all the girls and said, “I don’t think it was any of the babies that stole the candy. We must pray for God to help us, for this is a serious thing. We must have food.” The girls all sat very still when Mama spoke.

Suddenly one little, eight-year-old girl stood up in the back of the group. Past the other girls she came, right up to Mama. “Oh, it is me!” she said, sobbing and falling down at Mama’s feet. “I am the one who sinned. All my sisters are hungry because of what I’ve done!”

“Did you take the candy?” Mama asked her. “Did you eat it all?”

“Yes,” she said, “I took it, but I only ate one piece. I gave the rest to some of the other girls.”

Mama looked around the room. “Every girl who ate a piece of that candy, please raise your hand,” she said. Several girls held up their hands bravely. Together they all knelt down to cry and pray to God, for the wrong had to be made right. The girls who had sinned by taking the candy repented and asked the Lord to forgive them. When we are really sorry in our hearts for doing wrong, then the Lord is glad to forgive us, and everything can be made happy and right again.

On that morning, when the postman came, he brought a letter. Do you know what was in it? Yes, it was the money they needed to buy food. How glad all the girls were when Mama showed it to them! Then they noticed something. The mark on the envelope showed that the letter had been waiting at the post office all those three days, while the girls had nothing to eat. God knew all about it, and had kept the money there until the wrong was made right. It was a lesson the girls would never forget.