Gifts Fit for a King
May 2025
What do you bring as a gift for a king? It must be the absolute best. It must be honorable, valuable. It must be so precious that it is deemed worthy of being offered. Jesus was given gold, frankincense, and myrrh by the kings of the Orient who followed the star announcing His birth. The Queen of Sheba brought King Solomon 120 talents of gold, a large quantity of spices, and precious stones. She also brought him a great retinue with camels carrying various treasures. "Never again came such an abundance of spices" as those she gave to King Solomon, according to 1 Kings 10:10 and 2 Chronicles 9:1-9. Not many of us today have much occasion for giving gifts to an actual king, though. Or do we?
Maria Salome Meza Samora is 86 years old. One word describes her childhood: bitter. As the daughter of farmworkers, Maria faced the realities of a life marked with poverty. Hunger was her constant companion. The food that reached Maria’s plate was nothing more than a few leftover scraps, a brutal reminder of the inequality that surrounded her. Her poverty was not only the lack of food, but the humiliation of having to search for leftovers in order to dull the nagging ache in her stomach. She recalls hiding to watch others eat. Even today, the memory of hunger still haunts Maria. During her childhood, the landowners owned everything, and the workers barely survived. Maria’s clothes—if she wore anything—were also leftovers: used, old, unwanted by others. Additionally, her need to survive overrode any possibility of studying, which kept her in the cycle of poverty representative of the generations before her. That experience shaped Maria’s character and her strength. She grew up to become a mother of 8 children and worked hard to ensure none of them suffered the same as her. But it was a losing battle. History repeated itself, a testament to the harsh reality of poverty in Peru.
So, back to giving gifts fit for a king. Gold, frankincense, myrrh, precious stones, and spices have all been proper gifts for kings of the past. But high in the Andes Mountains of Peru there is a King today receiving gifts of the most unexpected kind: rice, carrots, oil, potatoes, and cookies, to name just a few. That is exactly what your support to the Home of Refuge is producing: food to desperately impoverished elderly—perfect gifts fit for the King; and He receives each one you provide with your offerings. Your giving has produced profound gratitude in Maria. Receiving your help means a lot to her. Every time we give her food baskets, she closes her eyes and gives thanks for the support she is receiving. We asked Maria how she feels, and she replied that she is very happy and, above all, grateful. She has never had much food at home before this. Seeing that she can enjoy even a cookie fills her heart with joy. Perhaps the greatest gift of all time that is fit for a king is the gift of a person. Your giving ultimately translates into lives offered to Christ, which is the most precious and valuable gift He desires.
We have a specific need we present you with this month: walking canes. Many of our elderly need assistance to walk and a walking cane would be a tremendous blessing. Our desire is to supply them with these for Mother’s Day. What a great gift we can give to honor these beautiful mothers who have witnessed such hardship while raising families. We invite you to participate. Would you help us accomplish this?
As we close this newsletter, we want to thank you for your generosity and to remind you that no gift given to the kingdom of God is insignificant. Your giving is eternal and rewarded. Your giving is an expression of love, and it reaches into the hearts of men and women and communicates to them that God sees them, hears them, and cares about them. Your giving is a tool for bringing people into relationship with Jesus. What treasures can we offer to Christ? Praise God! Our money offered in love becomes a gift fit for the King.
Grace and peace,
Tony and Rosa Rivera Home of Refuge International, Inc.