What would you do if your child went missing in a foreign city?

A few nights ago one of our fellow American friends called and told us that her five-year old son was missing from their apartment. We darted outside to help the search effort.

It was dark out. The city seemed so huge, and we were so few.

We looked in every shadowed area, every abandoned building, and every alleyway, but to no avail.

Desperately, we turned to the locals who happened to be walking by or hanging out on the streets. “Please, there’s a five-year old American boy missing… Have you seen him?”

We couldn’t have guessed what happened next.

The first people we came across was a group of ladies. When we told them of our plight they prayed, “Lord, watch over the child!” Then they offered, “We’ll walk around looking for him with you!”

Next we went from shop to shop, asking the shopkeepers to watch out for the boy. “We must help you!” they all responded as they turned their eyes to the streets.

We had stopped to discuss our options when a local man joined our sidewalk huddle. He was determined to make sure that everything was being done to find the child. He and his friends jumped into their cars and drove around the neighborhood honking and yelling, asking everyone to look for the boy.

This outpouring of concern astonished and encouraged us. Standing there in the streets of such a big city, we were struck by the beauty of life in community. In the midst of such a frightening experience, we found ourselves beneficiaries and participants in a powerful demonstration of community.

Finally, we received good news: our friend’s son was actually safe at home. This whole time, he’d been sleeping under a big pillow on the couch, oblivious to the commotion inspired by his slumber.

Relieved, we went to another friend’s house around the corner to recover. An hour later we left to go home, when we were approached by a man, sweaty and out of breath, asking if we had found the little boy. We assured him that the child was safe at home. At this he rejoiced and praised God.

Some teary-eyed women also came up to us. They had been running around the neighborhood pleading God to keep the boy safe. They were comforted to hear that God had heard their cries and had protected him.

How we love these people. How grateful we are to God, who brought us here and allows us to experience this community through our trials and weaknesses.

**This comes from a Frontiers worker. Names and places have been removed for security. **

Original article: www.frontiersusa.org/blog/article/finding-community-through-crisis