This story is about a hardworking farmer named Lencho who has an unshakable faith in God. His house is on the crest of a low hill that overlooks a river and a farm filled with ripe corn laden with flowers. Only thing the fertile land needs is rainfall. Lencho eagerly waits for the rain that day. He predicts that it would rain and by dinner time his predictions come true. The sky sends a downpour of big rain drops. He runs outside to enjoy the falling rain. A cluster of thick clouds are seen approaching towards the north east. He is overjoyed by the big rain drops and tells his wife that they are coins of five and ten cents.
But his happiness does not last long as strong winds begin to blow and large hailstones fall from the sky along with the rains. It rains over the entire valley and the whole field is covered with snow. The cornfields are completely destroyed. Lencho’s heart fills with sadness. Lencho fears that he and his family will go hungry that year. His thinks his hard work reaped no benefit. The family’s last hope is God. Lencho believes that only the help from God would save his family from hunger. So he decides to write a letter to God. On the following Sunday he writes a letter to God recounting his misfortune. He asks Him for help of a hundred pesos to sow his field again and sustain his family until the crop grows.
He puts the letter in the envelope and writes ‘To God’ on it. With all his faith he places a stamp on the envelope and puts it in the mailbox.
Upon seeing this unusual address, the postman laughs and shares the letter with his boss-- -- the postmaster. The postmaster laughs too, but almost immediately he regains his composure and expresses his astonishment on the writer’s unfathomable faith. The postmaster decides to help Lencho so that Lencho’s faith remains intact. He decides to send some money to Lencho. After collecting money from his employees, friends and giving a part from his own salary, he puts the money in an envelope along with a letter containing only a signature: God.
The following Sunday Lencho comes to the post office expecting a letter for him. The postmaster feeling satisfied of having performed a good deed looks with contentment as the postman hands over the letter to Lencho.
On receiving less than what he had asked for, Lencho writes another letter to God. His confidence in God does not allow him to think that God can make a mistake or deny him what he had asked for. This time Lencho writes the letter in anger. As Lencho puts the letter in the mailbox, the post master opens it and reads it. In the letter Lencho expresses his disappointment on receiving less money, only seventy pesos and asks God to send him the remaining money; but this time through other means as he feels the post employees are a bunch of cheats.
(i) What did Lencho hope for?
(ii) Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like ‘new coins’?
(iii) How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho’s fields?
(iv) What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped?
(v) Who or what did Lencho have faith in? What did he do?
(vi) Who read the letter?
(vii) What did the postmaster do then?
(viii) Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?
(ix) What made him angry?
