Tonight we had a bonfire for the children of Refilwe (the place where we have lived for the past week and a half). It was a great time. We had hotdogs and s’mores for them. Silas shared a little about his life and then we were able to pray for the children individually. I talked and prayed with Lillian. She is a beautiful child with a sweet spirit. She asked me to pray for her sister’s mom who was sick. She also wanted prayer for God to protect her. Many of the kids at camp this week voiced fears of abuse. I know Lillian is in a safe environment because she lives here at Refilwe. But I have no idea of what she has been through or seen in the past.
I asked her if there was anything else. She said she wanted God in her heart. We talked about having Jesus in your heart and what that means. We also talked about what she had learned this week at camp about sin and God’s love. She said she had not given her life to God and she wanted to. So right then we prayed together for God to come into her life and to live in her heart. This is the first time I have prayed that prayer with someone. It was such a beautiful moment that I will remember always.
I cannot know if she had ever prayed those things. But I do know that she wanted Jesus in her heart tonight. I do know that God is going to use her in big ways. And that He rejoices in her as a daughter. I know that the things these children learned and heard at camp this week will stay with them forever. These children do not hear about Jesus everyday, but they were completely filled up with Jesus this week.
Before we came here, I was not thrilled about doing a children’s camp for the week, much less three weeks. I had this mindset that children cannot understand or truly grasp the story of Christ. How incredibly foolish of me. Jesus himself says that we must come to Him with the faith of a child. God is opening my eyes. He is showing me that His Kingdom begins with the children. They are the leaders of tomorrow. They embody the purity and innocence that our Father loves. They are teaching me.
So many children came to Christ this week. Our prayer is that they will take Him to their families and their communities, and that South Africa will be changed through these children. Please continue to pray for the children that will be at camp next week. Pray that they will encounter Jesus.
