Colombia has been one of my favorite months of the Race so far, and children’s ministry has been our primary focus.
Coming into South America, my excitement sparked as I thought about speaking Spanish (or attempting), the beauty of the countries, the culture and its people, but it took a dive when I found out my team’s ministry assignment.
Don’t get me wrong, I love kids. I think they are adorable and equally hilarious. But I when I compared our ministry to that of other teams, which included drug rehabilitation work and homeless ministry, I was a bit jealous.
I’m amazed at how Israel I can be. God has time and time again shown me how perfect his ways and plans are, yet here I was begrudging where He placed me. Luckily for me however, He doesn’t lose patience or stop teaching me to trust him.
As we’ve taught in small farm schools, assisted in our host’s after-school program and led family events, our kids have taught me so much about the Lord as I’ve labored to teach them.
Part of my reason for wanting a ministry other than children’s is that I wanted to be part of those amazing God moments. Those moments where people are fed, deep conversations are had, and faces come alive as Jesus is shown to them.
But to my small mind’s surprise, all of those things have happened this month. They just looked different and better than I expected.
We do a devotional with our kids at the farm schools everyday, and the first day we did it, a boy’s hand shoots up and he asks, “Where is God?”
The devo was paused and class dialogue began with our kids aging from five to 11. A few minutes in, we find out that only two of our seven had heard why Jesus came and what He did for us. So we dove in to the sweet, simple Gospel of Jesus. And eyes and ears were focused the whole time – which was definitely God’s doing when considering how easily distracted the average seven year old can be.
Questions flooded in about Jesus out of sheer curiosity. There was no theological debate trying to be provoked. They just wanted to know more about the friend their teachers had described and said was the best part of their lives.
And then came sweet Mariana’s comment, “I wish Jesus was here right now.” Oh the good news we then got to share of the God who is always with us and lives in our hearts.
Three girls prayed to receive and follow Jesus, including sweet Mariana.
Jesus really wasn’t kidding when he said, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for such belongs the kingdom of God.”
I’ve seen how much kids need their parents and/or adults to help them. I’ve seen how they yearn for love and readily receive it.
But God has shown me how much I need Him and His help, even with the simple or mundane. He’s shown me how, though I too yearn for love, don’t often enough go running to his lap or accept his embrace.
I wanted to end this blog with two points:
1. Be a kid! That’s the heart posture Jesus wants us to have, and also, let’s face it, being a kid just fun.
2. Thank you teachers. You don’t hear it enough. The months I’ve taught on the Race have taught me to have a whole new appreciation for you. I pray God, who has a knack for renewing things, renews your heart day-by-day for the kids in your school. If God’s purpose for us is to love Him and love others, then God has given you great influence. Speak love and life over yourselves and your students. That’s by far easier said than done, but that’s the fight being asked of you. I’ll be praying for your fight.
What you do matters. If you doubt that, rebuke the heck out of that lie. Your kids need your love, even if they put on the face of a punk. I still vividly remember my third grace teacher, Mrs. Thomas, getting down on her knees at my desk saying how happy and proud she was when she heard I was baptized. I still vividly remember my eighth grade teacher, Mrs. Fuller, speaking of Christ’s love to me when I was in an utter pit of junior high loneliness.
Teachers, you have great purpose. What you do matters. And you have a God fighting with you, for you and for your students.
