Kosova Trip Report Final

The men are back from their two weeks in Kosova. The stories they've told have been heartwarming and encouraging. David, the missionary there, is so thankful for the work, time and money that went into this project. The people and children of this predominantly Muslim town still can't believe that people from half way around the world would come to their little town and build such a special park for the kids. This opens up doors for David and his wife to share why this gift was given...to show the love of Jesus Christ.

If you have a moment, and the latest version of the free QuickTime 7.1.6 with ITunes, watch this video. It starts out showing you the park in the middle of this town - bleak, wartorn, and falling apart. Then it shows the progression of the project and the finished project - complete with smiling kids and a flag raising ceremony (my soulmate is the guy toward the end of the video shown in several pictures surrounded by kids). We pray that the people of this town, through this free gift, will be receptive to hear about the ultimate gift of salvation found only through Jesus Christ. Seeds were planted, Bibles and tracts were given out, and now we will watch and pray for the harvest.

Souls Saved - Makes Everything Worthwhile

Last week was a stressful week. Trying to pray and prepare for each day's lesson for Vacation Bible School, in addition to work, my husband's business, my sick sister, my 11 year old nephew, a car in need of repair, and trying to spend some time with my husband who just returned from Kosova after a two-week mission trip, was almost most than I could handle.

But now the count is in, and I rejoice. Some 30 kids prayed this week to receive Jesus as their savior. Several parents got saved in the closing ceremonies. We had an average of over 400 each day, and got to teach little ones and older ones as well about the saving grace of God. We had fun, music, games, crafts, refreshments, lesson time, and for the older kids, a time of hearing the Gospel in the auditorium. I personally had the privilege of counseling numerous children about salvation, questions about baptism, the rapture, and even some off-the-wall questions (you never know for sure what's going through these kids' minds!).

But I did get to lead 5 boys and girls to the Lord, and that made everything worth it. There's nothing else quite like seeing that lightbulb go off in a child's mind and hearing the sweet prayer of repentance and asking of forgiveness and salvation that comes out of a child's mouth. And we counselors are trained not to push or prod, and if there's any doubt that the child does not fully understand, we coax them to keep thinking about it and come back to us when it finally clicks with them. But when they're ready, they're ready.

I remember several years ago having a rather rambunctious young man in my class who was giving me trouble daily. I was constantly having to correct him, make him quiet down and stop being so rowdy. He was all about having a good time, chowing down on refreshments, and running wild. On about the third day, he stopped long enough to actually listen to the Gospel presentation he heard in the auditorium time and he raised his hand to be counseled. I ended up with him, and looked him in the eye and asked him why he had raised his hand.

He said, "I need to get saved."

I suspected he was just curious about what went on when kids raised their hands and went off with the counselors, so I said, "that's great, Johnny, but our class is about to go to the gym and we're playing some really great games today. We can talk about this again tomorrow if you'd like.

He grinned and jumped up to leave, but then stopped. He turned around and looked at me with tears in his eyes. I asked, "What's wrong?".

He said,"I don't want to play games."

I said, "Well then, you can go get your ice cream and refreshments."

Again, he cried. He said, "I don't want to play games, and I don't want refreshments. I want to get saved."

I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this kid was ready. After we prayed, and discussed the decision he had just made, I told him that he was now my brother in Christ. With a big grin, he gave me a big hug, and went off to see if he could catch the end of the games time. For the rest of the week, he was a well behaved kid. And everytime he saw me, I'd say "Hi, brother" just to see that big grin come out on his face again.

I love it when the kingdom grows.

Through a Child's Eyes

This week is Vacation Bible School week here at my church. Every year we have about 400-500 children each day, and ours is one of the most popular VBS's in the community. We have music and songs, puppet shows, exciting Bible lessons, crafts, games, and refreshments. The kids love it and although it is an extremely exhausting week, it is well worth it. Number one, we get to see precious young souls come to understand the Gospel and get saved. And we get to plant seeds in the younger children and help them to grow to love Jesus and learn that it is fun to be a Christian. We get to help the older kids grow spiritually.

I'm a "master teacher". I have the privilege of teaching the Bible lesson each day, and trying to instill in my kids the importance of applying what we learn in Scripture to our personal lives. I get to see kids as that lightbulb goes off and something clicks - they suddenly understand something they didn't understand before. They grow excited about reading their Bibles and praying to God. It's an awesome responsibility for which I spend much time in prayer and preparation. I ask for God's guidance and of course, He always comes through and gives it.

The single most humbling aspect of what I do though is in the one-on-one counseling I give to kids who come forward with questions or response to the Gospel. Leading a child to the Lord is different from leading an adult. You assume the adult fully understands God's plan of salvation before they are saved, but with a child, you have to be careful not to push them into something they don't really understand or are not spiritually mature enough to do yet. So I spend enough time with the children to make sure I believe they comprehend their decision to trust Christ for their salvation. And if there is any part of the plan that is unclear to them, I encourage them to think about it some more, continue to ask questions, and when they know they are ready, to come back and talk again. I've counseled three children so far this week, and only one of them was really ready. The other two have not fully grasped what Jesus did for them yet. But they're being drawn, and they're seeking. God will harvest them when they are ready.
The one precious soul who got saved yesterday was ready. There was conviction in her eyes and in her words. She cringed as we discussed the pain of the cross and Jesus's willingness to go to Calvary voluntarily - to pay for her sins and for mine. When we prayed together, her prayer was as sweet and sincere as a child's prayer always is. "Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I'm sorry I've hurt you with my sins. Please forgive me. Thank you for dying on the cross for me. I'm ready to trust You and accept your free gift of heaven."

After she prayed, we rejoiced together. I then encouraged her to be baptized as an outward sign to the world that she'd become a Christian. I encouraged her to share her good news with her friends. She hung on every word, and was very excited as I told her we were now sisters in Christ. Before she went back to her class, she asked if she could see the baptistry. So I took her to it.

As I opened the door to the baptistry, I realized that it hadn't been used in about 2 weeks, and the water had not been drained. Looking down the steps into the water that looked slightly green in color, I thought in my mind, "Yuck. I wouldn't want to step in that water. Wish I hadn't shown her this." She peered in and down the steps, and looked at the painted mural over the baptistry. I quickly shut the door and with somewhat of a sigh, said, "Well! What do you think?" Her reply made me lose my breath momentarily. Instead of seeing the baptistry the way I had just seen it, she saw it through God's eyes.

"It looks like a holy place," she said.

Yes, Bailey. You could say that. It is a holy place. Thank you for reminding me of that.

Sometimes the teacher can be taught by the student.