As our family prepares for ministry in Mexico, we continue to focus on ministry in the home – in other words, teaching our kids about Jesus! As incredibly excited as we are to share the Gospel in a different language and culture, our first priority will always be to reach the wonderful children God has given to us.
To this end, we have been teaching Elayne chronologically through the Bible. We told her how God made the world, and helped her understand that He owns everything He made! We’ve shown her how Adam and Eve failed to ‘go God’s way’ in Eden, and how as a result none of us are good enough to be God’s friends. Each Old Testament story shared has helped her more clearly perceive that every person now fails in this exact same way, and that she herself has the same problem that the people in ‘God’s Big Story’ display. As she waits for God to reveal His Special Redeemer, she continues to ask excitedly when we will read the next part of the Big Story!
A few days ago, Elayne was misbehaving (as children are known to do from time to time). When confronted about her fussing and disobedience, she burst into tears. As she apologized she said, “I haven’t heard the rest of the story yet!” We realized that she had grasped some of the key truths we’d been repeating during each story – that she cannot go God’s way without His help, and that He wants to offer that help! While she still has a long way to go, Elayne is waiting on the Special Redeemer – who she knows can help her be God’s friend.
When my outreach team at the Missionary Training Center taught in a similar pattern, one of our greatest celebrations came after teaching of God giving Israel the Ten Commandments. Each guy at the Lighthouse expressed a clear understanding that he could not get to God in his own strength, and all realized that they were well and truly lost! Jesus once said that “healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do. I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough.” (Mark 2:17, NLT) We rejoiced that day because our friends at the Lighthouse were now good and ‘lost’ – individually recognizing they were helpless and in need of a Savior who could reconcile them to God.
Elayne is now reaching this same point, and we couldn’t be more excited! Please pray with us that Elayne will be able to understand the truths of God’s Word as we continue teaching her. Pray that she will see her inability to please God, and look to God’s Promised Redeemer to work on her behalf! There is nothing more precious to Amy and I than the thought of our wonderful daughter reconciled to our loving Father!
Finally, please pray for those in Mexico who have not yet heard this amazing message of grace. Our continuing desire is to go and share that hope with them as soon as we can, and we will keep working to get there as quickly as God allows!
Cheryl says
This is wonderful and inspiring! How precious to watch your daughter be excited to learn more and grasp these truths. Are you just reading the bible to her or do you have something special you are using? Would love to be a fly on the wall in her room so I could learn your tricks!