This is one of the Bible verses we discussed last night at our Wednesday night Bible study. We talked about how we should give of ourselves generously so that we can show (sow) love into the lives of others. It was awesome listening to the kids have a discussion about this topic and I loved it when one girl shouted out, "Actions speak louder than words!" So very, very true!! How many times do we tell our children to stop being selfish when we ourselves are being selfish. How many times do we tell our kids to love others more than themselves, but are we doing the same?? I know we all struggle in this area. We cannot just TALK about doing the things God calls us to do, we have to start SHOWING our children HOW to do them.
It has been amazing for us to watch this group of kids growing in number each month and also growing in the Lord. When we started this summer, we had about 3-7 kids and we were meeting at Douglas Park. Last night, I believe there were between 25-30 kids. The children we have had since the summer have already changed SO much- - -the trouble makers have settled down and are actually being good examples to the newcomers who are now the trouble makers. It is neat to watch this "discipling" going on- - -even though they do not realize that this is what they are doing; they ARE doing it. These children are actually sowing into the lives of their friends and they are bringing more and more kids each week. It seems sometimes children can GET IT better than we do.
One of the boys who has been in A LOT of trouble- - -at church, at home, and at school is now the one who always wants to pray before we eat (and he can pray so well). He answers LOTS of the questions during discussion. He was on the verge of being sent to a juvenile delinquent school when we met him. Now, he is so proud when he comes on Wednesday nights to tell us how he is getting along with his teacher now. We pray for him each week to be able to continue to do well in school and get along with his teacher.
Almost every child in our group is without a father. They are craving male attention. Young boys want a man to wrestle with, older boys need a man to talk to, and teenage girls need a fatherly figure to show them love and attention or they will definitely find it somewhere else. It is a sad, sad state. We are overwhelmed with the needs! We could spend a lifetime just trying to make a dent into it. Is it worth it?? Absolutely!! Each week as we watch these children grow, we KNOW it is worth it. If we can just reach a few, there are a few more that will be able to reach a few more and on and on. If we do nothing. . . .we reach no one! (If we sow sparingly, we reap sparingly)
We have realized how hard it is to reach the adults, but these children are reachable. If we cannot change the current generation, we pray God will use us to reach the next generation.
There is an amazing book about a ministry in Texas that started doing Back Yard Bible Clubs near elementary schools right after school. It is amazing how this ministry has taken off and how God has blessed it. Their story is touching and inspiring. They have been used by God to chang the lives for so many young people and these young people are now older and are affecting the lives of other young people. The ministry is called House of Faith and the book is entitled "The Hands and Feet of Jesus"
We apologize for the HUGE gaps between posts. We are going to try to update more often. Stay tuned for a post about what we are doing for SPRING BREAK WEEK!!
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