We stopped to check on Pastor Marcos this afternoon, to see how he was faring and were amazed to see their little church bursting with children! A lady from Cuba who now lives in Miami, had come back to Belize to help lead VBS in a couple of locations this week. She and another volunteer from her little church near Naples came to help her daughter and son-in-law do this wonderful ministry. They are doing children's ministry in one area in the mornings, grabbing some lunch and coming to another village in the afternoons. This was their second day and already they are getting a bit tired but were SO EXCITED about the children who were coming.
The morning group is having about 150 children while the afternoon group is about 75.
Most of these children are not involved in church at all so this is incredible.
She told me about a couple of children who wanted to come but had to help with chores. So they decided to get up at 4 AM in order to help with the chores so they could be ready to go to VBS by 8 AM. Young children hungry, hungry for the things of God!
Another story she told me was difficult to hear and such a blessing also as I realized the depths this family is going to in order to reach out to those who may otherwise be completely forgotten. They found out about 2 young boys who are locked in their house everyday while their parents work. They really wanted to come to VBS, so these burdened adults asked permission to keep the boys with them, all day, while the parents work. They reluctantly agreed because they thought the boys, (their own) were 'malo' - bad but this lady explained to the parents that they thought they were 'bueno' good boys. She relayed that they were so serious and somber, didn't smile and shied away when they tried to hug them --- but --- that they were there and were already warming up a bit and loving being active, making the crafts, hearing the Bible stories.
I think what moved me was more than the story -it was also the fact that this family is making such an incredible impact on these children. The son-in-law took a week off from work to be able to help do VBS with his wife and mother-in-law. She had such passion and conviction in her voice and obviously in her actions, her love for these children was so evident and so encouraging and so challenging all at once. Her love for them was so evident that it touched me deeply. Hearing her son-in -law explain about closing his business for a week to go and help. His wife's voice calling out and sometimes singing to the children as we visited. The fact that they were doing this without help from anyone, without funds beyond what they had in their pockets, without asking for help but just serving the Lord by serving these little ones.
I was so blessed and encouraged that waves of admiration, blessing and great gratitude kept washing over me as...
....I stood weeping - in joy over the little ones hearing about my Jesus!
Pray to the Lord of the Harvest for help in winning and keeping these young ones in the Lord's House!
Ray
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