About 15 years ago I wrote an article about Rachel and her participation on five mission trips. In trip photos, Rachel was always smiling and serving alongside the other team members. She helped her mother cook meals for the team and entertained a young child whose parents were leading a Bible study for the villagers.…
Although my local church includes children in their annual mission emphasis events, two ladies and I prayed about an ongoing way to give the kids a strong global worldview. Out of those prayers came M&M kids club. Our church had Awana scheduled on Wednesday nights during the school year. When summer came, we started M&M…
When I was a little girl, my dad was invited to speak at a mission school graduation in Cuba, a place with a language we did not speak, guerilla fighting in the hills, and a strict code of where we could and could not go --no cameras aimed at the governor’s palace and a strict…
Naaman’s slave girl intrigues me. We do not know her name or exactly how old she was, but we do her situation (2 Kings 5). She was captured in a battle between Israel and Syria. Often these young captives were given backbreaking jobs in the fields, but for some reason, she was chosen by Naaman…
Sixteen years ago, right after two new baby girls were born into our family, my daughter’s mother-in-law (Ruth) initiated an idea that has become a tradition for the ladies and girls in our family. Every spring, we get together for a luncheon that is loosely inspired by the Jewish festival of Purim and the bold,…
Raising a child with a missional outlook can be a difficult task – a task that takes effort. When looking for “how-tos,” let’s not forget to look at the Bible itself. There we find the account of Timothy, a child who grew up with a definitive focus on missions. Timothy grew up in the town…
Our desire is to teach kids to have a serving heart both here at home and towards those living in faraway places. And although we can’t always reach out to those across the ocean, we can reach out to those down the street. And what a great place to start! A friend was telling me…
“I’ll show you, Alia.” I watched as four-year-old Molly kindly demonstrated what to do with a crayon. Meanwhile, the other children in my Sunday school class stared at the visitor, baffled that someone didn’t know how to color! But Molly was right there helping Alia learn a new skill. When the coloring was done, Molly…
We live in a chaotic world. We know it and, unfortunately, our children know it too. Yes, we can do our best to isolate them from what’s around us, but one look at a newspaper in the checkout line at the store, one overheard newscast, one neighbor kid relating something he saw on the Internet…
We know we’re to be kind to one another. We know we’re supposed to be tenderhearted. We know we are to forgive one another even as God has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32). And as we watch our sons and daughters interact with others, we truly desire that they’ll grow into those kind, tenderhearted people who…
