Her name was Kaitlin, and I fell in love the moment I saw her smile (minus a few teeth), dark eyes, and straggly brown bangs. She was one of quietest, shyest kids in our Summer Bible Club–and I so badly wanted her to know Jesus! But as she sat on the white plastic lawn chair inside the living room where we taught our club, Kaitlin was too shy to ask questions, too nervous to make eye contact, too quiet to answer my questions with more than a few words. (“What’s your favorite color? If you could be any animal, which one would it be?”) With just two days left in the club, I knew she might never hear the gospel again, as her parents wanted nothing to do with church–so I asked people to pray for Kaitlin. Why Kaitlin? She had a sister, she had friends–and I cared about teaching them too–but somehow, I knew I’d never be able to get her dimples and brown eyes out of my mind. The next day Kaitlin wasn’t at club at all, but the last day as my friend taught the Bible story, Kaitlin put up her hand to ask Jesus to take away her sin. I took Kaitlin and a few other kids (including her sister) into another room, and we sat down in a circle on the multicolored rug. I asked question after question, trying to make sure Kaitlin and her friends understood what they were doing–and Kaitlin answered each question correctly without hesitating. Her reasoning went something like this–
I can’t get into heaven because of my sin? I want to get into heaven–it ROCKS. Jesus, God’s Son, died for my sin, so I can go to heaven if I ask Him to take away my sin–that makes sense. I wanna do that… what? There’s more? Like, God wants to know ME? He wants to be my BFF (Best Friend Forever)? AWESOME! I want a Bible. No, seriously, you’re going to give me a Bible. I just won’t leave until you do.
In fact, she wouldn’t leave the room where she asked Jesus to take away her sin until I let her walk out holding MY Bible as collateral until we could get her one of her own! I hope she heard the rest of the Bible Club, but I don’t know, because she just sat there staring at the verses about salvation that I’d shown her, making me whisper them to her over and over, whispering to herself, “I get a Bible…”
My favorite part of this story is that Kaitlin couldn’t read yet–so if she was going to listen to her new Bible, her mom or dad would have to read it to her. I haven’t kept in touch with Kaitlin since that week last summer, but I left her in touch with a local pastor’s wife, who promised to take Kaitlin to church. Besides, I was right–I’ve never been able to get that dimply smile out of my mind–so I can’t help praying for Kaitlin.
Several weeks ago I nearly fell out of my chair at a work meeting as my coworker explained that God had burdened her to contact a children’s home to see if CEF can teach there this summer. My friend couldn’t help making eye contact with me–I was almost bouncing up and down and gasping like a fish out of water–the moment we made eye contact, I mouthed, “ME TOO!!” She scheduled a visit, we prayed and planned, and then we visited. This home is actually for children who still usually have parents or guardians, but who are not adequately provided for at home. These kids, ages 2-18, receive on-the-spot education, medical attention, love, and so much more! The director drove us over the extensive property, which looks more like a farm than anything else! We passed fishing areas, plumbers’ offices (!!!), riding trails, horse barn, archery field, clinic… the list goes on! The houses where the kids live (10 per house, with house parents) are elegant, comfortable, and fully-funded; the school was highly equipped; but my favourite part of the entire tour was sitting around a table on tall stools just outside the home’s bowling alley (!!!) and telling the director about CEF’s summer Bible clubs. As we finished our presentation, the director exclaimed, “A week before you contacted us, we decided we needed something exactly like this. And now here you are! Talk about timing!” Again, I nearly fell off my perch.
I can barely sit still as I think about all the things CEF has got planned for this summer. We’ll be teaching Five Day Bible Clubs (similar to VBS, but held in parks, homes, and fairs, for kids who probably never set foot in a church). Thinking of these clubs, I can’t help remembering God’s amazing work in Kaitlin’s heart last summer.
We’ll be teaching clubs like this to kids like Kaitlin all summer long, sometimes more than one club per day, but we won’t be doing it alone–before the clubs start, we’re spending two weeks in a camp-like setting, training local teenagers to teach children the Bible (this program is called “Christian Youth In Action,” or CYIA). Then we’ll take the teens into these Bible clubs, where we’ll coach them from the sidelines, and they’ll teach the kids.
This is why I’m in ministry; this is why I’m with CEF; this is why I teach kids–because of people like Kaitlin. And this summer, I can’t wait to meet more “Kaitlins,” and fall in love all over again.
