STORIES ~ Japan
Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it.
~ Proverbs 22:6
Little boy S is only 11 years old, but God is already using his testimony at our church. His mother, who faithfully comes to church every Sunday, is his role model. Boy S also observes his mother intently during our Tuesday prayer fellowship and our cell group meetings. Her prayers are always vibrant and deeply grounded in the Word of God. All this has had a strong impact on this little boy, who wishes to follow in his mother’s footsteps.
Evangelism seems to come naturally to Boy S, as he takes our flyers to school and distributes them with a big smile to each of his friends. It was therefore not surprising that more than 100 children from his neighborhood attended our Christmas Program last year! This large turnout encouraged us to start a new ministry to preteens.
How we praise the Lord that sixteen children between grades 4 and 6 responded to our preteen invitation. The parents of three of the children gave them permission only to participate in games played outside the church building. Nevertheless, we still enjoyed a good time of playing basketball while getting to know our new friends. The other thirteen children joined us inside the church where we brought them a challenge from God's Word. For most of these children it was the first time that they had ever entered a church building or heard a Bible story. It was the first time that many of them met Boy S’s mother, who led the class in prayer to our Lord Jesus that day. A seed of faith was planted in their hearts; the building of a bridge to our Heavenly Father was begun!