STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO:
One thing I love about Mexico is the community of believers and the oneness I see in the body of Christ. They truly know how to “be of one heart and mind” and serve one another in sincerity, all stemming from their love for God. I saw this displayed in our vacation Bible school as well. The jovenes (young people) pretty much make up the people in my church. Because of this, the jovenes are the ones teaching the Bible studies, leading worship, and are the hardest workers when it comes to events. A team of about 10 jovenes planned and ran the entire VBS, which included up to 40 kids on some days. It was hard work, but I think we all felt blessed to have served God’s smallest disciples.
My role within VBS was first to share a daily devotional and lead a prayer time for the teachers each morning before the kids arrived. Secondly, I worked with one particular girl who has autism and is partially deaf. This little girl stole my heart over the week I spent with her. Initially, Linda was often frustrated and was fearful in the new environment she was in. At times, she would hit me and try to run and knock things over. I prayed for patience and struggled to find things she would be able to, or even enjoy doing. By the end of the week, Linda started to enjoy riding the toy car, would help me sweep, and could even sit in a class for a few minutes. She even began motioning to me when she wanted me to pick her up and hug her, and gave me great smiles! It seemed that we had managed to form a genuine connection, and God gave me the gift of seeing these milestones come to pass in her. When VBS ended, I found myself missing Linda greatly. Even though she wasn’t able to memorize a verse or understand the Bible stories as the other kids did, I know she experienced God’s love in her own way through the love and patience of the children and teachers.
© 2013 Thrive.