Of Such Is The Kingdom..

The day started scattered and hectic. It seemed as if nothing was going as planned. And then it suddenly came time for the 4:00 P.M. Bible study. As Mom and I jumped in the car to go, she asked me to pray. I felt discouraged, and didn't feel in the frame of mind to be going to help give a Bible study. But as  I prayed, a softness filled my heart again, and I somehow felt I would be blessed.

As we drove into the little neighborhood, we spotted the Bible worker, "Chris", parked on the side of the road, waiting for us. We jumped out, and walked with him to the house we'd been at just  the week before. Last week, we'd given the Daniel 2 Bible study to the 4 children, as the Mom was lying very sick with the flue on the sofa. Such precious children! We did hope for the Mother to be well today though, as we walked to the house, in the bright, cheery sunshine.

And so we knocked and waited.

The answer came that the Mother, nor children were home, but down the road at the neighbors house. "The house with the trampoline in the yard." (And there was more than one house with a trampoline in the yard) After finding the right house, we only found  two of the children, dripping wet from playing in the water! They didn't even know where their Mom was! So we asked them if they would like to study the Bible again, and they answered excitedly, "Yes!" And so as we walked to their house, along the way, we gathered 3 more of their playmates, who also wanted to hear the story of the three men who walked in a fiery furnace without being burned!

As we set up a place outside for the drippy kids to have the study, the meager furniture in the front yard, (coolers, turned over crates, and discarded broken chairs, as well as the filthy front steps) I couldn't help but smile, as I saw the eager faces around me! I saw "The least of These" in their little faces. All three of us pitched in to tell the story, and as the kids who were learning for the first time how to use a Bible, they were enjoying reading some of the texts! They were amazed at how those three men obeyed God, even to the point of possible death! They were totally convinced that God is with us everywhere, and we have nothing to fear when He is by our side, even though Satan tries to scare us.

One of the girls spoke up and asked, "when we do really bad things will God forgive us, or will He send us to Hell?"

1 John 4:9 immediately flashed into my mind, and so we turned there. And I explained to them that when we tell Jesus we are sorry, He will forgive us, and wash our dirty hearts and make them all clean! Joslyn beamed!

"So He will forgive us, and wash us clean" she said excitedly! "Yes He will!" I smiled.

Then it was time to go, and Joslyn volunteered to pray. Hugs followed.

And then... Joslyn asked for a Bible. As she said she didn't have one of her own.

Yes.

A Bible.

Then every last one of them chimed in...

 "and me too, me too!"

We promised to bring each of them their own Bible next Tuesday!

As I got in the car again, to make our homeward way, an unspeakable joy filled my heart! There's just nothing better than seeing little children excited about reading the Bible, and getting to knowing more about Jesus!

"But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence. " Matthew 19:14-15

"...and a little child shall lead them." Isaiah 11:6

Please pray, as it looks that if the mother doesn't respond next Tuesday, the Bible worker will leave this Bible study contact for us to take up on our own. What a wonderful thing could start.. as the group of kids gets bigger, it could be a challenge for just the two of us to handle their energy, but what an opportunity to teach these dear little ones about the God of Heaven!