Month of the child

April in Colombia is a month for celebrating children. Thank God for children! Thank God for the gifts they bring, for their questions and curiosity, for their faith and love. Just a few weeks ago we were talking with children’s ministry volunteers about how much we have to learn from children and the privilege it is to walk alongside of them on their life journey. I love to see the ways the Covenant in Colombia is engaging children, equipping children, and letting children lead.

A few weeks ago a group of Jr. Highers (and a few pre-adolescents) came over to our house to learn how to make chocolate chip cookies. This group is from the Jireh Covenant Church and they have spent a year together learning what it means to follow Jesus and be in community serving others. Many of them were not a part of the church, but came from the surrounding community and have felt embraced and accepted by their peers and leaders. They have been trying to raise money for a leadership retreat they are on this week. They are going to a town 5 hours away to work with a community there and lead in devotionals, worship, Bible teachings, ministry with children. The youth have become the leaders. So they all gathered around our dining room tables to make cookies that they then sold at church the next morning to help pay for their transportation to the retreat. Please pray for these youth and their adult leaders as they serve and learn together this week.

Learning how to measure

Everyone was enthusiastic and wanted to participate

 

The final product! Over 70 cookies

In the town of El Bagre, the Covenant church has been reaching out to the children in their community. Not only has a group come together to dream and plan about starting a foundation that would reach out to children, but the local church leaders have been trained and are now training children ages 10-15 in what it means to follow Jesus and be a peace-maker. In a town that is no stranger to violence, these children are being equipped to be agents of peace and reconciliation. Pray for this group and for their leaders as they begin this process together.

Becoming agents of peace

Here in Medellin, Thursday evening one of the local Covenant churches held a prayer vigil. In talking with the Pastor we volunteered to create a space for children to interact with the story of Holy Week. So with Julio’s help we transformed the children’s ministry rooms at the church into the Upper Room, the Garden of Getsemani, Golgotha, and the tomb. It was a special evening as we stepped back in time with the children. We sat around the table, we acted out the trial, we looked up at the cross and entered the empty tomb. How beautiful to hear their reflections as we read Scripture and prayed.

Visiting the tomb and finding the angel

The last supper

Sitting at the foot of the cross

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