Backyard Bible Club

Last night was the last of three nights of our church plant's Backyard Bible Club. Our theme was Lava Lava Island. We had a great time with the kids, 10 children the first night, 12 the second, and 17 last night. I was in charge of treats, and my 14-year-old daughter Christina helped me.

A highlight of last night was listening to the Bible story of Jesus' death and resurrection, and how he had died and rose again to save us from our sins. Each of the children had a cloth tied to their wrist with the next day's date on it. The teacher explained that this was the day they would have to pay for their sins, and we all deserved to die for the sins we've committed in our lives. She explained how Jesus took our place on the cross, and after her story, we took each of the children to a small wooden cross with a bowl of water (and red food coloring) as a symbol of Jesus' blood. One by one, the children removed their cloths, and dipped them in the water. As they watched, the date of their condemnation vanished as they soaked their cloth in the liquid! Then, we wrung out each cloth, and hung it on the cross as a reminder of how Jesus removes our sin.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the hearing of the Word, 6 (or possibly 7) children prayed to receive Jesus as their Savior. I was personally touched, not only by seeing these new lives committed to Jesus, but as my daughter explained the story of Jesus as our Savior again to a little girl who had grown up around idols, and without parents in her home (she lives with an uncle and grandparents.) Our snack was a lifesaver, made of 1/2 bagel, spread with white frosting, and tied with a licorice rope and 4 fruit roll up strips place on it. When finished, this snack resembled a life saver, like one you'd toss off a boat to save someone, or in a swimming pool.

Christina patiently explained how Jesus is our Savior, reminding the girl of the story. It was thrilling for me to see how my daughter, who is sometimes a challenge during these turbulent teen years, had so clearly understood the story of Jesus and applied that to her own life, and now was imparting it to this younger girl. Of course, I knew that Jesus was a big part of Christina's life, although, like me, her actions do not always reflect the faith she has. So this was a special moment.

Now, we need to keep in touch with these children--many of them live in the neighborhood of the pastor and his wife. We will pray for growth and understanding and peace--the kind only Jesus can give.

And I will pray for that for my own life as well.

Till next time,


Suzi