New Life

A hen was snuggled up against the wall in the indoor garden outside the dining room at the retreat center. As we were watching her, certainly surprised to see her there, a tiny brand new face peeked out from under her wing. She quickly tucked that new life back under the safety of her wing, wanting to protect it. How beautiful it was to see such a precious thing: the protected and the protector. Thursday was the last day of the first session of VBS. It was a rocking day, with all the children and staff familiar with the flow of things and the songs. Imagine all those little voices lifting up to Jehovah Jireh! Everywhere you looked, there were smiling faces, clapping hands, and loud voices. Then, Wilson took the lead and explained the gospel to all 170+ kids. He did it with passion, guiding the children through understanding sin, separation from God,  God's free gift of His Son,  acceptance, repentance and forgiveness. When he asked if anyone wanted to take this free gift, 48 kids came forward. Those children then received further instruction to make sure they really understood. When they were ready to pray, we bowed our heads and asked for forgiveness, ready to receive. The team of leaders got to pray over each child, thanking God for their new lives. Afterwards, we took their names, ages and where they lived, and Wilson is going to follow them by meeting with them for a few months to disciple them and get them planted in churches. Will you be like the mother hen with me? Will you help to protect these new lives by praying for them each day, knowing that God is our ultimate protector. What a beautiful thing we got to be a part of yesterday... New life in abundance! Amen!