Happy Day II

Our club at the Salvation Army yesterday morning went marvelously. It's amazing to see how much the kids respond to Chris, especially the little boys. Chris was able to counsel three boys (aged 10-12) to salvation and before we left, each of them came up to thank Chris and give him a hug. It was the sweetest thing! I counseled several children, and one little girl named Tauryn prayed to receive Christ. Yay!

After our club, we met a fellow CEF-er at the Boston Commons for a picnic lunch. He was working at several CEF camps up in Maine and New Hampshire, and he decided to come through Boston on his way back home to Missouri. It was a perfectly gorgeous day, and we spent the afternoon leisurely walking through the commons and the Public Gardens. As a major fan of "Make Way for Ducklings," it was thrilling to actually be able to ride a Swan Boat in the Public Gardens and see the island where the Mallard family made their home. :-) We also popped into the Old Granary Burial Ground and saw the graves of John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, and the victims of the Boston Massacre. I feel so spoiled by all of the historical sightseeing that we've been able to do in between ministry. How fun! Downtown Boston is a perfectly charming place to visit.

My day was going splendidly, but I didn't know that it was going to get even better. We drove straight from the Boston Commons to our afternoon clubs. The first club got started a little late, but it went well and the children were a pleasure to teach. Then we headed over to do our second club. Unfortunately, many of the kids who attended the club on Monday were participating in a basketball tournament, so we had to move our club to a different location within the housing development, and not many kids came. I was feeling frustrated while teaching the Bible lesson because it was obvious that the two boys who agreed to listen were just waiting for the opportune moment to make their escape. It was difficult to keep their attention and I found myself thinking, "What is the point of pushing this?"

As I was explaining the Person and work of Christ, the basketball game ended and a few more kids joined the bunch - including the foul-mouthed boy (named Heraldo) from Monday. God had answered my prayer that he would come back to club! He listened intently to what I was saying, and even when other kids tried to distract him away from the club, he said, "No, I'm staying here and listening." Before I knew it, nearly all of the kids had left the club, and it was me, Heraldo and one other girl. Both of them responded to the invitation, so I went into counseling right there on the spot. When I asked Heraldo questions, he gave me the most concise answers that any kid has given me during counseling. It was apparent that he fully understood every aspect of the Gospel message. When I asked if he had believed in Jesus before, he replied, "Well, I don't think so, and I only go to church once in a blue moon." That totally amazed me as well - he knew all of these things and didn't even receive regular teaching in a church setting. It was also amazing that he readily confessed that he hadn't believed in Jesus. Heraldo decided to pray and receive Christ yesterday afternoon. It was the most sincere, obvious "conversion" that I have witnessed thus far. I've been told that often you can tell by looking in a child's eyes: Heraldo's entire countenance changed!

As we talked about assurance and how he could grow in Christ, Heraldo told me that he had read an entire children's Bible and part of the Old Testament. He was so eager to get a Wonder Devotional Book that he ignored his friends and followed us to the car to get one. Then he said, "Are you really only here until Friday? Is anybody going to come next week?" Sadly, we told him that Friday is our last day of club, but maybe we would be back next year. "Aw, that's too bad," he said. "I think club is fun." And he hadn't even been to one full club hour yet!

We rejoiced all the way home. I'm still overwhelmed at how God answered prayer for Heraldo. the Verse of the Day on Biblegateway.com for June 9th was Ephesians 3:20: [God] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work in us. For me, asking God to bring Heraldo back to club and allow him to be saved was something that was beyond my imagination. I hoped it would happen, but it felt like a "way out" kind of request. Now I see that God IS able to do more than I ask or imagine!

Please keep Heraldo in your prayers. He has a lot of potential if he could somehow receive long-term follow-up or discipleship. I'm going to try to get his address today so that maybe we can find a church that he could attend (he said that he had trouble finding an English speaking church, because he doesn't understand Spanish very well). Just pray that he will be able to grow in Christ and to be a strong follower of Him.

Praise the Lord for continued safe travel in and around the city. We're also grateful that Tamara felt well enough to teach the Bible lesson this morning at the Salvation Army club and that we are continuing to work so well together as a team. Pray for energy for both of us as we finish out the clubs this week and that we would be sensitive to what God would have us to say to the children. I've so enjoyed teaching the clubs this week, and it's going to be hard to say "goodbye" to the children on Friday.

Thank you so much for your prayers and for taking the time to read my updates! It means so much to me.