3 Questions About Giving Every Parent Should Ask

This summer I was blessed to travel to Kenya to meet with some amazing men and women who are using AWANA clubs (www.awana.org) to disciple children to know Jesus and know His Word.

We visited six schools, each with 200+ students. My heart was drawn to the kids who praised God with smiling faces, even though many of them were orphans and had little or nothing of their own.

It was easy to be drawn to the kids. They were quick to jump onto my lap, to hug me, and to dance around, urging me to take their photos. But my attention also turned to the leaders, men and women who gave so much of themselves for the sake of these children.

I met pastors and their wives who lived in small houses and made beds for orphans in any available space.

I met teachers, many who taught without knowing if they’d receive an income that month. They had few books and materials, but their passion for learning was contagious. I met one school supervisor named Kennedy who oversaw one of the schools in the Kibera slums.

The school was neat and clean, especially in comparison to the conditions around it! It was a single room and four levels of students met in their respective levels in each of the corners. Most of the students had uniforms and all of them were polite, welcoming us visitors.

While meeting with us, Kennedy told us his story. He’d grown up in the slums but had managed to get out and attend high school and university. He’d graduated with a degree, but instead of finding a good job, he returned to the slums to help children. He hadn’t forgotten where he’d come from.

Over and over I heard the same thing from these dedicated adults, “God called me here. He called me to care for and teach these children.” These men and women are giving their lives for the sake of others, and their example is beautiful to me. They are beautiful to me.

The children I met knew the Word of God

…because someone took the time to teach them and train them.

The children I met loved Jesus

…because AWANA is doing what it can to reach children around the world.

The children I met are impacting their community. They are taking God’s Word to their families and friends who live in the slums. They are a light in a dark place with the help of men and women like you and me who support AWANA and the AWANA missionaries who reach communities around the world.

When I returned from Kenya my heart was forever changed, and I asked myself three questions…

Read the rest of this post on ForThe Family.org by clicking here.

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