This post is copied in its entirety from the Church of the Nazarene’s Engage Magazine, a new e-magazine about missions. This article was written by a 12-year-old boy named Cory Kucey, who lives in Canada. He gives 14 ideas for how kids can be involved in missions.
I love how the Bible says in 1 Timothy 4 (Msg.) “Don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young….be a good servant of Jesus.” This tells me that even though I am only 12 years old, I can be a good servant of Jesus! Like grown-ups, I, too, can serve Jesus in missions.
Here are some ways that kids like me can also be good servants for God with missions.
1. My favorite way of being a good servant of God is to go on mission trips that allow children to serve with adults. I went to Zambia, Africa with my parents and loved it! I got to interact with other children, including some my age, telling them about Jesus. In one church I was asked to do a devotional in a Youth Service which was awesome. When I was done I asked the children and teens if they wanted to follow Jesus. That’s what missionaries do.
2. Read mission books. If you can’t read really good you can listen to audio mission books.
3. Sponsor a child through child sponsorship. Learn to help others. I have a friend who has a paper route and she wants to use some of her money to sponsor a child in Africa. She wants to feed a hungry child as well as help them go to school. She is only 13. You can also save your allowance or give some of your birthday money to sponsor a child.
4. Give money to missions. Even if you don’t have a lot to give, every little bit counts. In one church I used to go to with my family we would collect dimes we found on the ground. We called them “Divine Dimes” because we felt that God gave them to us. We used these dimes to feed hungry children in parts of Africa where it took ten cents to feed one child for one day.
5. Ask your parents to invite missionaries to stay in your home when they come to visit your church. We have had missionaries from places like Madagascar and Uganda stay at our home. I love being able to talk with these missionaries and hear them tell me stories.
6. Ask your pastor if you can help on the local Nazarene Missions International Council. A few years ago I asked my pastor and the local NMI President if I could help and they said, “Yes.” My job was to help promote the World Evangelism Fund which I did by learning everything I could about how WEF helps our missionaries, then telling parts of what I learned to the congregation once a month in our service during our Children’s Corner.
7. Remember that missions isn’t always about going to another country. Look for ways to do missions with those who may live no farther than just outside your door. One of the ways I do this is by giving things like clothes to those who can’t afford to buy their own. I also help by joining youth mission teams in my area that travel to other towns. We tell people about Jesus through skits and Christian RAP music.
8. Learn a new language or skill that can be used on the mission field. When God told me that I was going to be a missionary I felt like he also told me to learn to play the guitar. When I was in Zambia I was able to play for the children. I am also taking French Immersion next year in school so that I can learn how to speak French better. I can’t wait.
9. Pray for missions and for missionaries. There is always room for lots of prayers for missions. One of the missionaries I used to pray for all the time was Evie Gardner from Africa. I had her name on the back of a cut out heart that said, “Have a Heart for Missions” so I wouldn’t forget to pray for her at bedtime.
10. Read the Bible every day. Good servants of God, even kids, need to read the Bible and do devotions. I read a devotional book every day called, “WWJD for Teens.”
11. Try to find a pen-pal from another culture. I have a new friend in Zambia that writes to me about his country and I get to write to him about what it is like to live in Canada. I get really excited when I get mail from him.
12. Find a grown-up who knows lots about missions. Maybe the local NMI President or Mission Call Co-ordinator. Ask how they think you might be able to help with missions. There are a lot of people who love missions and will be willing to tell you more about how to be a good servant of Jesus.
13. Look at Web sites that talk about missions and our missionaries. I think we have one for the Church of the Nazarene. www.nazarenemissions.org)
14. E-mail any missionaries you know and ask them how you can pray for them. Be sure to pray for what they tell you is important to them.
-- Cory Kucey, 12, lives in Auburn, Nova Scotia, Canada. God called him to be a missionary when he was 5. His hobbies include carpentry, running and learning to play the saxophone and guitar.
You can read the article here.
No comments:
Post a Comment