I am currently back at our GOD campus in Uganda after traveling from Kenya. There has been many opportunities and times of service this week that have made an eternal impact on the community and myself. There is one that stands out to me: teaching at St. John’s school in Uganda.
I had the privilege of teaching the kindergarten class twice this summer. It is a school a few minutes down the road from the GOD campus that teaches many children from kindergarten level to high school level. This morning, we walked over, greeted the staff and students, and began teaching our classes.
Ann, Ethan, Lydia, and I played games, sang songs, and taught a Bible lesson on Matthew 19:14 to the kindergarten class. Matthew 19:14 reads, “But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’”
The children in this class had bright smiles and lots of energy. While I felt excited to teach them and happy to see their sweet faces… I felt heavy seeing their tattered uniforms, heavy eyelids, swollen tummies, and classroom with dirt floors. In that moment I could easily lose hope or make it about myself or how I felt.
In that moment, the Lord reminded me that I am there to uplift them and tell them the truth that they are seen and loved by their Heavenly Father. Instead of sitting in my own emotion, I pressed into the Lord.
We taught the lesson with energy and joy. We taught the children that God sees their faith, hears their prayers, and wants them now as they are. We taught them that they don’t have to wait to be an adult to be a light.
I asked them to put their fists into the air and shout, “I am the light!”. They chanted super loudly over and over. That was a powerful moment. Uplifting and encouraging these young children with God’s word is what leads to change in their lives and communities. Even at a young age, they need that encouragement and I believe that the Lord made an eternal impact through us today.