Seedlings

Well guys, my daughter planted a seed this past week. It started sprouting around the middle of the week. And Friday we witnessed the first bud. And today we witnessed the second bud.

My 10 year old daughter, Jess, invited an entire family of 3 kids to Vacation Bible School this week at our church. This is a family that we have asked to church several times in the past. Well, more like the kids did the inviting. My little Jordan, almost 8, is best friends with one of the little girls. Then Jackson is the same age as the other little girl. Then Jess is the about the same age as the boy. And me and the momma have the same name....funny, but anyhoo...

Jess decided that she wanted to try to invite them again, so she called them Tuesday afternoon. Later that evening the mom called me back to get all the info and asked if she could follow me the following morning. So, she did.

The kids had a blast, as usual. I am sure that there was close to 400 or more kids at this VBS. The theme was Viva Latin America. They spent a lot of their time in tents all over the campus that represented different countries. It was quite educational. They learned about different countries, my kiddos were in Mexico. They ate different Latin American cuisine, learned some great songs, even a Spanish song. They got to do tons of neat crafts, like this. All totally educational, as well as spiritual. Of course the leaders shared the gospel with the children throughout the week and Friday in the closing rally one of the pastors shared it again for everyone. Afterwards, he asked for the children who would like to know more about Jesus to follow their leaders to the front foyer where they had counselors ready to answer any questions they may have.

So, I was sitting in the back of the church and saw the boy that my daughter invited walk back to speak with the counselors. It was a very emotional moment for me for many reasons. For one, I could see my daughter trying to find me in the crowd as she was beaming with excitement. I could tell that she was very touched too. Then when the rally was over, the Mom came up to Jess and hugged her and thanked her for inviting them. She was also in tears. I think she may have seen her son walk back too, not sure though. But then she hugged me and said that this had been an amazing week for her kids. And that she was going to be at church on Sunday morning.

Saturday we had a big Kid Fiesta at the church to close the week out. We had gigantic jumpies, huge waterslides, a dunking booth, games, food, and tons more. She brought her kids to the Fiesta and stayed the whole time. She herself heard the gospel presentation twice, in 2 different ways.

So this morning, she once again followed us to church. We sat near the back with all of the kids, 3 of mine and 3 of hers. When the Pastor had finished preaching and gave an invitation, she walked forward and had invited Jesus into her heart right then and there. I sat back and tears just started rolling down my face. At that moment I got a new sister in Christ.

So now I have 2 prayers, one is that she will continue to come. We have a bunch of fun things coming up, which helps sometimes with getting to know other people at the church. After church was out she came with me to my Sunday School class, which is an all ladies class. But our church has a new believers class, Discovery class, that helps the new believer learn more. So, next week she wants to go to that class. I pray for her family as I know that they have had a pretty hard life these past few years. I pray for her husband who I think may come with her next week.

My second prayer is for my daughter. I am so proud of her and her boldness for the Lord. I pray that she continues to show Christ's love to others by inviting them to church. I pray that this becomes a habit for her, that she would never become nervous or scared about sharing her faith with others. That she would not have a fear of rejection, as I do. I pray that as she sees these seeds grow that she planted, that she will become stronger in her faith. And that it is not her that gets the credit, but the Lord because He is the One who bore our sins for us.

I took some great pictures yesterday at the Fiesta but I will post them sometime this week.
Can you believe that I just dropped my kids off again for another week of VBS at my aunt's church? They love to go, this is their 3rd week of VBS, 3 different churches. So another fun filled week ahead of us! Hope everyone has a great Sunday evening. I know I am, it is so quiet around here, not really sure how to act with nobody here but me. I should be doing something constructive I'm sure. Alright already, I am going!