MARS HILL MOMENT: Labor not in Vain

I taught Vacation Bible School at our church this summer. My group was very challenging, because it had 26 2nd through 5th graders. A third of the children spoke Spanish as their first language. One boy was autistic! Teaching the class was physically and emotionally exhausting.

Every morning, I arose early to pray for each child by name and review the day's lessons. I also pleaded that the Holy Spirit would help the Gospel message to get deep into the children's hearts. At the end of the week, I was discouraged because no one had made a commitment for Jesus. In fact, no one had even stayed to ask more questions.

During fellowship time one recent Sunday, all that discouragement was turned to joy. An older woman with long white hair hurried to embrace me, although we had never met. She asked, "Were you [my grandson's] Vacation Bible School teacher?" She mentioned the autistic boy. I asked her if there was something I could do to help her.

She said, "No, I've been looking for you, to tell you what happened. I asked him what he learned in VBS. He didn't mention games or songs, instead, he told me everything about Jesus. He started at creation, and ended at the resurrection." I began to get excited. Then she said, "He didn't end the story there; he said 'In heaven we will get new bodies that don't have diseases or wear out. Only Jesus will be different. He will wear the scars on his hands and his feet. They will remind us of the price he paid to cover our sins and get us to Heaven with him." Those had been my exact words to close Thursday's lesson!

I could barely stay in my own skin after hearing this Grandma's story. I grabbed my husband, jumping up and down and crying for joy! While I had thought the week lost, God had planted the Gospel message into the heart and mind of an eight-year-old evangelist. If this handicapped young boy had learned the message so thoroughly, I knew that God had answered my prayers for each of the precious children in my class. God promised that His Word will not return void -- and He was faithful to keep His promise at Vacation Bible School.