• Celestine’s Gift
Celestine’s Christmas Gift
At the Indonesian Church Thanksgiving Retreat we had the joy of ministering to a small group of 14-20 children ranging in age from 4 to 13. These are basically the leaders kids, the core group from the church. Our team brought a thirteen-hour program that included lessons on the Beatitudes, a serial missionary story on Amy Carmichael’s ministry in India, great new music along with learning the Beatitudes as memory work. On the last session we gave an invitation for the children to be willing that God might use them as Missionaries. If they were seriously willing to obey God with their lives, they were challenged to make a stand. All fourteen stood, then our team of four individually prayed for each child. It was powerful.
In the back of the room was one parent, who was like a chaperone. She witnessed this invitation, and her own daughter responded with the others. It was a very happy time, but we closed our meeting with that last session, packed up and went home.
Two weeks later…
I returned to this same Indonesian Church. I was the featured speaker, before the annual Children’s Christmas Program, which had in it all the same children performing. I arrived at the church and I was greeted by Celestine, who told me that she got permission to raise some money for my ministry to children in India. She proudly handed me an envelope with cash in it. I thanked her and continued getting ready to speak. There must be more to this story.
Then her mother found me, the same mother in the last session. She proceeded to thank for praying for her daughter. She told me that Celestine had changed and wants to serve God as a missionary. Then she told me how Celestine wanted to collect money for my ministry among the needy children in India. She was encouraged to get permission from the Pastor, who thought it was a good idea. So Celestine started talking to kids and family friends and solicited their help to raise money for the kids of India. Wow, this was totally unexpected, nothing at all what I encouraged the children to do. But God was working.
So when I got home I opened the envelope and discovered there was $62.00. The needs in India are so great and this gift could just disappear in an instant. So I began praying that gift would multiply and have some significance. So I going to establish a Matching Fund and see how God would multiply this “seed money” for Indian Kids.
This last week we began making the arrangements to launch our Resource Centers in India. These Resource Centers will be like a Lending Library where gospel-outreach materials that will be kept for children’s workers to barrow to use and then return them for others to use. This will be our answer to helping local ministries who suffer from an abysmal lack of gospel resources to minister to the children.
It is now our plan, initially, to outfit Six Resource Centers that will cost over $6,000 to establish or a minimum of $1,000 per Center. Further, it is our plan then to go to India and train those who might use these resources and establish these Resource Centers. The best time to go is during their summer, which is April and May. This is the same time that many Indian Church’s conduct Vacation Bible Schools. So we could travel about the country conducting V.B.S. Rallies and training leaders as we establish these Centers with resources.
…And it ALL STARTED with Celestine’s Christmas Gift of $62.00. Would you like to help make this happen? Your prayers are surely needed. Maybe you would like to help multiply Celestine’s gift? We have had the vision for some time, but we now feel that 2011 is time for these Centers to happen. Pray of us, we are making plans now.
2 Responses to “• Celestine’s Gift”
April 18th, 2011 at 10:57 pm
Thank you so much for giving my daughter, Celestine, the opportunity to love & to serve God more further in the future. She loves to roll over her time & life for serving God more & more. You have given her God’s way to do what is accordingly to God’s will. May the Lord bless you all. Celestine start collecting money again & books to give you as soon as she will see you.
April 19th, 2011 at 3:21 am
Lany, You are very welcome. it is so special to watch Celestine serve the Lord. She is such an encouragement to us. Thanks for encouraging her. What she is doing is really wonderful. Many will be encouraged by her missions projects. We have been praying that she will see who a little becomes a lot when God multiplies it. See you next Sunday! Barney
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