One of my favorite parts of yesterday was interacting with the many children at the churches. When we arrived at the first church, children swarmed the car and then a group of them walked with us up to the church building. As we were listening to the worship, I noticed that kids were crowded around the church doors and windows, but some of the adults were telling them to leave; there were no seats left for the children to sit, and they give priority to the adults. I asked Theophile about this, as I was bothered that these children were being sent away from the church. Jesus’ words were playing over and over in my head; “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14). That children were being hindered from coming into the church seemed so wrong. As there were only five of us (Theophile, Frank, Ben, Denys, and I) sitting on a stage in front of the congregation, there was plenty of room for more people. Theophile had me start bringing the children, who were standing outside the church, up onto the stage. We ended up bringing almost fifty kids into the service by having them sit on stage with us. Ben and I even ended up with a couple children on our laps. What precious and beautiful children who were able to receive a glimpse of God’s truth and love as they listened to the worship and heard Frank preach.
“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me” (Mark 9:37).
-Alison