Faith Like...

Every teacher knows that teaching has its ups and downs. Recently our kindergarten room had a couple of mountain-size 'ups'!

The first was the long-awaited arrival of 5 Chinese Bibles. My little class of 6 year olds has been persistently praying all semester for North Korea, and its president, Kim Jong Il. They have prayed for people to have opportunities to hear about Jesus, for food and clothing, for the safety and boldness of North Korean Christians, for those who have been unjustly jailed, and for President Kim Jong Il to be drawn to Jesus! They have tried to wrap their young minds around the fact that North Korea, and other countries, are not open to the Gospel. They can't even have Bibles! They have been perplexed, incensed, and insistent on doing something. ("Miss Lipp, why can't we go and take them some Bibles?" "We could send them in balloons and then the government wouldn't know!") We obviously could not send Bibles to North Korea, but Voice of the Martyrs provided us a way to mail some to China (North Korea's neighbor).

The excitement in our room was palpable when the kids walked in one day and saw 'the' box on my desk. Attention on all else was lost. We unwrapped, pored over, and even got a high school Chinese student to come in and translate for us. He read the titles of our New Testaments, some random pages of the Word picked out by the kids, and the names of the soon-to-be recipients. We repacked, addressed, sealed, and then each of the kids prayed over the Bibles--for their trip, safe arrival, and those who would be receiving them. They are convinced that the Chinese men and women who get the Bibles we've sent will help North Koreans know about Jesus. They know that North Korea is going to be changed, because they believe God hears and answers their prayers. I believe He does too--and that He is at work, because of their faith.

The second 'mountain top' event was this week's Bible lesson--on God's omniscience. Somehow our conversation veered to include God's omnipresence, and then to heaven, and to Satan being thrown into the Lake of Fire (these little ones are serious about battling him in spirit and in word). From there it continued to the New Earth. At one point, one of the girls let out a loud sigh and exclaimed, "I am SO excited for heaven! I wish it were now!" The rest chimed in agreement. I was convicted by their purity of longing--wanting to be with Jesus, to see justice served, and to experience shalom. And I was reminded of Jesus' teaching...that we must become like little children in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 18).

Oh to have simple faith like one of these...little children.