Page 52 - RiseUpWarrior

51 Chapter 22 fghting over who would take them to their tent. And so Dwight and I decided to leave the tents below and climb up top, and start working to STOP people The people who were running up top in the street rep- resented children. God pointed out to me that very few from running off the cliff. Since there are so few people people were helping the children and warning them of working in children’s ministry, it seemed important to the upcoming cliff that everyone was falling down. All us to focus on helping those who do. Our job was to the ministry was going on down at the bottom of the encourage and help those up top, and work to keep them cliff, helping those who had been hurt. But many actu- up there. ally died, and those deaths could have been prevented, You see, over the last 9 years that I have been a mission- not to mention preventing all of the pain. ary in Mexico, I have found that somewhere around 90% of the workers are not planning on staying in children’s The broken bones and bandages represented pain that people had gotten into before they knew Christ and ministry. They are there until they are given a better changed their life. There was the pain of divorce, the position at their church. I totally understand because I pain of robbing a store and going to prison, the pain of did it myself. I ended up serving in children’s ministry marrying wrong, and the pain of getting caught in vari- for 18 years, but I actually wasn’t planning on staying ous sins. There were many people in ministry helping there! I started there because it was a place to serve in these people with their problems, but very few people the church. I always assumed that I would move on to helping the children before they fell into it all. the women’s ministry, and then become a pastor’s wife. I was thrilled when we became missionaries, because The ministry down below was exciting because you I was higher up the Christian community ladder. But I might fnd someone who was on the brink of death, never imagined returning to children’s ministry. and you could administer CPR. In a matter of minutes, you saved someone’s life! The ambulance would arrive So that fateful day in the car, while we were on a road trip, Dwight and I felt God’s calling to children’s min- But many actually died, istry. It wasn’t just a calling, but we felt as though God showed us His reasoning. Someone had to get up on top and those deaths could of the cliff and warn people about the fall. It was better to stop people from falling than to repair the damage have been prevented, not down below. And so I hope that with this vision, God has opened to mention preventing your eyes to the calling of children’s ministry. It has nothing to do with actual “teaching”. It has to do with all of the pain. working with real souls BEFORE they fall into sins that will wreck their lives. with the sirens blazing and everyone would see what In children’s ministry, we need pastors, evangelists, you were doing as you loaded them up and headed to teachers, cooks, organizers, Facebook campaign man- your denomination’s tent. But up above, working with agers, sound techs, musicians, artists and MORE. Ev- children, when you stopped someone from falling off erything the body of Christ has, children’s ministry the cliff, there was no fanfare. There was no noise and needs. We are not only looking for teachers. We need no one saw anything amazing. There was just a person everyone’s help. We need people to open their eyes, and who quit running along with the crowd and stopped be- serve in the children’s ministry department for life. We fore they fell. will take the help from temporary workers because we are desperate for help. But we WANT adults that are And so Dwight and I felt as though our eyes were opened committed to children’s ministry, and are committed to to children’s ministry. It wasn’t ministry to children. It helping real souls, real humans, real people BEFORE was ministry to humans, whole spirits and souls. Chil- they fall off the cliff! dren’s ministry is actually stopping people from run- ning along with the crowds into inevitable disaster. The only thing small about children is their bodies and their wallets. They do not tithe to the church, and they look pretty short. But they are like sponges, taking in lots of information, and learning how to “run” in this life.