Sharing God’s love
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:4-5
In Colombia, the week before Easter is considered the most important celebration of the year. During this week many shops close and people travel to be with their families.
For several years now, a Compassion project in the community of Medellin has run special activities for children during Holy Week. Last year, the project staff organised an event in the city’s botanical gardens.
The day started bright and early as 50 Compassion-assisted children gathered at the project. Patricia, one of the staff prayed for the children, asking God to take care of them during the day. A scramble then ensued as they climbed aboard the buses that would take them to the gardens. There was great excitement to be going into the city.
The children began with warm up games before dividing into groups. Each group was given a Bible story to prepare and perform. The children loved acting these out and there was a lot of fun and laughter as they watched each other. Lunch was a special treat, a picnic in the gardens with burgers and fruit juice.
In the afternoon, the children had the opportunity to share God’s love with others. In small groups accompanied by an adult, the children start walking around the garden. They each shared their favourite Bible verse while giving out sweets. At first, many of the children were nervous, however as Sofía explains, “When the activity started, I was scared about the reaction of the woman I was going to talk with, but after I shared with her, I felt happy, because she already knew that God loves her. This event is good; I really liked having this time to learn more about God.”
The activities ended with some free time in the play park before traveling back home. The day not only brought the children closer to God, but allowed them to share God’s love with others.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for these children and their boldness in sharing your love with others. This Easter give us the same boldness to share your word with our friends and family. Amen.
