by Charles Amoh, Envision Chicago site associate
One “God moment” at Envision Chicago last summer was when the Holy Spirit got the attention of a young boy. It happened during a week-long children’s soccer camp we ran with the help of teenagers from three Chinese Alliance churches.
During the camp, the team members also taught the children life skills, basic math and reading skills, and most importantly, the stories of Jesus. In the middle of the week, during small-group time, one of the little boys stopped the conversation and asked, “So if I sin, do I have to go live with the devil?”
The group leader was a little shaken at first and didn’t know where this question came from because it was not part of the lesson. Then very calmly he told the student, “Yes, but if we believe in Jesus and what He did for us on the cross, then we will be able to live with God in heaven.”
The leader then told the children about what Jesus did for us. He told about how Jesus came from the Father to tell us how we can be saved from our sins and then He died to take away our sins. Three days later, He came back to life.
The whole group listened quietly as the leader finished telling the story of the gospel. Then, prompted by the Holy Spirit, the group leader asked the boy if he wanted to live with Jesus. The boy said “yes.” Then the leader asked the rest of the group if they wanted to live with Jesus, and they said “yes” too.
That day 11 children put their faith in Jesus. It was amazing to see the Lord of the harvest at work through the Envision teams. We celebrated together later that day, cheering and singing praise songs. I’m sure those cheers and praises were echoed 100 fold in the throne room of our Lord.
Since then, pastoral staff members of Envision Chicago’s partnering churches have followed up with all of these children. Many of them attend an after-school program at Family Empowerment Centers (Alliance).
Pray
Envision Chicago is a diverse, incarnational ministry strategically located in the inner city of Chicago. Pray that Charles Amoh and his wife, Ruth, can build their team for summer 2016 so they can serve their partner churches well. Go to weareenvision.com to learn more about group trips and available internships.