Little Lambs & Salvation Week
Last week was salvation week in Little Lambs. One hundred fifty-nine children prayed with their teacher to invite Jesus into their hearts. #g2G
Since I have been the Director of Lambs, these salvation week experiences have been the most humbling, exhilarating, challenging, and faith-forming weeks of my spiritual journey. But at the beginning, I didn’t think it would be that way. I didn’t realize the depth of the power of the Holy Spirit until I had to teach Bible as a very last minute substitute during my very first year.
I had struggled that year with all the negative comments that parents were saying about this week: “The kids are too little,” “They don’t understand,” “They can’t make this kind of commitment,” etc. So I rushed into that first class of four-and-a-half year olds and prayed, “Lord this is ALL you because I am not as prepared as I would like to be and I am not even 100% sure that I should be doing this with these kids.”
I felt skeptical (and a little hypocritical), yet I began to review the steps as I had directed the Bible teachers to do. Then I asked those four-and-a-half year olds if anyone would like to pray and invite Jesus into their hearts. One boy immediately jumped up and shouted, “I don’t have to do this this year, because I did it last year and I know that Jesus died for my sins and he only had to do that once and since I asked him into my heart, he is there FOREVER!”
Needless to say, I was amazed at the way God showed up.
As I am writing this, I am brought right back to the emotions of that moment, and I am overwhelmed with awe. God used that little one to teach me that no one is too little to understand. They may not comprehend the full depth of God’s love and sacrifice, but no matter our age, don’t we all have moments where we forget? Where we need to be reminded? This is one of the things I love best about Little Lambs. I love that these children remind me that I—even at my age—do not need to have everything figured out. I just need to trust that God does. Don’t we often make our salvation too complicated?
Seeing the simple trust and child-like faith demonstrated during this week is powerful. I really wish all members of ECRC could have this experience.
This week, even though it is my eighth year in this position, I am no less humbled that God has chosen Little Lambs to be the place where some children really meet and accept Jesus. I am not skeptical anymore. I am confident that God shows up and uses Lambs and works in these children’s hearts. I may never learn the full impact that this decision has on the children’s lives, but that doesn’t matter to me anymore. I didn't even know how impactful it was in my own daughter’s life until she wrote a college entrance essay about accepting Jesus in Little Lambs as the beginning of her walk with God. But God did, and he continued to help her grow in her journey with him.
My favorite moments from this year’s salvation week:
- The session coordinator who got down on her knees in each of the Bible rooms to pray for what was going to happen there that week.
- The Bible teacher who placed her hands over the cards she was signing to send to the parents, prayed over them, then looked up at me with tears streaming and said, “This week is so emotional. The Holy Spirit is so powerful and present in this place.”
- The little boy who after praying with his teacher told her, “My brothers need to know this!”
- The other boy who said, “I don’t have Jesus in my heart yet, but I need to do this TODAY!”
- The little girl who told her teacher, “I did this already with my mom!”
- The Bible teacher who was amazed that the ones she thought would pray with her did not, and the ones that she thought would never settle down enough to listen to her whole review were attentive and sincere in their prayer. “That was surely the work of the Holy Spirit.”
- The two new Bible volunteers that were confident going into the morning and afterward were humbled and felt it was a sweet privilege to be able to pray with these children.
- The fact that my small group women’s Bible study is studying The Armor of God (Priscilla Shirer), and I could visualize the shield of faith covering all of Lambs and extinguishing all of the flaming arrows Satan tried to send our way. God was preparing me for the spiritual warfare we usually feel during this week.
- That the prayers of the congregation and Lambs staff for the health of the Bible teachers and their families were answered. Every scheduled Bible teacher was there after the previous six to eight weeks where at least one to two were absent.
- The veteran Bible teacher who was ready to jump in as a substitute if needed.
This coming week is Grandparents and Adult Visitor Day in Little Lambs. It is also our Easter celebration. I can’t wait for our guests to see what the Holy Spirit has in store for the Little Lambs this week. I know that after just two short hours, they will leave feeling blessed.
Lynda
Lynda Clousing is the Director of Little Lambs: a christian preschool program experience for 3-6 year olds.
Each colorful envelope pictured above represents a child who accepted Jesus into their life.