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A Change of Heart
Chemgay counted the days until she could go back to children’s church. To the young girl in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, the stories and songs she heard were wonderful. She had never heard of Jesus, but since her first visit to children’s church she kept wanting to know more.
Six years ago no children’s churches existed in Mongolia. When Christian workers were allowed inside the country, they set out to teach boys and girls that Jesus loved them. The children loved the dramas, songs, object lessons,and balloons the teachers used. Soon 150 children were attending children’s church regularly.
The next year, missionaries held a children’s crusade. They dressed as clowns and went to neighborhoods filled with gers. (A ger is a round tent used as a home by Mongolian families.) The children were fascinated. In the past, clowns in the circus had always performed only for adults. But these clowns were interested in children!
Soon workers were holding two children’s services—one for hearing children and one for deaf children. Mongolia’s bitter wintertime temperatures and a lack of medicine have caused many children in Mongolia to lose their hearing.
Chemgay was among those who came faithfully to children’s church. Soon she asked Jesus to be her Savior.
Later the teachers learned that Chemgay’s mother was unhappy about her daughter’s interest in children’s church. They went to visit Chemgay and talked to her family.
But Chemgay’s mother met them at the door. She looked upset.“Go away,” she told them. “I do not want my daughter to go to a Christian church. I am Buddhist. Take your foreign religion and leave Mongolia! I have told Chemgay she cannot go to your church anymore, but every Sunday she attends. I do not understand why your church is so important to her.”The teachers told Chemgay’s mother that they cared about Chemgay and that Jesus cared about her too. As they talked, Chemgay’s mother calmed down. After a few minutes, she said, “I am not ready to receive Jesus, but Chemgay may go to church. I will not stop her.”
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Many children in Mongolia are like Chemgay. They know only the teachings of Buddhism and Communism, but they are eager to hear about Christ. Through them God is reaching the adults of Mongolia.The boys and girls in America are helping to reach the children in Mongolia by giving to BGMC. BGMC has provided Bibles, Sunday School materials, children’s church materials, puppets, clown costumes, and lots more to the new churches in Mongolia so they can tell children like Chemgay about Jesus. Thank you, boys and girls, for caring for people all around the world so that others will have a chance to know Jesus.
Information for this story was supplied by Assemblies of God missionaries and is used with permission from Assemblies of God World Missions.
©2002 The General Council of the Assemblies of God. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce and adapt lesson components for exclusive use in the local church. Any other use requires written permission. |
