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In summer this year, in one of the most restricted Muslim-background areas in Northwest China, OD partner Jiang* and his wife organized a discipleship camp for 26 children. Every morning, they began the day with worship, Bible meditation, and prayer. Xiaojing*, a 12-year-old girl, was deeply touched by God, and wrote a letter to Him.
One morning, Jiang shared the story about Jesus healing a man born blind, “We need light to shine in our hearts to reveal and expose our sins; this is how we can return to Jesus, our God,” shared Jiang.
“He delights in us when we truly repent of our sins,” he also spoke about human sin, and emphasizing on what pleases God.
After sharing the message, Jiang and his wife invited each child to pray and confess. As Xiaojiang was confessing, tears welled from within her and streamed down her cheeks.
“Why are you crying?”
“Because I feel upset for sinning,” replied Xiaojing.
Afterwards, Jiang encouraged Xiaojing to write down her thoughts, and she wrote a letter to God titled: “I was touched that day.”
“I am a sinner, and I am saved by Christ Jesus.
12-year old girl's letter to God
“It was Thursday when our teacher taught us about the story of Jesus healing a man born blind. It was then I realized I am a sinner, and I felt deeply touched. When I prayed, I cried. We are saved by Christ Jesus; He died on the cross for our salvation.
“Thank You, Jesus Christ. We need to worship and praise You forever and ever. Thank You, Jesus Christ. We must praise Your name. God saves us from sins. It is God who saves us so we can become whiter than snow.
“I need to follow Jesus Christ for the rest of my life. Thank You, God.”
OD partner Yingfei* comments, “It moves my heart when I read this letter. It is very genuine and heartfelt. The handwriting reveals the pure heart of a child yearning for Christ. This also reminds me of the scripture from Matthew 18, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to Him a child, he put Him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’ May we all be like children again to look upon our God.”
Another summer camp in the same area
Apart from the discipleship training, another summer camp was organized for 13 young people and children at a different location. During the camp, the participants learned about God’s salvation for humankind. Yuwen*, the trainer, shared, “We used to teach this topic in bits and pieces. This time, it was wonderful to give the young participants a fuller picture about God’s salvation. It would be great if there were a version for adults, as they in our church could also deepen their understanding of the Bible and the mission.”
“My mother used to tell us many Bible stories, but we didn't think that we were just as blessed by God as Abraham and that we could bless those around us too. I also learned how to deal with people who are not kind to us; I learned to pray for my family, to help my dad know Jesus, and for my family to grow closer to God.” reflects Xiu*, one of the participants.
OD partner Hollace* also shared his takeaway from the camp, “All children's lives are closely tied to their parents. We used to see some children growing in their faith, but due their parents’ sluggishness, they are now no longer pursuing Christ. We need to focus on the follow-up activities after the camp, especially to help the parents live out a consistent lifestyle aligned with Biblical values, as they set examples for their children.”
*Names changed for security reasons.
