“My Journey with L.I.T.”

By Richard Cervantes

My journey with L.I.T. began nine years ago when I was in third grade. I was first introduced to the Gospel at an after school club called “Good News Club.” A sixth grade L.I.T. named Carilyn led ME to Christ one afternoon after a Gospel presentation and presented me with my very own Bible. I was so excited and wanted to know more about who Jesus was and what the “Christian” thing was all about. Inside the Bible was a sticker inviting my family to church, so me being an intrigued and curious third grader, I begged my parents to take me to church. From there, we began attending church on a regular basis and becoming involved in weeknight activities. One of those activities was the L.I.T. program. I went through the program and even went on my first mission trip! I learned so much about God and what a relationship with Him looked like. I also grew a heart for service. My L.I.T. group was always volunteering in and outside the church. My church also had Tech as a ministry team where we learned how to run a sound and light board. This gave me so many opportunities to serve in church and in ministry.

It was the service opportunities and teaching about spiritual gifts that prepared me for a life of service. When I moved on to middle school, I wanted to come back and serve in children’s ministry. I began teaching in ministry groups and leading a group of Nehemiah Kids. I went on the L.I.T. Mission Trips and began to serve with the CSALT and helped run worship services. From there I began taking pictures and running the technology side of the mission trip. Now, nine years later entering my senior year of high school, I am the L.I.T. Assistant Missions Director. Without the guidance of faithful leaders who invested time and effort into making sure we had fun and learned on Wednesday nights, I wouldn’t be where I am now. I am so excited for this summer’s mission trips and being able to invest in the youth on the trips through the CSALT and Support Staff programs. This summer is going to be a blast, and I can’t wait to see what the Lord does through our students and leadership. See you all soon!

International Report

“The L.I.T. Mission Trip was life-changing for me.”

“I went on the L.I.T. Mission Trip in 2017 at Cedar Hill with Crossroads Church, and I just wanted to say thank you. I can't go on the next one, but the last one was life-changing. It's something I'll never forget. Learning about how kids in other countries were praying for us was...amazing! I remember when there were papers with the names of other countries that we would put our hands on and pray for...another guy actually prayed for me, and I prayed for him, which is kind of unheard of (haha). On one day, there were birds at Wilson Crossing, our site, and they were just cawing on and on and on...I prayed—rebuked Satan—told him he had no right to interrupt our Bible study, and they stopped. I am never going to forget that, and just the mission trip in general. Thank you.” (Kassidy (5^th grade), Crossroads Church)

“This Discipleship Pathway…Has Become a Great Blessing to Me”

“I have been using Nehemiah Kids and Leaders In Training for the past 7 years. This discipleship pathway for children has been a great blessing to me, my family, and our church. I am now seeing students who have graduated from the kids’ ministry who are now discipling children in the ministry. We are also seeing older students discipling other students—friends who they led to the Lord. Currently, our 6th grade L.I.T.s are leading our Wednesday night kids’ program each week, doing everything from planning to teaching. I am deeply grateful that God has used the influence of L.I.T. to sharpen my understanding of discipleship and shape my ministry philosophy.” Jamie Brown, Macedonia Baptist Church, Springfield, Missouri

 When Children Pray, Whole Families Are Changed

Alexus and Valeria are two children who came to know Christ through Vine and Branches  Ministries in Piedras Negras, Mexico. After coming to know the Lord, Valeria became very burdened for her parents and would pray intently for them to come to know Christ and go to church as a family. On the first day of starting L.I.T., Valeria was helping greet at the door. When her father and mother arrived, it was their daughter who welcomed them and shook their hands. Her father had been especially busy with work and other projects; however, when he saw his little girl greeting him, he became convicted that he had not been living the life he should be living or being an example to his family. Shortly afterwards. he and his wife gave their lives to Christ. Because of the prayers of a child, the whole family knows Christ today.