“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.

It’s so Fulfilling to See What the Lord Does Through This Ministry

We had a chance to sit down and interview Bo and Julie Davis last spring and hear their testimonies. Their stories are consistent with what we are hearing from other churches. Julie shared, “We get to see so many kids start from first grade, and now they are in youth still serving. It is so neat to watch their growth. We have a first grader (our son) who is learning to spend time with the Lord daily, and he loves it. Both of our boys have given their lives to Christ through this ministry. Last year, our son Joshua gave his life to Christ on the mission trip during the Kids Blitz.”

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The Mission Trip Changed the Kids’ Lives in a Powerful Way!

We had a family in which the younger brother was asking questions about spiritual things/salvation. Mom was answering questions, but when it got to the point where the boy wanted to accept Christ, she invited her daughter in. Her daughter had attended the mission trip. She got her Bible and counseling card and led her brother to Christ!

Our 5th & 6th graders were praying the P.R.A.Y. prayer, and one of our gals (who went on the mission trip) has been changed. During the "Ask", she prayed that God would give her opportunities to share about Jesus with her friends at school that week.

The mission trip changed the kids in a powerful way, and we are STILL seeing the effects of it. We have a new crop, and we are excited to see our "newbies" learn and grow from our "experienced" L.I.T.s! (Brandi Melvin is the Children’s Minister at Southgate Baptist Church in Springfield, Missouri.)