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.”

Printable copy of Newsletter

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.)

L.I.T. Changed Our Family by Holly Elkins 

I've been a Christian for many years and have done many Bible studies, but no study has been as life-changing as the L.I.T. curriculum! I learned more in teaching the first year L.I.T. curriculum than I had most of my life. L.I.T. taught me who I am in Christ, how to know Him intimately, how to fight spiritual warfare, and how to live my life for Him in surrender.

As I studied and taught, God began to show me truths I had never been taught before. Nobody had ever discipled me after I'd initially prayed to ask Jesus in my heart. No one told me, "Hold on, it's going to be a bumpy ride because now you have an adversary that wants to kill, steal, and destroy you." But this curriculum did. I realized I'd been listening to Satan spew lies at me and tricking me into thinking it was God condemning me all of my Christian life. I lived in that condemnation. I truly believe this is how most Christians live. How sad is that? It's impossible to fight and live victoriously if you don't know there's a war waged against you and you have weapons to fight with.

L.I.T. taught me I'm made righteous by the blood of Jesus through Scripture reading and memorization. I began to see the world differently and began to fall deeply and madly in love with Jesus. My worldview completely flipped upside down as I began to see Truth and Life in the Word of God Most High and that His will for my life is to love Him and love others. It's truly that simple.

“God Moved in Many Ways”

This past summer, we saw the Lord move in so many different ways. It can only be described as amazing! There were numerous prayers answered, and the Lord moved in and through the lives of the L.I.T.s on the mission trips. Marc Faulkenbery shared that there were so many distractions going on at their site in Cedar Hill, Texas; however, it was still amazing to watch the kids turn to prayer. One day, a flock of birds landed near where they were having Bible study. They were so loud that the kids could not hear the Bible study. Marc explained, “I saw Cassidy walk over towards the tree where the birds were. She bowed her head to pray, and immediately the birds were silent. It was amazing to watch!” One day during the trip, an adult leader came to me (Clint) in tears and confessed, “You were right. I have been a helicopter leader. I have been overprotective of the children in my church, but God has proven me otherwise. I have restricted them from being used by God.”