Making Music for Jesus

To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, June 19.

By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission

M

iguel didn’t feel like doing his homework.

When he come home from school shortly after 1:30 p.m., he reasoned to himself, “I have all afternoon and evening to do my math, science, and reading.”

First, he ate lunch. It was his favorite: spaghetti with red tomato sauce and vegetarian meatballs. He also liked the salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, and spinach.

After he ate, Mother reminded him about his homework. “Miguel, go and do your homework,” she said.

Miguel looked sad.

“Later, Mom,” he said.

He went to his room and pulled out his collection of plastic dinosaurs to stage a dinosaur fight. After growing bored of the fights, he turned on the television and watched cartoons. When the cartoons got boring, he grabbed Mother’s cellphone and watched YouTube videos on how to make dinosaurs out of clay.

Before he knew it, the sun was setting, and Mother was not pleased.

“Miguel, come here!” she cried. “You must do your homework!”

Miguel picked up his backpack and very slowly made his way to the dining room table. “I’m coming, I’m coming,” he said.

Mother sat with him while he did his homework. She wanted to make sure that he finished it.

The same story happened every day. Mother wasn’t sure what to do to make sure that Miguel did his homework.

One day Miguel learned about musical instruments at Vacation Bible School, and he announced to Mother that he wanted to learn to play Christian music on the violin. Mother found a young music teacher who had just graduated from Montemorelos University and asked him to teach Miguel to play the violin. But then she thought, “Why should only Miguel learn to play a musical instrument? All the children at church can learn to play — and so can their friends who don’t know anything about Jesus!”

Mother organized music classes for Miguel and the other children at church. The group of children started small but grew as children and parents heard about it. After a year, Miguel started playing the violin for special music in church. Other children saw him play and wanted to play like him. Soon forty-five children were coming to the church every Thursday and Friday to learn to play the violin, guitar, recorder, bells, flute, and piano.

Miguel loves to play the violin. Now when he comes home from school, he eats lunch and then immediately takes his dirty dishes to the kitchen and wipes the table clean. Mother does not have to remind him to do his homework. He wants to do it so he can play the violin. When his homework is completed, he goes to the living room and plays the violin. He loves to play from the church hymnal, especially the song, “I’d Rather Have Jesus.” If any time remains before bedtime, he plays with his dinosaurs.

Mother is surprised about how Miguel has changed. He no longer watches television or takes her cellphone to watch videos. He doesn’t want to play video games or spend time on the Internet. Why? He doesn’t have time. He has violin lessons on Thursdays and Fridays and needs lots of time to practice the violin.

Miguel doesn’t miss his old life.

“I don’t want to go through life wasting my time playing video games,” he said. “I want to serve the Lord.”

Miguel is a real missionary with his music. This quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help open a center to train other missionaries at Montemorelos University, not far from Miguel’s home, in Montemorelos, Mexico.