Missionary Child

To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, July 16.

By Andrew McChesney

O

ne Sabbath, 12-year-old Ariel heard a sermon that really made him think. The pastor said that everyone should be involved in missionary work. Ariel liked the idea of being a missionary, but what could a 12-year-old boy do?

Ariel began to pray. “Dear God,” he prayed, “what do I do now? Help me to be a real missionary for You.”

He began to look for people who might be interested in learning about Jesus. As he looked, he kept praying. “Dear God,” he prayed, “help me to be a real missionary for You.”

He did not have to look far. It so happened that one day he joined his parents and sister in visiting another family. While there, he saw that one of them, a 16-year-old girl named Irene, was interested in the Bible. He offered to give her Bible studies, and she agreed.

Ariel had never given Bible studies before, and he wasn’t really sure what to do. But he found a set of Bible lessons and studied them with Irene. It wasn’t easy, especially the last few lessons. But he prayed a lot. Irene looked forward to each new Bible lesson. When they finished the Bible lessons, Irene decided to give her life to Jesus. She was baptized.

Ariel was so happy! God was helping him to be a real missionary for Him.

“What do I do now?” he thought.

He remembered his prayer and decided to keep praying. “Dear God,” he prayed, “help me to be a real missionary for You.”

Ariel has found that he can be a real missionary in many ways. He studies the Sabbath School lesson every day so he can learn more about God. Whenever he earns some money, he always sets aside 10 percent to return to God as tithe, and he also gladly gives some of the money as an offering. In everything that Ariel does, he always wants to put God first. As a result, he has become a real missionary for God.

After Irene got baptized, her father also decided to give his heart to Jesus. Then her mother gave her heart to Jesus. The whole family ended up giving their hearts to Jesus. Even though Ariel is only 12, he has led an entire family to Jesus.

No one is ever too young to be a missionary, he says. We can all be real missionaries, sharing our love for God as we wait for Him to take us to heaven.

There is no Adventist church where Ariel lives. His family and others meet in one another’s homes on Sabbath. It was in one of the church member’s homes that Ariel heard the sermon that inspired him to become a real missionary. Ariel’s dream is for a church to open in his town one day.

Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help open a church in La Paz, near Ariel’s town. Thank you for planning a generous offering on September 24 so Ariel and his friends can have a church where they can gather and share the news that Jesus is coming soon.