We Give God all the Glory!
Last year, as I, Su, was about to end my eight-year career and start anew, I put two things on my bucket list. 1. Strive to work on church ministry and evangelism to local people 2. Start a children's ministry.
Philippians 2:13
13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. And God who works in me has begun to will and work in me for His good pleasure.
The children in our church were 1, 3, 5, and 7 years old, and that was the age when four of our children started to memorize the Word. When the summer heat and the children’s vacation began, we invited our neighbors to join us and turned our backyard into a classroom. We bought a canopy to protect ourselves from the scorching sun, prepared a mist fan to cool the hot summer air, and picked up a low platform out of wooden planks that someone had discarded on the side of the road. Flowers were planted and chairs were spread out for the children as the classroom of our dream was born.
I was so excited to sing and dance with the children and teach the Word of God here. So I would stare at the classroom in the backyard for a long time, moving things around, and thinking about how much I couldn't write all the teaching lessons down on the board, for there was so much to teach. Seven families had signed up for a 2-month Vacation Bible School. As we were busy preparing for the first day of class, we received a phone call. "Hello, Su! I evangelized to three children in Compton. They are siblings in elementary, middle, and high school. I would like to send them to your church. Is there a children's program? And they need a ride. Can you help me?" I was lost for words at God's amazing timing!
And I said: "Yes! We have a children's program today in our house. So, on the first day of Vacation Bible School, three brothers and sisters who didn't attend church participated and heard the gospel. Due to other schedules, the siblings were only able to participate for two weeks, but we were all amazed at how wonderful our God was when we simply obeyed God. If I hadn't started the Vacation Bible Study, if I hadn't had a children's program, would I have had the opportunity to share the gospel with those three siblings? I praised God for opening the way for me to preach the gospel to children who have never been to church. Also, during the 2 months of Vacation Bible School, ages 3 to 14 all memorized more than 15 verses and studied John 12 through 20, Greek words, contexts, and related verses.
The children look forward to Vacation Bible School and ask their parents, "Are we going to Bible study tomorrow?" and in the morning, they ask again and again, "Are we going to Bible study today?" On the last day of the Bible study, the mother of a three-year-old child said, "My son is studying the Bible and he will be a teacher of God’s Word when he grows up!" Standing on the small wooden platform, teaching the Word until my back was wet, singing and acting to keep the children focused, trying to do different things, and praying in my heart when I was sweaty and tired, I said, "Lord, I am preparing to come down from the stage one day. But you have to put up the next runner when I come down." I am grateful to God for answering my prayers, which only He knew as He answered with the testimony from a parent. Under the Children's Summer Bible Study umbrella, the dream classroom was filled with stories of children who mimicked the rhythms they learned by humming the Word of God and singing Bible verses in front of their parents throughout the summer.
I want to thank our supporters and God for praying and supporting L.A. One Church so that our precious dream can come true.
Matthew 6:19-21
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
I am happy to be able to store up treasures with our supporters in heaven that no one can take away from us, treasures that will not disappear. Our hearts are in heaven, where the souls of children, precious treasures, will also be. I pray that God's peace will be with your family.
Always in Jesus Christ,
Pastor Chan & Pastor’s Wife Su
LA One Church
