It was busier than usual at our house. Mom and Dad were talking with people I did not know. They came and looked all over our front yard, taking measurements and talking about lights, speakers and a big tarp. I had no idea what was happening.
The next day, a truck arrived, and workers put up a large tent right in front of our house. It had pink and white material hanging from the roof. It looked like a wedding tent, but there were no flowers. I asked Mom and Dad what was going on. They told me we were going to have a very special program that weekend.
“What kind of program?” I asked.
“A program where we will learn more about Jesus,” Mom said with a big smile.
She reminded me of how Auntie had told us that Jesus changed her life and could change ours, too, if we believed in Him. We remembered the day we did a house cleansing—taking down all our old amulets and deciding to follow Jesus instead. Now we had two tents because so many people were coming. There would be a program just for the children with barang (foreign) teachers, and another teacher for the adults. Mom was so excited that she ran up and down the stairs, getting everything ready. Workers even came and built a brand-new bathroom and toilet with two big blue bins and a roof. I think it was for all the foreigners!
When the weekend finally came, people arrived early on Friday morning to cook lots of food. A teacher told me they were making enough for that day and the next because Saturday was the Sabbath.
Then the teachers arrived, and we all gathered under the tent to sing songs. One teacher told us a wonderful story about Jesus. She showed us a basket with five pieces of bread (numpang) and two fish (trey). We counted them together. Then she handed out paper bread and paper fish. I chose the fish! She explained how Jesus fed thousands of people with just that little bit. I loved that story so much.
We also learned about the sick man whose friends carried him to Jesus. We colored pictures of the story. We made beautiful fish crafts with colorful straws, learned new songs and made friends. The teachers were so kind—we laughed and played together the whole time.
After I finished my fish craft, I ran to find my shoes so I could tell Mommy all about what I had learned. That is when I saw Uncle with the gray hair praying with Grandma. My heart jumped with joy when I saw her sit up and join the meeting! This was the best weekend ever.
My favorite song talks about loving Jesus because He first loved me. I am going to teach it to all my friends. I am so happy Mommy and Daddy found Jesus. I want everyone to find Him just like we did.
As the Bible says in 1 John 4:19, “We love because he first loved us.” That is exactly how I feel. Jesus loved us first, even before we knew Him, and now our whole family wants to follow Him and tell others about Him.
If you do not know Jesus yet, I hope you will ask Him into your heart, too. He can change your life just like He changed ours. And if you already know Him, please pray for more children and families around the world to hear about Him—maybe even under a pink-and-white tent in someone’s front yard. Jesus is worth it!
