Childlike Faith

“And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.”

Mark 10:13-16

I have always had a special place in my heart for children. This was one thing I was super excited for on the Race. I couldn’t wait to work with the kids and hold some babies.

We have been here for nearly a month and a half, and a majority of that time has been ministry in four different villages. In each village my team helps teach kids ages 4 to 14 English and bible stories. We also get to act out the stories and dance and play games with the kids. It has been so much fun. The kids are so cute and sweet and super smart, but they are constantly blowing my mind. These kids can memorize a bible verse in fifteen minutes. They can learn simple English words so quickly. I love these kids so much.

One thing that I am in awe of every single time is when we start the song portion of our classes. We always do some fun ones, but there are also always one or two worship songs.

Listening to 40-60 Khmer children singing praises to our Heavenly Father can easily bring tears to my eyes. They sing with so much passion, and the best part is that the worship songs are their favorite to sing. It definitely is my favorite part of this ministry.

Another aspect of our ministry is house visits where we have some bible study, worship sessions, and prayer time. In these visits there are 5 year old children praying for wisdom and asking us to pray for wisdom for them. Each time this happens, my mind is put into perspective. I am 18 years old, and when was the last time I prayed for wisdom? Yet these little 5 year olds pray for it constantly.

Being here and watching these kids really puts things into perspective about what it really means to have a childlike faith. I want to love the Father as passionately as these children do. I want to be so excited to go and learn more about God and to sing Him praises. I want to be so eager and desperate for the Lord that I can memorize a verse in 15 minutes. I want to have a faith like the children in the villages of Cambodia.

For Christmas this year, our hosts, along with my team, really want to bless the kids. We will be putting together boxes which will include: a public school uniform, notebooks, shoes, bag, bible coloring books, colored pencils, pens, hygiene products, noodles and some treats. Each box costs $30, and we are aiming to make 300. If you would like to donate, you can venmo me @Ali-Goolsby. All donations will go directly to the boxes.

With mounds of love,

Ali Goolsby