I heard the commotion long before I spotted the source: a herd of Primary kids careening around the corner, a rattling miniature milk can in tow.
“We wanna give this to the travelers!” they blurted in chaotic unison. It took me a moment to gather my wits and understand what their excited outburst entailed.
I thought back to the children’s story I had shared a few weeks earlier. I’d recently returned from a service trip to South America, which included 5 days volunteering at On the Ground International (OTGI), a humanitarian aid organization founded and operated by Bethani King, a friend from my days as staff at Camp Wakonda. OTGI supports local efforts along the Colombia-Venezuela border to provide shelter, food, medical aid, and clothing to Venezuelan refugees.
In a departure from my normal children’s story theme of neat nature facts and fun science experiments, that demonstrate how cool and super-duper God is, I had told the church kiddos that I was very sad. I was sad to meet people who were walking with ripped backpacks, threadbare T-shirts, and sole-worn sandals. I was sad to see babies in umbrella strollers, pushed by their pre-teen siblings following the narrow shoulder of a winding mountain highway. I was sad, I explained, but I think God can use sadness for good. Because I feel sad, I want to help others who are hurting. So perhaps, once in a while, God asks us to be a little sad.
A rattle of coins broke me from my reverie.“We want to give this to the travelers!”“For the caminantes?” I clarified. “The walkers from Venezuela?”
Eyes shining, they nodded their heads eagerly. “It’s gotta be at least $30. Next time, it’s gonna be a HUNDRED!”
My heart melted, threatening to well up and spill over my cheeks. Bless these children’s sweet, pure hearts. They were absolutely delighted to pull off the top of that can and spill its contents onto the church carpet. And just like the loaves and fishes in the hands of a willing young boy, their gift multiplied and grew to nearly $200; enough to provide roadside meals for 200 caminantes, or 30 new pairs of shoes, or numerous other ways to provide help for hurting hearts.
Matthew 19:14 — Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Jessica Stotz, Member of Frederic Seventh-day Adventist Church
Link to today’s Camp Lamp: https://wi.adventist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-Camp-Lamp-Sunday-web.pdf