I’ll never forget it.
It was 2009 and Carlie and I were in the middle of a two month stay at New Hope Children’s Home in Mongolia, long before I became WEGO’s director. We went for an afternoon walk together down the dusty roads of Gachuurt’s beautiful countryside and came across a tiny bodega tucked inside a small neighborhood. That little store offered my parched mouth the one thing it longed for the most, an extra-large Orange Fanta. I didn’t know it at the time but that simple soda purchase would transform how I viewed sacrifice and generosity.
As Carlie and I walked back to the home, I drank my fill and left just a few ounces of orange goodness swishing around the bottom of the bottle. We walked in the house and found a couple of the girls, Battsengel and Dolgoon, cleaning up the kitchen. I was feeling generous so I handed them my drink and offered my leftovers, unprepared for what would come next.
The girls set my bottle on the table and rushed to the cupboard. They pulled out a couple stacks of cups, one for each kid in the home. They poured out my drink evenly then set out delivering tiny servings of Orange Fanta all over the house.
I stood there in absolute shock. I fully expected the two young girls to fight over my drink with the victor chugging it down. That’s what I would have done. I never thought they’d share it.
In that moment, those girls became my teachers.
They didn’t preach a sermon or write a book. I don’t think they even quoted C.S. Lewis. Battsengel and Dolgoon simply acted out Love in real time. They showed me sacrifice and it made me want to live the same way.
I shared this story with two Vacation Bible Schools this summer. Two of our church partners, Westside Church in Omaha, NE and First Baptist Church of Merritt Island, FL, very graciously chose WEGO to be the focus of their VBS mission offering. I told the kids how they could teach adults a few things about giving, just like Battsengel and Dolgoon taught me. Once again, I wasn’t prepared for what would come next.
I know what you’re probably thinking, “Oh, that’s so cute, kids emptying their pink little piggy banks into an offering bucket. How precious!”
Let’s shatter that assumption:
The first week, 800 kids at Westside Church’s VBS (officially VBX!) raised $16,059.08!
The second week, 225 kids at FBCMI’s VBS raised $6,751.34!
That’s $22,810.42 from kids for kids. Incredible.
The beautiful part is these kids actually sacrificed for it. We’re talking yard sales, carwashes, lemonade stands, and house chores. One kid even donated tooth fairy money. (I was unable to confirm if the tooth fell out on its own or if it was forced out prematurely for quick cash.)
Here’s the thing about kids. We often think we are only investing in them for who they might be or what they might do one day in the future. But in doing so, we miss who they already are.
Yeah, kids are smaller than us and still learning. They shouldn’t operate machinery. Don’t put one in charge of your family’s finances. I wouldn’t even trust one with your iPhone password unless you want your camera roll flooded with selfies. There is a lot that kids can’t do (or at least shouldn’t) but don’t miss out on what they can.
We’ve seen kids share the gospel with strangers without prompting.
We’ve seen kids stand up for Jesus in the face of government persecution.
We’ve seen kids with dirt floors and tin roofs raise money for missions in other countries.
We just saw kids raise almost 10% of our annual budget in two weeks.
If you let them, kids can be a force.
They can show you how to hold earthly treasures lightly in your hands.
They can teach you the power of making friends and having fun.
They can show you the heart of God and I bet, if you need it, they can show you how to change your phone password, too.
Kids can be some of our greatest teachers. Don’t look down on them – let them lead.