Ministering through Relationships
Over the course of this amazing summer, we have gone through many experiences, both good and bad, and it is difficult to only think of one thing to write about. One of my favorite experiences occurred while we were in Brownsville, Texas, before the second week of VBS had begun. We had decided to go to a park to play basketball, talk, and spend some time together. To make a long story a little bit shorter, a child wanted to join us in playing basketball, and, of course, we could not turn him down. Soon, one child turned into two, then two into five, and eventually we ended up with fifteen to twenty kids who were all playing basketball with us.
I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anyone else have that much fun playing basketball while also trying their hardest as those kids. I even had the pleasure of getting dribbled under as one of the children went between my legs, himself and the basketball. Those kids loved to have fun, just like any other kid would. Before they had to leave, we learned that all of those children were foster children, which is something that didn’t hit me lightly. In the short time I had been with these great children, they made me realize a few things. When I saw the children interact, even though they didn’t always get along, I could tell that they all loved each other and had each other’s backs.
That is something we should all try to replicate. What was pretty sad, though, was that here are these kids caring for each other, and the “border wall” for the U.S. is literally twenty feet away from where we were playing. Is keeping others away from ourselves a loving thing to do? The other thing I realized was that maybe sometimes as Christians we focus on religion more than on relationship. As evidenced through our time with the kids at the park, we can minister to others without being at church or forcing religion on them. How else are we to win others to Christ if we don’t love them and make relationships with them first? I am thankful to those kids and God for one of the most real, genuine experiences in my life. Moments like that are part of what makes life truly special.
–Tanner Daniel
VBS on the Road 2016 Staff
Posted on September 6, 2016 in Ministry Weekly Word