Let these little children come to me: Ukraine

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Let these little children come to me

Ukraine | Stefan van der Merwe

I remember the day the Lord wrote my name in the Book of Life. I was only 12 years old then, but it seems like yesterday to me. It was during a children’s camp near Middelburg, South Africa; the day was 10th October 1985, and I was in no mood for a church service.

All of us children had been sent to the chapel for a church service, and when I saw the old, grey preacher, I was sure that the next hour was going to be torture to my young soul. Yet, the Lord had his eye on me that day, and soon the old, grey preacher’s words seemed to be directed straight at me. I was sure of it.

He wasn’t mixing words. He explained the gospel to us in a plain and straight way, and for the first time in my life, I realised that I was full of sin and that nothing in this world could free me from that sin. “But,” said the preacher, “God loves us so much, that he gave His only begotten Son for us, so that we, who believe in His Son will not die, but have life eternal.” It was only God’s Son’s sacrificial death that could take our sins away.

I don’t remember much more, but when the call for salvation came, I went straight to the front of the chapel and fell on my knees. I wept a lot that day, but since then, my life has never been the same.

Since I became a Christian, I have come across countless adults who doubt whether children can understand the Bible. While leading a children’s camp, a woman told me that her child was still too young to understand the concepts of the gospel, and that he was also too young to learn Bible verses by heart. She was dead wrong. Although her child was only 10 years old, he knew almost all the major national football players’ names and positions by heart. It is of utmost importance that the gospel be preached to the young too.

Vladimir Lenin once said, “Give me four years to teach the children, and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted.” The question remains, what are we teaching our children? What we sow into their lives at a young age, they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. “Let the little children come to me,” said Jesus, “and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matt 19:14 NIV)

Stefan and Hensie van der Merwe lead the OM team in Odessa (Ukraine). Their ministry focuses on establishing new fellowships, leadership training, children’s work, and work amongst addicts and HIV+ persons. For more information, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or check out: www.isaiah55.net