The
phone rang. Dean's mom asked loudly, “Dean. My hands are soapy. Can
you answer the phone, please?” “Sure, mom!” A couple seconds
later he asked, “Mom! It's Mrs. Prainor. She wants to talk to you!
And I didn't do nothin' wrong, either!” Actually, he just did. He
shouted for his mom while he still had the phone up to his mouth. Oh
well... beginner boys have lots to learn.
“Hi
Brenny. My hands were soapy. Nice of you to call – you're so very
busy these days, doing the church secretary work plus teaching my
son's beginner Sunday School class. Say, have you seen Watson's new
baby girl? All that curly hair and ear to ear smile. She's a peach.”
“Yes,
I have seen her. Before I forget, Pastor wanted me to compliment you
on the great updates of the two Missions Bulletin Boards. Not only
are they great reminders to our own church folks to be involved in
missions, but he said they tell our visitors that our church has a
real heart for missions – home and foreign missions.”
THE WARNING
“Tammy
(that's Mrs. Miah). The main reason I called was to warn you.
Something odd is happening in my Beginners Class that you'll want to
know about. In class Sunday, your Dean showed the rest of the us how
a pilot keeps an airplane on course. He used a broom stick. The whole
class really got a charge out of it. And I think... well, I believe
God is up to somethin'. And without me asking them to, the class
prayed for Noah and Samson to learn that God loved them... just as
they are.”
“After
we had our class closing prayer most of the beginners gathered around
Knee; I mean your Dean, and began asking more questions about the
'Staying on Course' class you had in the annex last Saturday. Most of
them said they were going to ask their parents if they could come to
the class this Saturday. Tam – God's up to something, and it sounds
pretty exciting to me. I don't know how many will actually show up,
but Friday I'll have my teen daughter make some missions cookies that
we'll put in the annex refrigerator for backup. OK?”
Before
the phone call ended, the two mothers had prayer for each other and
for the children – the future of their FIRST CHURCH of HIS WORD
congregation. Tammy also prayed for guidance in reaching out to the
teen boys – Samson and Noah Count – that they learn the church
loves them.
During
some quiet moments later that day, Brenny got a little glimpse of
maybe what God is up to. She thought while she had been teaching her
beginners class, Knee Miah was teaching his classmates how to stay on
course; from what Samson and Noah Count had been teaching him. But a
far greater lesson was being learned by the class teacher.
She
tried to imagine some of the hardships the two teens faced each day.
As her hands tightly covered her own eyes, she tried to look through
the eyes of the two teens. She made a mental list: broken glass,
broken dreams, broken buildings with yards of rubble, broken bicycles
and airplane wings. Her tissue caught the first tear as her vision
showed the teen's compassion on Knee Miah with his crippled leg and
very few friends.
It
was like the actions of Sam and Noah were moving Brenny's attitudes
about the teens in this part of town, back on God's Course. Her
tenderest prayer begged God to guide her every word and action to not
destroy the ministry – this mission the teens were beginning with
Dean and through him, with the Beginner's Sunday School Class.
When
God is up to something, hearts are opened up and visions of how to
care for others become clear, simple... and a reality.
