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Outreach to Kids

If you came to the Kids’ Club in the Wanhua Dali Elementary School, you would probably think that we hardly mention the gospel. You would find us teaching classes about moral behavior, not the need for salvation. If you stayed on for a few more weeks, you would realize that you were absolutely correct! We are not allowed to evangelize openly in this public school where we have been given an open door. However, our outreach is not a ministry without a gospel focus.

Our goal is to meet the kids outside of school in situations where we can introduce them to God. We achieve that goal by building better relationships with the children and their families. It takes time. It requires patience. It demands perseverance. Building trusting and healthy relationships is difficult with children who have little interaction with their own families. Many of these children come from broken homes. When single parents are away from home for hours and hours at work, children are neglected and family relationships become unstable. These problems manifest themselves in the kids’ disruptive behavior at school. During our kids’ club some of the children, used to the freedom of not having any authority to tell them what to do, are quite uncontrollable. Their experienced schoolteachers find that they send them to school counselors every day. Loving these children is indeed a challenge.

In our classes we try to provide a safe environment for these children, and give opportunities for them to make healthy friendships, not only with their classmates but also with us. We pray that when we introduce the idea that God also wants to be in a relationship with them, it isn’t something that is completely new to them. We hope that they would realize that God cares for them, just like their teachers do.

Out of this ministry God has provided opportunities for us to tell the children more about Him. One regular opportunity we have is at a park behind the school. On Saturdays some children specially come and sit with us in the park. We play games and tell them Bible stories. Because we have taken the time to build a relationship with the parents and grandmothers, the adults are happy to see us teach their children about God. They trust us!

I would like to introduce you to one of the children, Michael. Michael has been coming to our classes at the school for three years, since he was nine years old. Because he enjoys being with us at the school, he also comes along to visit us in the park. Over the last couple of years we have met his grandmother, brother, sister, and alcoholic father. Because we built up a relationship with his family, his grandmother allowed him to attend a Christian camp last summer.

At that camp he accepted Christ. However, after returning home, Michael’s grandmother beat him every time he went to church. He recently told me that he has to go back to being a Buddhist again. Despite this disappointment, we still have a good relationship with him and his family. His grandmother even allows him to spend some Saturdays with the family of another OMFer. We continue to pray for Michael and his family and for each of the children who we come in contact with.

Dear God,
We pray that you will have mercy on these children and lead them to know that you want to be in a relationship with them. We pray that in the future some of these kids will be leaders amongst Taiwan’s working class Christians. We also pray for Michael and his family. Please strengthen Michael’s faith and protect him. Amen

Jeremy Quek