Children from the nearby community used to visit the PAMAS Mindanao Base. The presence of helicopters and planes in the area sparked curiosity in them. In May 2024, God impressed the missionaries to start a Child Evangelism class every Sunday afternoon.
A group of fifteen to thirty kids would often walk from their homes to the PAMAS base, especially on Sundays to learn about Jesus. Sir Glean, Ma’am Heather, and Ma’am Shasha are some of the PAMAS missionaries who would lead the children. They teach a wide range of Bible principles—from health and lifestyle to the Sabbath rest and the Second Coming of Jesus. As the weeks went by, the children eagerly invited their neighbors to join the Sunday afternoon class. They were eager to learn more about what the missionaries were teaching.
As several months passed, we discovered that the parents felt more comfortable when we picked up the kids and brought them home with the PAMAS van. This became our routine every Sunday afternoon, before and after our classes.
Over the months, the classes were made out of various activities. These includes Bible stories, family small group studies, coloring time, and outdoor games or garden activities. The missionaries made sure to teach Bible lessons composed of real-life, practical illustrations that the children could easily relate to. The coloring pages they worked on after each lesson featured illustrations tied to the day’s story. The outdoor activities were discipleship, character, and values enforcing activities or sometimes Filipino games such as patintero and agawan base. On some Sunday afternoons, we helped in the garden, cleaning up and plucking weeds. The kids were always excited about the outdoor activities, as it gave them a chance to socialize with the missionaries.
After nine months of meeting with the children every Sunday afternoon, we held the closing program for the PAMAS Child Evangelism on February 14, 2025. More than fifty students attended the graduation. Moreover, God provided the resources for us to give them a simple token of appreciation: a Bible story coloring book. The kids were truly delighted throughout the program. They joyfully participated in singing a couple of songs. Certainly, the simple seeds of truth sown will, by God’s grace, grow in their hearts. We look forward to the day when these seeds bear fruit in their lives.
“A Paul may plant, and an Apollos water, but God alone can give the increase. Then we are indeed to go forward to the work, weeping, sowing the precious seeds of truth and trusting in God to give the increase.”
While we may not be able to reap these souls now, we trust that the Holy Spirit will nurture the seeds we’ve planted in their hearts He knows them individually, and He loves them more than we ever could. We trust in His love, knowing that our efforts are not in vain. We look forward to the day we meet our Sunday afternoon students in heaven.
