Heroes in Christ

As we hold true to our commitment to learn from missionaries around the world, our heroes have transformed themselves from being regular superheroes to becoming “Heroes in Christ.” So they no longer just call themselves superheroes, instead Heroes in Christ, because we serve Jesus and we have a special message to the world straight from God through the reading of His Word. Thus our Heroes in Christ remind each other of this message: telling others about Jesus, that “Jesus loves us”, “Jesus forgives our sins”, and “Jesus was born to save us!” Even our heroes’ prayers are filled with heartfelt gratitude for Jesus.

These young Heroes in Christ have been tackling challenging questions during our discussions this week. As we read about our characters in the Christmas story in Luke 1, including Mary and Joseph, and Elizabeth and Zechariah, we talked about how they may seem to be in a position wherein they did not get what they wanted at first. Elizabeth and Zechariah wanted a child, yet they remained without a child in their old age. Mary and Joseph did not want a child yet since they were not married yet. But even though they did not get what they wanted, they continued to serve God, obey Him, and praise Him in their lives. Then we discover later in their story that God did give Elizabeth and Zechariah a child. And Mary and Joseph became Jesus’ parents! And so our heroes reflect on the amazing work God does in our lives. They talked amongst themselves how they would feel and what they would do when they do not get what they want, especially during this Christmas season when they were all so excited to share their wishlist for Christmas presents. Yet they were determined and confident that when they do not get what they wanted, no matter how much they wished for it, they would “not throw a fit,” “be thankful for what they have,” and “maybe wait until next Christmas… or birthday!” What a blessing to hear straight from the “mouths of babes” the Lord’s true message of faith and trust during this time of the year.

Our hero talks this week have also stirred the hearts of our courageous heroes. They were challenged with the task of not just telling others about Jesus, but also helping others build a relationship with Jesus. They identified the difference between knowing about Jesus and really knowing Jesus. Our missionary from Egypt, Mr. Yeo, shared about growing up serving with his family, planting churches and building schools for people who do not know Jesus. He described making friends and sharing the love of Jesus and not just telling them about Jesus. And the best way to share the love of Jesus is by helping others, just like St. Nicholas did, as Mrs. Amash told the story of young Nicholas secretly helping a family in need. So our heroes are devising their own “secret” ways of blessing others and giving generously to their neighbors, friends, and families. One hero started telling friends not to thank her for helping them, instead to “Thank God!”