At Children’s HopeChest we often talk about the hope of the Gospel and the power of God’s Kingdom, and how we each play a part in seeing this fulfilled. Throughout our lives God provides us with relationships and experiences that reveal the hidden secrets of His Kingdom to us. His Kingdom is also understood through reading His word, and it often takes the knowledge of His word combined with life experience for the fullness of this reality to make sense and take deep root in our hearts.
This past summer I had the opportunity to travel to Ethiopia to visit CarePoints, meet with staff, and travel with a team. There are many stories I could share that brought the truth of God’s word together with the reality of my personal experience in a way unlike I had ever understood before, but one stands out above the rest through a young man by the name of Binyam.
For reasons unknown, many travelers can attest to the experience of being drawn to certain children during their time at a CarePoint, and Bini was one of those for me. He possessed a quiet, unassuming disposition, but spoke with strength and confidence, and I wanted to get to know him in our few days together.
Bini is in Grade 11, and at one point I asked him what he wanted to do when he graduated high school. Without hesitation he said he wanted to go to college to study computer science. With the school and CarePoint being located in a rural area and not seeing any computers during my time there, I was surprised by his answer. He said he wants to study computer science, so he can develop software that will help spread the gospel and teach others about Jesus. In many of our conversations he spoke with conviction about his belief that God had created Him to do great things, not for himself, but for the glory of God.
I was surprised when Bini told me what God had put on his heart and mind, and often find myself surprised by the way God works, even though His word clearly tells us where His Kingdom will be found. One of those places, as Matthew 19:14 says is in the faith, innocence, and open heart of a child. Jesus tells his disciples, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of Heaven.”
The model of Children’s HopeChest is built on equipping and releasing the potential of orphaned and vulnerable children, and we shouldn’t be surprised when God places hope, vision, and dreams in the heart of these children. Throughout the gospels we often find Jesus showing up in the places we least expect, and these are the places and people He uses most to proclaim His Kingdom.
The potential of thousands of children, like Bini, throughout Ethiopia, Guatemala, Russia, Uganda, Swaziland, Russia, Moldova, and India is being released through the investment of sponsors, CarePoint staff, and community leaders that believe in the transformational truth of the Gospel.
We must never forget or underestimate the power of God’s calling in the hearts and minds of children and young adults, and when we want to find His Kingdom, we need to remember to look where He tells us it will be found. Though we will never cease to be amazed by the work of God, we shouldn’t be surprised when we see how He chooses to do this, especially when it is through the life of a child.
