imagine By Jonni Sliver
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WORLDMISSIONS
At Brazil’s Miriam Home, healing begins by restoring a child’s trust. 14
THE LUTHER AN AMBASSADOR
or 27 years, I have had the privilege of serving in ministry to children— all 27 of them somewhere in Brazil. It is amazing to be part of the lives of so many children because you get to see the wonderful gifts God gives them. Take, for example, imagination. Kids can imagine ANYTHING! If you ask a 6-year-old what he is going to be when he grows up, he might well say a fireman and farmer who works on the moon—and he believes that with all his heart. Just because there isn’t a farming fireman on the moon today doesn’t mean there won’t be one day! While their elders consider probabilities and risk factors, children just believe. That is one of the reasons I love it when kids pray for me and our ministry. But what we see in the Miriam Home are children whose ability to imagine and believe has been broken by unkept promises, pain, and fear. A lot of children arrive to us with old, weathered hearts. Our job is to reawaken the child-like heart in them and help them believe again. All of that brings me to six of my favorite words in the Bible: “It is too small a thing …” (Isaiah 49:6). God’s words to Isaiah speak to His generosity. Isaiah was already a prophet of God, but God had more for His servant than Isaiah could ever think of. And today He continues to move in and through our lives. It is our goal for the children to leave the Miriam Home knowing that God loves them and is faithful to make His amazing plans come to pass. Not limited by bad examples,
