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Children of the World

Angela ShuffLast year, I spent a lot of time babysitting three foster boys under five years old. Even at this early point in their lives, the effects of their previous environment—a neglectful and abusive home—were obvious, and their behavioral problems made babysitting no easy task. One night, the oldest boy asked me, “Miss Angela, why do you come to watch us all the time?” I simply replied, “I watch you because you guys are special.” The five-year-old boy raised his eyebrows in disbelief, and said, “But Angela, we’re just foster kids.”

JUST foster kids? God opened the door for me in that moment to tell those boys they are loved by great foster parents and by a great God. The five-year-old’s face then turned from dismay to a sweet smile. I will never forget that moment and what it taught me. I had often heard it said that, to a large degree, a child’s worldview and sense of self is determined by the time he or she is thirteen years old. I was skeptical about that, though, because I tended to think that people don’t even begin to make sense of the world until their teen and college years when they can reason with more intellect. But that was wrong thinking—an attitude that treats childhood as just a preamble to real life. Nothing could be farther from the truth or farther from the heart of God.

Kids are not “just” kids. They are not just the hope of the future. They are not just the church of tomorrow. Children are deeply loved by God today, and He wants them to know Him right now. They are capable of having an incredible impact on our churches and our world even today. This issue of the Message gives a few glimpses into the lives of children around the world and how ABWE missionaries are working to provide for their needs and introduce them to hope in Christ. I pray you will be blessed by the stories and encouraged to be involved in young lives.

Angela Shuff
Editor