“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” -Mark 10:14. I often imagine Jesus opening his arms to the children of his day. Jesus lovingly invited the children to come to him and believe in his promises.  The words of Jesus inspire our work here in Taichung. Every week we have 50 children between the ages of 7 and 17 walk through our doors. And every week we are reminded of the power that God’s word has on each of our students.

The youth ministry program in Taichung consists of a kids’ class and a teenagers’ class. We teach English, and most importantly, God’s word. Every week we educate our littlest children about the love of Jesus in our kids’ class. Whether we talk about Jesus helping Moses free the slaves of Israel or Jesus healing a sick boy, the children learn the fundamental promises of Jesus.

Jesus loves you. Jesus wants you in heaven with him. Jesus will always take care of you. These are just a few examples of what the children learn every week. The students also sing many English songs about Jesus. The children often leave our church singing these songs to themselves and to their parents. This is a clear example of how music can further the work of the Holy Spirit.

Along with the little children, we also minister to teenagers in Taichung. Our lessons center on living a Christian life in a non-Christian world. Most of our students are non-Christians. However, all teenagers yearn for guidance in their lives. What better way to guide a teenager than with God’s word?

Our teenagers are becoming capable of answering life’s tough questions with God’s word. Just recently I asked the question in teen class, “How do we know that lying is wrong?” The students gave me two commandments and one Bible passage to answer my question. All of the teenagers that answered were not members of the church. While it is unclear if they believe, we are sure that the Holy Spirit is working in their hearts.

The work of the Holy Spirit is evident in our youth ministry program. The Bible is a foreign concept for most of the children in Taiwan. However, our students enjoy learning about Jesus. Imagine how exciting it is to learn about the love and power of the Savior for the first time. We see the enthusiasm in their faces when they learn a really great song about Jesus or answer a question using God’s word. We can visualize the Holy Spirit working in their hearts on a regular basis.

It is evident that Jesus loved the little children. “And [Jesus] took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them” – Mark 10:16. Clearly the lives and faith of the little children were and still are important to Jesus. We love our students very much and,like Jesus, we are reaching out to them every week. May God continue to bless our youth ministry program in Taichung.

Jenna Greabert
WELS Kingdom Worker in Taichung, Taiwn