lunchtime missionary

Natalie's teacher emailed me a few months ago. Her email went something like this... "Suzanne, I just wanted to email you and tell you what Natalie did in class today. We have been studying the laws of the land this week. I asked the class if anyone knew any of the laws. Natalie raised her hand and proudly said, "I know the ten commandments." I asked if she would like to share with the class. She stood up and rattled off the ten commandments. What a little missionary she is! Just thought you would want to know."

Proud momma right here... let me tell ya! We had just studied in my Sunday school class a simple way to remember the ten commandments. I guess it worked. I love the fact that children do not separate "God" and "State" or school for that matter. I love it that at age seven God, school, sports, church, work, play is all wrapped up in "living" and find it sad that we as a system, teach them to separate these things in their life instead of working them all in unity.

Natalie takes her lunch every day. I get up, start the daily routine... which includes packing her lunch. She carries a soft, fabric lunchbox with a clear pocket on the front. At our local Christian bookstore, I pick up the little business cards size cards with the little devotions. You know the Sunday school cards: "Keep Your Chin UP!" "God LOVES You." So, each day, I place a new daily card in her lunchbox pocket. For a while I would see these cards come back home or in her backpack. About three weeks into the school year, I realized once I packed the cards in the lunchbox pocket, it never returned home and I never saw it again. So, one day, out of curiosity, I asked Natalie if she enjoyed getting the little devotions in her lunchbox. Shes brightened up and said she loves ones with kittens and puppies on them.

Each Wednesday, I've been trying to surprise Natalie at school to spend lunch with her and her classmates. I started this a couple weeks ago. It gives me a chance to get to know the kids in her classroom and those she calls her friends. I have found that the kids love it when adults sit at their table. Each of them want to tell you about their day, their favorite foods, friends, families... their lives. I try to be very attentive and listen carefully to all of them, but in all honesty, sometimes I just hear a lot of little voices.

The first Wednesday I showed up to surprise her for lunch, I immediately noticed Natalie's card was already taken out of her lunchbox. So, I asked her, "What did you do with your card?" All of a sudden all the kids in her class sitting around us who heard me ask her started saying, "Natalie gave me one! I have one that Natalie gave me! Mines at my desk." I looked over at Natalie and grinned. She just shrugged her shoulders like, "what? I shared them!"

WOW! What a testimony to me! I love seeing God working in her little life with her classmates. She has no idea the impact she is having on those children's and possibly parents' lives. She is the little lunchtime missionary!

Lord, thank you for my little Natalie! Thank you for pursuing her heart. Thank you for keeping her safe. Continue to work in her life to keep her a walking missionary for you! Keep up the good work, Lord, I'm enjoying watching her grow in You so much! You are so gracious to me! In Jesus' spotless name.