Girls from Orthodox families. Girls from Protestant families. A girl from a Mslim family. A girl whose family is in a cult. Girls from devout families in ancient church traditions who have never read the Bible. Girls who have impressive knowledge of the Bible but struggle to relate it to everyday life. Girls from broken homes. Girls who are friends. Girls who are enemies. Three to eight 6th-8th-grade girls (out of 50+ youth who attend weekly Bible study) gather each Wednesday to study the Gospel of Luke, and I love how Jesus' words cut through all the labels and backgrounds to the heart issues - the big life questions.
Recently, Mercy*, a new girl in my group asked, "If someone does something really bad, does that mean they are going to hell?" Before I could say a word, Faith* (a former Mslim) turned to her and boldly proclaimed, "Well, sin always leads to death and separation. But that's why Jesus had to die!" It is a privilege to explain the Gospel to a seeking child. But it is infinitely more precious to watch my girls preach it to each other. Pray for the Holy Spirit's work in and through each one.
Another of my girls, Truth*, just arrived in America this summer and has many adjustments happening in her life. She is passionate about loving Jesus, but has received a lot of false teaching. She took home a Bible a few weeks ago and is eagerly meeting my challenge to read the Gospel of Luke at home. Pray that as she soaks in Jesus, the God-Man, false teachers will lose their place in her life to the One worth following.
We pray in our group that this year we will not only know more about Jesus, but that we will know Jesus more. Thank you for praying this with us!
*To respect the privacy of individuals mentioned in this post, please do not share this information in a public setting or on social media.*
