A flannel graph set, an accordion, and a Bible club curriculum: tools used to lay a foundation. Over the years, Scripture verses, the Lord’s prayer, and hymns hammered a structure into place. The Wordless Book (a tool that teaches the Gospel through colors) continued constructing truths in the lives of young children who attended CEF’s Bible clubs in Israel.
But not all of these children continued building on that foundation. One remembers, “Upon reaching adolescence I walked away from the Lord. But I discovered that although God didn’t take away my capacity to sin, He did take away my capacity to enjoy it. I could never get away from the foundation of faith that was so skillfully laid in my life.” Each story, each song, each color reminded this miserable teenager of the truth that had already been built in his life.
“In my 16th year, I had a profound encounter with the Lord. I went to veteran CEF workers and told them about my repentance. I asked for the Wordless Book that was hanging from the CEF worker’s lapel, pinned it to my own jacket, and proceeded to use it as a conversation-starter in my high school. A prayer and Bible study group formed on campus and for the first time in my life I started seeing people coming to faith.”
From eager learning child to rebellious teen to repentant young adult, these CEF missionaries laid a lasting Gospel foundation in this life! This man has gone on to work in cross-cultural ministry in the Middle East, extending this Gospel foundation to even more lives! He mentioned,
“When I was a boy in CEF I heard a grownup remark, ‘How can you plant churches with kids?’ But Jesus didn’t plant churches; Jesus made disciples. Making disciples is what CEF does, and I am one of them.
