Pastor Larry Robertson saw young Maci Parker out of the corner of his eye and knelt down to say “hey” to her. She held up a little change holder, and he asked what she was giving to him.
“She simply said, ‘Annie Armstrong,’” Robertson said.
Maci, 6, was the first child in the church’s Mission Friends class to return the change holders each child had put together to raise money for the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions. She raised $54 for the Annie Armstrong offering.
Maci made her mother, Haley, proud with her heart for others.
“She came home a couple of weeks ago after Wednesday night service and class,” Haley said, “and Susie had taught them who Annie Armstrong was. She was excited to tell us about Annie and who Annie told others about — Jesus.”
Susie Yonkers teaches the Mission Friends class, an effort of Woman’s Missionary Union at Hilldale Baptist Church in Clarksville, Tenn., and takes time to teach the preschoolers about missionaries who are serving across North America and around the world. “Each week, we will talk about specific missionaries, where they’re stationed, and learn what they do in their communities,” Yonkers said.
During their class, Yonkers and the children made coin holders out of toilet paper rolls and encouraged the kids to perform acts of service to raise funds. Every time they did so, Yonkers also encouraged them to share that the money was for missionaries and to tell them about Jesus.
“It’s important for the smallest members of our churches to know they are a part of God’s big plan,” Yonkers said. “I’m always telling them that you don’t have to be a big person to tell someone about Jesus.”
Maci took that to heart, doing chores around the house and for other family members.
“She worked really hard,” Haley said. “I actually heard from one of the teachers at her school that she was also telling her friends about Annie Armstrong. So, it was very heartwarming for us. She wanted people to know who Annie Armstrong is and what it is that she did.”
Maci’s story, Robertson said, reminds him that while human perspective is often short-term, God sees the bigger picture as well.
“God is thinking beyond our immediate needs when He talks about workers for the harvest,” Robertson said. “He is thinking about the years and generations to come. That’s what I think about with a young girl like Maci. I think, ‘What will God do with someone like Maci?’”
— Brandon Elrod writes for the North American Mission Board.