Every Christian parent rejoices when his child receives Jesus as Savior. The joy is even greater when realizing an older sibling led the child to the Lord. That is exactly what prompted the Cargill* family serving in South Asia to celebrate.
Cody*, 13, right, helps his father baptize his younger brother, Peter*, 6, in the Indian Ocean.During training to serve in his role as strategy coordinator, Greg Cargill*, a former pastor in South Carolina who now serves in South Asia with the International Mission Board, practiced using a newly learned evangelistic tool with his children.
“Later that week, he saw Cody* teaching it to Peter*. Peter then came to me and ‘taught’ it to me,” said Sidney Cargill*, the children’s mother.
“Peter has shown much interest in spiritual things lately. He had a deep discussion with his daddy and then later with both of us, but because of his age, we did not want it to seem as if we were pushing him,” she said. “We prayed instead that it would linger in his heart and that it would be something that was continually brought up.”
Cody is 13; Peter is only 6. The missionary kids from South Carolina are now serving with their family in their second Asian country.
Even at 13, Cody already is an evangelist. He has attended church-planting training with his parents and has joined them and others in sharing the gospel with the lost around him. During one training, Cody went to a local park to share.
“I had the chance to talk to a couple of people,” he said. “When I asked if I could tell them a story, some of them said they were Buddhist or they didn’t have time, but some enjoyed talking with me. I talked with one guy who had been researching about Christianity, because he didn’t agree with all the Buddhist beliefs. I told him I would give him a copy of the Bible, and he really was excited about that. Then I talked to another guy who, whenever I told him that I was a Christian and that Jesus loves him, asked me how he could be a Christian.
“When we got back to the hotel, the churches told stories about what had happened,” Cody said. “It turns out that 21 people had accepted the gospel and prayed to receive Christ.?Ninety-four people were shared with! That rocks!
?”The training ended up being a really productive meeting,” he said. “I learned that not only was it important for me to know the Truth but also for the 2.5 million in this area to know the Truth. Now I know that I need to be obedient and see those people come to Jesus.”
Six months later, one of those people would be Cody’s younger brother, Peter.
“As Peter and Cody lay in the bed, Peter began asking Cody questions. Cody led him through the plan of salvation and then through the sinner’s prayer!” Sidney Cargill said. “We rejoice because not only had we been praying for Peter’s salvation, but also for Cody to be able to see some fruit of all the seed he had been planting. Who would’ve thought that God would use a 13-year-old to lead his little 6-year-old brother to Christ?
“Praise God with us that Cody was able to see fruit from his labors,” she said. “Pray for him to continue unashamedly sharing the Truth.”
*Names changed for security purposes. Frances is a writer serving in the South Asia region.