ENCOURAGING MINISTRY STUDENTS

To me, it didn’t seem like I was doing very much, but even the littlest things can make a big difference if we rely on God’s timing. The idea came to me when I saw their photos in the back of church. Our pastor had laid out vocation prayer cards with pictures of people studying for the ministry. I thought to myself: these are people giving their lives over to God as ministers. That couldn’t be an easy choice and required real sacrifice on their part, so I pondered how I could support them on their journey. My house was full of greeting cards from my service as Chariman for the welcoming committee, so I thought why not extend the welcome to those future ministers. As part of the welcoming committee, I would send cards and welcome baskets to families new to the church. This ministry extended to newly married and newly baptized Christians as well. Naturally, this volunteer work meant my house was filled to the brim with greeting cards. After I returned home from church, I searched through my cards for ones to send to the students. When I found one that fit, I set to work writing a friendly message and then sent the card on its way. Some of the students wrote back and some didn’t, but I wasn’t expecting any response. I just wanted to give the students a friendly note and a taste of home. It became part of my routine. If there was a holiday or a birthday coming up, I’d look for cards for them while I did my grocery shopping. I figured it would let them feel the support of their church family and might cheer them up if they had a bad day. I thought about how hard it would be to study the Scriptures in depth and being away from family for the holidays. If I could do a little to cheer them up, I was going to do so. It still seems like I’m not doing much, but if I’m able to provide in this small way, then I am blessed indeed.