Fri.NiteKids: Gina & Coco

Gina and Coco, the little 7 year old disciple. #Fri.NiteKids

Here is a post that Gina wrote about the privilege she has to disciple Coco. Oh how I love this little sister in Christ! Yesterday when Gina taught about Hell, Coco began weeping. As I sat next to her, patting her back, I asked her, "Is it because she is talking about Hell?" She continued crying, then looked me in the eye and asked, "Have any of your friends gone to Hell?" Sobered by her question and convicted by her response to the reality of God's judgment of sin, I responded, "Yes, yes some of them have." 

After Bible study, Coco asks Gina questions and they usually spend more than an hour discussing the gospel, praying, and reading the Bible together. Praise God for giving Gina words to give a depiction of Coco and the glorious grace of God working in her. Below is taken from Gina's blog.

“I USED TO LOVE SINNING, BUT THEN YOU TOLD ME ABOUT JESUS.”

By: Gina

Her face shines brighter than the Sun whenever the opportunity arises to talk about Him. Her smile radiating from ear to ear, long black curls flowing in the wind as she pivots her foot, shifting all of her 53lbs to her right leg with her hand on her hip. The fullness of those seven long years of age and the wisdom they’ve acquired pour forth from her mouth to her younger cousin, testing her on what they’d just learned 10 minutes ago in Bible Study.

“Who’s the most important person, Raquel?”, said Coco.

“Umm…. God! I mean, Jesus! I mean….yeah!” Raquel replies, as she looks to Coco for affirmation.

I try not to burst out with loud shouts of praise, rejoicing from the pure joy bubbling up within me as I’m overwhelmed by the joy she is enthralled in by simply talking about Him. Jesus. Yes! This Holy God, yet loving friend, Righteous King and faithful Savior! It is Jesus that Coco is filled with excitement over!

After she quizzes her younger cousin, the three of us are distracted by the loud calls to worship that the sky proclaims. Bright neon-looking pinks mixed with soft oranges sitting on a background of indigo sky. After many questions and answers, Coco pulls out her Jesus Storybook Bible and begins to ask Raquel if she’d like to see what Heaven will look like. As she scrambles to find the page towards the end of the book, she re-adjusts all of the purple, plastic, bracelet pieces (used as book marks) to save the place of her most favorite stories and people in the Bible, one being Peter.

If ever I took the time to write down all of Coco’s questions about God, His Son and His Holy Spirit, I’m quite positive I could conclude my memories with a chapter-book. However, I’d still like to give you an idea of how deeply my life has been impacted by a child so young, and so eager to know God, that I am drawn to worship Christ every Friday evening because of what He is merely doing in her.

It baffles me to see how much understanding Christ has granted her at this extremely young age of seven. Not only does Coco hate her sin, but she weeps over it. Not only does she know the gospel, but she has been totally and radically transformed by it. Not only does she know that the gospel is true, but its truth resounds in her life so much so, that she weeps and prays, weekly, for her family’s salvation. Not only does she understand that hell is real, but she weeps in Bible Study for those who have gone there.

I never in my life could have ever expected to have such deep emotions and love for a child who is not my own. However, I have recently found myself identifying with the Apostle Paul when he addresses Timothy and Titus as his “true child” or “beloved child”(Ti.1:4, 1 Tim.1:2, 2 Tim.1:2). Marriage-less, husbandless, childless, I find myself given the gift of being a mother to children who’s real mom’s are in prison, or worse, are present yet have never told them about the one who could save them from the sin they’ve passed down to them.

I don’t know how long of a time the Lord will continue to grant me to be a part of their lives. However, during this sweet, sweet time, I will continue to find myself before His throne, worshipping Him for the opportunity to delight in Him in this way; Provoked by the challenge of loving and trusting my Savior like a little child (Lk.18:17).