India (MNN) — When young boy Akil began attending a 10-Day Children’s Bible Club in India, he struggled with anxiety and loneliness. His home life was filled with conflict, and Akil had nowhere else to turn.
Raina Miller with Mission India says, “His parents were fighting at home all the time. His dad was really busy with work, and his mom was busy performing rituals to their gods because she was very superstitious. His parents had differing belief systems and it caused a lot of arguments between them.”
A friend had invited Akil to the 10-Day Bible Club run by Mission India. What started as a simple invitation turned into something life-changing.
“He was just surrounded by love and joy like he hadn’t experienced before — and stability that he definitely didn’t have at home,” says Miller. “As he was at the Bible Club each day, he felt relaxed in a way that he didn’t feel at home.”
Akil played games with other kids, sang songs, and most importantly, heard about Jesus for the first time.
Miller says, “He noticed that the Bible stories he was hearing contradicted what his parents believed, but he believed in them, and he believed in Jesus. He was moved and received Jesus as his Savior!”
Akil, a boy who first learned about Jesus at a 10-Day Children’s Bible Club. (Photo courtesy of Mission India)
Akil returned home transformed and he began sharing the Bible stories he learned with his family. His mother, moved by the change in her son, left behind her superstitious practices. By God’s grace, there is more peace now in Akil’s home.
While Akil’s parents haven’t yet made decisions to follow Jesus, they are open and curious — and continuing to explore the Gospel because of their son’s testimony.
Miller says stories like Akil’s aren’t uncommon. “We see kids all the time leading others to Christ…. Kids come to a Bible Club for the first day and love it so much that they want to bring their brothers and sisters and friends the next day. So the impact just grows from there.”
With 356 million children under the age of 15, India holds one of the greatest opportunities to reach the next generation for Jesus.
This Easter, Mission India is inviting believers to get involved in a simple but powerful way.
Through April 21, donations to the 10-Day Children’s Bible Clubs are being matched dollar for dollar, up to $350,000. That means every $1 sends two children like Akil to a Bible Club where they’ll hear about Jesus — and potentially change their families from the inside out.
“I don’t know what better Easter gift you could give than introducing a child to Jesus,” says Miller.
Donate to Mission India’s Easter Matching Challenge!
Header photo courtesy of Mission India.
