Jesus Loves the Little Children of the World

In 2013 we started Mavuno Christian School with 29 pre-school children. Today our school has over 200 students from Pre-school through Seventh Grade. It is such a joy to see these happy children and to be part of what God is doing in their lives.

We have a van and when we drive to the school it is very common for us to pick children up along the way --- often filling the van with giggling happy children. When we get to the school they all hop out of the back and everyone goes on their way.

So it was not a surprise when on Friday as Janet and I were going to the school for a meeting we saw one of our children walking and stopped to pick her up. She was very quiet maybe a bit shy. When we got to the school, Janet and I got out of the van not even thinking of her in the back seat. I locked the doors and we went to our meeting.

We had finished our meeting and were talking to one of the teachers about two of our students when one of the boys came into the room and said their was a child in the van crying. Honestly my immediate thought was -- how did a child get into the van, I locked it. I went to the van and opened the door to find the girl we had picked up still sitting in the back, crying. She very hot and sweating to much her dress was soaked. She had been in that hot van for about 2 hours. She did not know how to open the door. I can not describe how horrible I felt at that moment. I took her and began putting water on her head and neck, hugging her so close and telling her how sorry I was. She was listless, scared, crying and weak. We spent the next two hours trying to revive her. We got her a soda and some glucose and helped her to take it. As she took the glucose, she began to get stronger and finally we got her some food and she ate it very well. Then she was fine and even got up and took her plate to the kitchen and happily got into the van for us to give her a ride home.

Janet and I were not fine! The what ifs hit us hard. We are so thankful for the boy who came and told us she was in the van. We are so thankful God protected her! But our hearts are still unsettled because we can't imagine how we forgot this child --- why didn't we make sure she got out OK. How can a person forget they have a child in the car with them???? If this girl had died in the van --- which could have happened --- we would never forgive ourselves. God has let me see in just a very small way what parents go through who, because of one moment of being distracted, made a mistake, or even did something we would consider stupid, has lost a child. My heart hurts because of the thought of what could have happened --- now when I see such a report, I will pray for God to give peace and comfort to the parent who is faced with the reality of what did happen.

God has given me this verse --- Matthew 7:1-2 Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Below are some photos of just some of our precious Mavuno Christian School children.