A purpose higher than myself

Being a Kids Church volunteer or teacher has been fulfilling and challenging for me; let alone a ministry leader. Way back in 2019, I was encouraged to serve God with the gifts that He bestowed on me through one of the ministries of Victory Church Baguio. At first, I just said yes to being a volunteer because I am fond of children. I would always say, “Ang cute po kasi nila” and “Mahilig po kasi talaga ako sa mga bata” whenever we were asked, “Why Kids Church?”
As I continued to serve the ministry, those lines are still true but had more meaning now. I thought it was easy to teach Bible stories every Sunday and keep the children interested in the lessons. I thought being drawn by their cuteness and sweetness would make a volunteer to stay in Kids Church. I thought just being present would be enough to be of service to them.
When the pandemic started, I stopped serving the ministry because I was not used to just interacting with the kids online. For two years, I did not serve the ministry until one day in 2021, when our ministry leader at the time asked me if I could teach again. Even though it was still online, I said yes.
Gladly, our church gives importance to knowing the purpose of why we are doing things. As I go on and have a deeper relationship with God through Bible-reading, prayer, attending discipleship classes and orientations for volunteers, I am enlightened as to why I must use my talents and serve others, especially the children. I was encouraged that this is a calling that I have to respond to as a Christian. This is an opportunity for me to make disciples and minister to children. Whenever I ask myself what the purpose of teaching the children about God is, I remember one of the chapters in the book of Matthew, “The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”
It says, “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”
That chapter alone reminds me that I must always have childlike faith. We all know that a child is always dependent on the guidance of his parents. In the same way, I must always lean on God and what he can do with my life. This chapter makes me humble and reminds me that no matter how many achievements I have, I still came from dust, and to dust I will return. Aside from these realizations, being a volunteer in this ministry is also a way for me to learn more about the lessons from the Bible. Before serving on Sundays, all of us teachers must study every lesson that we will teach so that we know it by heart and it will be easy for us to teach the children. Today, I can say that it takes faith and heart to serve the children.
Additional to our Sunday services program are praise and worship, games, and crafts-making. Honestly, it is physically tiring, but because God always gives us the grace that we need to serve Him through this ministry, it has always been refreshing and fulfilling, especially when we see the children enjoying it. I am very thankful that, together with my co-teachers and volunteers, I can experience the goodness of God and fulfill a purpose higher than myself.