To teach children from an early age to be involved in service and, above all, have their hearts focused on the mission of taking Jesus to people is a noble endeavor. It is with this objective that the Adventurers' Club's Mission Ants project and the Ministry of the Child's Mission and Adopt Kids project have joined together to hold annual campaigns to collect hygiene products, school supplies, and clothes for newborns in Boa Vista, Roraima, and Manaus, in Amazonas, Brazil.
According to Jaqueline Barcelar, Children's Ministries coordinator for the Adventist Church in Roraima, the goal is to teach children to be generous from an early age: "When we involve children in actions like this, they begin to create responsibility and understand that they can already help those in need and thus show Christ's love for their neighbor," she says.
In Boa Vista, the children collected items such as clothes, socks, ointments, disposable diapers, and everything a newborn baby needs at birth and donated them to a maternity hospital in the capital. In all, almost 1,000 items were collected, forming more than 100 maternity kits.
For Paula Carvalho, the mother of little Scarlet, six years old, who this year became an Adventurer, the action comes to help in the process of forming her daughter's character. "She herself asked her uncles and grandparents, and she got very excited about the campaign and wanted to participate in everything. She called, texted family members and neighbors. I am sure she will never forget her first missionary action," details Carvalho.
Proximity
In Manaus, the action was carried out in a shelter for the elderly, where 23 of them live. Besides the donations of milk, geriatric diapers, toothpaste, soap, and toothbrushes, they received drawings made by the children, which portray how they imagine heaven. They also sang special praises.
"We want our children to make a difference in this society, and for this reason, we carry out actions like this one, which take them to get to know realities that are totally different from the ones they are used to," explains Pastor Marcos Pimentel, Adventurers director for the church in Amazonas,.
Ana Paula Barbosa, age nine, was delighted with the elderly. "I loved meeting them. I think they were happy with our drawings. I am very happy to spend this afternoon here with them," says the little girl.
There were two months of campaigns in churches, schools, and communities in the capital and the countryside. In all, 68 clubs participated in the collection of 2,235 personal hygiene kits. For Aline Oliveira, the coordinator of Children's Ministries in Amazonas, these actions help in the formation of boys and girls' characters. "To visit a place like this and see people happy with a simple drawing they made will undoubtedly remain forever in their hearts and minds," she says.
The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Portuguese-language news site.