OMS Outreach May-Aug 2017 | Page 7

Kids Kids Don’t Stay Forever! By Jason Campbell, One Mission Kids Ministry photo: Jason Campbell holds a pewter Eiffel Tower he recieved as a child from his pen pal missionary in France. Kids don’t remain kids forever! Even Jesus the kid grew up to become Jesus the adult (Luke 2:52). In fact, 10 years from now, the four-year- old kids we minister to will be teenagers, and the preteens will be adults! This is why One Mission Kids helps grow missionary hearts in kids ... the future of missions depends on today’s kids un- derstanding and answering God’s call (the Great Commission) to pray, give, and go. Investing in the lives of kids is important. I know this firsthand because I grew up as an MK. God used my parents and many teachers, along with other missionaries and mission conferences, to invest in my life and grow my missionary heart. One of my earliest recollections of missions, be- yond being an MK, was writing to a missionary in France for a church project. I was 6 or 7 years old at the time. She sent me a postcard, as well as a gift, a pewter Eiffel tower. My parents often tell how this impacted me as a child, and everyone in my church knew it because I often reminded them to pray for our missionary in France. To this day, her gift sits on my desk at OMS as a reminder that investing in kids can change the world. At a recent OMS prayer rally, my wife Lora and I noticed a request being repeatedly voiced—the need for more missionaries. Once again, God re- minded us that this is a continual need, not just for today, but until the One Mission is complete! That’s when we realized that we are the direct answer to prayers prayed decades ago. Future missionaries are everywhere! They live in our homes. They sit in our classrooms and churches. They attend our conferences and camps. They are our kids, and many of them will be God’s answer for the future of missions. This is why you and I play a vital role in equipping tomor- row’s missionaries today … or as we like to say at One Mission Kids, we’re helping grow missionary hearts. 7