Children go on mission with Mom

Posted: 4/04/08

Children go on mission with Mom

By Marilyn Stewart

New Orleans Seminary

NEW ORLEANS—Ten mothers and 14 children—ages 6 to 13—from Arlington traveled to New Orleans recently with one goal in mind—doing missions together.

“Children, especially boys, often look to their dads as a model for leadership,” said Gina Pierce, mother of two. “But I want my sons to see that God has called me, too.”

The group from Lake Arlington Baptist Church in Arlington worked through Mission Lab, a ministry of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary that customizes mission trips to fit the age and strengths of the mission team.

Children with painted faces, such as Briana and Ashlynn, enjoy the activities at a block party led by volunteers from Lake Arlington Baptist Church in Arlington.

Through partnerships with organizations that provide neighborhood rehabilitation, child-care, care and support for the homeless, people recovering from addiction and those living with AIDS, Mission Lab creates mission opportunities with a goal of creating missionaries.

“We have a love for missions, and we wanted our kids to see that in us,” Pierce said. “There’s no better time to show them than when they are young.”

Lake Arlington Baptist involves families together in missions at home, she said, but the mothers wanted to give the children a wider vision for missions. In New Orleans, the team did yard work, distributed food to the homeless and sponsored a block party.

Sarah Summit, a fourth-grade teacher and a single mom, said she wanted to spend time on mission with her son, Bailey, age 6, because she wanted missions to make an impact on his life.

“We’ve gone through a lot together, but I want him to know that we don’t look at our own circumstances,” Summit said. “I want him to know that taking Jesus to others is the most important thing in his life.”

A second team from Lake Arlington Baptist Church on the trip included another mother-son duo. John Aaron Matthew, Lake Arlington’s college minister and a New Orleans native, led a team of five college students to his hometown, where his mother joined them. Chris Matthew, a professional artist, painted children’s faces at the block party. Matthew said his mother was influential in his commitment to ministry.

“Growing up, I saw my Mom minister to the needs of others,” Matthew said. “She was a good example that whatever gift God has given you, even something like face-painting, can be used for God’s glory.”

Her involvement in Woman’s Missionary Union and as a Mission Friends leader, as well as other church activities, was important in communicating her faith to her children, Matthew said.

“Our kids saw my husband’s and my involvement in giving time and talents to the Lord, even if we didn’t have money to give,” Matthew said. “That’s an important part of what it means to ‘train up a child.’”

Summit believed the opportunity to serve others made a lasting impression on her son. During a phone call home, Summit said her son talked at length about the homeless and how the group prayed for them.

Kim Thibeaux, mother of two, said that seeing the homeless living in tents under a bridge in one section of the city opened the children’s eyes to their own blessings. Her son, Jordan, age 11, was touched by the conditions in which the homeless were living.

“Kids usually think that staying in a tent is fun,” Thibeaux said. “But they saw that they (the homeless) are not making campfires and roasting s’mores.”

The trip afforded new experiences for the children and a view of New Orleans’ distinctive culture and architecture, including its many brightly-colored homes.

Cody Pierce, age ten, said it would be “cool to have a green house.”

His brother Caleb, age eight, when asked why he came on the trip said, “Jesus told me to in my heart.”