Antioch, Awana, and Aaron

When I nervously sent my firstborn off to kindergarten, a church lady kindly offered to babysit Bright Eyes and Dimples so that I could volunteer at the school once a week. It was a godsend. That kindergarten year was more than we had bargained for. It was a very stressful, chaotic environment for poor Sunny. Seeing the classroom firsthand and interacting with the other students gave me the perspective I needed to support Sunny through that year.

I met the autistic boy who regularly had epic rages of throwing chairs and smashing things. I worked with a precious blond-haired boy with learning disabilities, sensory processing issues, and probably several other labels were you to read his file. I heard that blond boy defeatedly reply, when encouraged to work hard on a particular assignment so that his parents would be proud, "They don't care about me."

And then there was Aaron. I couldn't find a box to put Aaron in. He had some serious trouble with self-control, but he wasn't ADHD. He wasn't on the autism spectrum. It was definitely more than "Five Year Old Boys Can't Sit Still for Eight Hours" syndrome.

It was almost the end of the year when I finally learned the missing link to understanding Aaron. His situation was heartbreaking. The circumstances of his life had already, at five years old, set him on a path towards a future controlled by the enemy. If nothing changed in his world, I was filled with sorrow picturing what he would become.

And so I prayed.

I pleaded for God to intervene. I fervently asked the Father to save that boy's soul. I felt so honored to be in that class, during that year, to meet that kid, in order to pray for him. Because who was there in his sphere to pray for his good?

The eyes of the Lord are in every place. I imagined a kids' sci-fi cartoon with a big robot walking the streets of the city. Out of the robot's eyes shined green light beams, and you could tell where it was looking based on where the green lights were. The robot was remotely controlled by the villain in a tower somewhere. The villain had a computer screen for the RoboCam. All the visual imput from the robot was viewed by the villain.

Okay now that you have the visual of what I'm trying to convey, imagine that it isn't a bad guy watching the RoboCam. It's God. Yeah, God can see everything all by Himself, but the eyes of His followers are like special security cameras that give Him footage of the people we come into contact with. Through us, He can see the hurting, humble, lost, and tender-hearted. He can see which hearts are desperate for Him, who are trapped and longing for freedom. We can shine a searchlight on people like Aaron and shout, "Hey God! We found him! He's over here and he needs rescue!"

Man have I prayed for that kid.

First grade came and went, and Sunny was not in the same class as Aaron anymore. Second grade came (and has almost went) and they were in different classes. I have continued to pray, although I no longer had contact with Aaron or information about how he was doing.

Then, on the very last night of Awana for the year, I walked into the Sparks room and was shocked to see Aaron standing right in front of me.

"AARON???!!!???"

Aaron had been brought to Awana by the son of one of my mom friends. Praise the Lord!

As the Awana night unfolded, it was extremely apparent to the other Awana leaders that Aaron was a challenge. You didn't have to know him to be able to tell that he 1) didn't come from a church-going background, and 2) he really, REALLY needed to be exposed to Jesus and His followers. At the end of the night, I was gushing. "You guys!!!" I told the other leaders, "I HAVE BEEN PRAYING FOR THIS KID FOR THREE YEARS!!!"

The next week, I was able to talk to my mom friend who had brought him. She said that her son and Aaron were in the same Cub Scouts pack. Also, in the fall they had been on the same sports team. His parents were in the middle of a divorce, and his mom's new boyfriend attended church at Antioch. As a result, Aaron and his mom had started going to Antioch too. Well it just so happens that my mom friend goes to Antioch. So God effectively DUMPED my friend's family into Aaron's life. I am amazed.

I'm amazed to see any results of my prayers at all. But I'm super amazed that the Lord used a friend of mine to answer my prayers! It's so cool! She had no idea that I even knew Aaron, much less that I was praying for him. I had no idea that she knew Aaron, much less that her family was in the process of building into him. They now have him over fairly often. He commented one time, "Your family is awesome!" Oh my word, it's such a miracle for him to witness a stable, loving, God-fearing family.

We are not out of the woods yet. There is much, much more to be done for Aaron to become a committed disciple of Christ. And unfortunately, Awana is now over for the year and Cub Scouts will end soon. I am certainly not relieved of my duty to pray for him. But there is hope! And hope does not disappoint.