Un niño que recibió una caja de regalos de Operation Christmas Child y que participa en nuestro curso de discipulado enseña hoy a otros niños las mismas 12 lecciones bíblicas que transformaron su vida.
Sann* busca seguir a Cristo y trabaja activamente para multiplicar el número de creyentes a su alrededor. Esto ha sido así desde que se graduó de La Gran Aventura a los 10 años.
Pero gran parte de la vida del joven evangelista, antes de eso, estuvo marcada por el dolor. Para evitarle los problemas de un hogar disfuncional, su madre lo envió a vivir con un pastor de una iglesia local. Allí encontró estabilidad, esperanza y amor, y comenzó a conocer a un Salvador que podía brindarle todo eso por la eternidad.
Aunque nunca quiso ser maestro, Sann (a la derecha) hoy encuentra gran alegría en enseñar a jóvenes camboyanos las 12 lecciones de La Gran Aventura.
Cuando Sann cumplió 8 años, recibió una caja de regalos de Operation Christmas Child repleta de regalos que le hicieron sonreír, pero una invitación al programa de discipulado de Samaritan's Purse, La Gran Aventura, cambió el rumbo de su vida para siempre, ya que Dios le abrió la mente a una nueva oportunidad de ministerio.
“Una vez que comencé las clases de La Gran Aventura y empecé a asistir con regularidad, me sentí más entusiasmado y apasionado por la Palabra y por el Señor debido a las cosas que estaba aprendiendo”, dijo Sann.
Seguir el llamado de Cristo
La Gran Aventura Aventura fue el punto decisivo en su vida, y ahí se comprometió y comprendió lo que significaba ser cristiano. Pronto quiso que otros niños también experimentaran esta transformación. Ahora, a sus 21 años, Sann ha dedicado los últimos 11 años de su vida a impartir estas clases.
"La Gran Aventura and Operation Christmas Child have changed me,” Sann said. “I cannot stop discipling others, teaching others, and helping these children to grow in the Lord.”
Although he never wanted to be a teacher, he now sees his position for the incredible blessing it is to reach kids at young age and point their hearts toward Jesus. He considers it a privilege and a calling to pull children up out of desperate circumstances and give them hope.
“Before I started La Gran Aventura, I knew that Jesus is the Savior of the world, but through these lessons I learned to be bold and be courageous to tell others about Jesus,” Chea (center) said.
“My prayer has been that the children of Cambodia, not just here, but all of Cambodia, would rise up and become the next generation [of disciples],” Sann said. “I think of the verse in the Bible (Luke 10:2) that says, the harvest is ready and ripe, but there’s not anyone yet ready to actually go and do the harvesting. My goal is getting them excited and getting them ready to be the ones to go reap that harvest themselves.”
Recognizing the Unforgettable Influence of a Teacher
A relationship with Christ is the most important thing he wants a child to walk away with, but he also knows the importance of a relationship with a teacher thanks to his own story.
“My teacher, her name was Sok*, and she taught me since I was really young, and I call her mom because she took care of me like I am her own child,” he said.
Thanks to Sok, when Sann graduated from La Gran Aventura at 10 years old, he immediately started teaching. He firmly believes you’re never too young to teach someone else. One of his favorite things is encouraging his students to take on leadership roles and disciple others. He asked Dara*, for example, to help him lead this class.
“Since attending La Gran Aventura I feel as though I’ve been able to know more about God and be able to affirm my faith,” Dara said. “I also feel confident in sharing the word and sharing the Gospel with other people.”
Sann saw something special in Dara, explaining that her wisdom and faith extends beyond her 13 years.
Chea and Dara, students in Sann’s classes of La Gran Aventura, proudly display the interactive student workbooks that reinforce the Bible lessons to their young hearts.
“My favorite memory verse is Genesis 1:27, ‘God created a man in his own image, in the image of God; He created him; male and female He created them,’ because it shows the power of God and how He was able to create us from nothing,” Dara said.
Compartiendo la esperanza del Evangelio
Sann knows what his students are going to encounter if they follow Jesus–often rejection from others along with pressure to not go to church. He does his best to prepare them to hold onto their faith against all odds and find the courage to share it with friends and family.
“Before I started La Gran Aventura, I knew that Jesus is the Savior of the world, but through these lessons I learned to be bold and be courageous to tell others about Jesus,” Chea*, a student in Sann’s class said.
Sann trains students like Chea how to follow Christ for a lifetime.
When these kids enter his class, they often carry the baggage of hardship and struggle, but over the course of the program he sees their transformation firsthand and attributes it to Jesus. He knows that most people who pack shoeboxes will never step foot in his classroom, but he wishes they could understand the incredible impact a single box has on this community.
“Know that because of your shoebox and because of what you’ve done, there are smiles on children’s faces.” Sann said. “The joy, the laughter, the cheering, seeing their joy, it’s because of you being able to bless them.”
Please pray that each of the millions of shoebox gifts delivered this year will show a child God’s love and that many of these boys and girls will participate in La Gran Aventura and become lifelong followers of Jesus.
*Nombre cambiado por seguridad
