“We need to send my postcard to the family in Utah,” said 5-year-old Caroline one morning. When her mother, Lesli, went to get Caroline out of bed that morning, this was the first thing her daughter said. Caroline told Lesli of learning about the Kerns family in Mission Friends^® the night before. Lesli and Caroline prayed for them and mailed the postcard Caroline decorated along with a note about their family. The Kernses sent back a note to thank Caroline for the encouragement, and included a picture of their family. Caroline’s church, Woodmont Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, had just started Mission Friends that month. What a difference Mission Friends was already making with their preschoolers as they began learning about missions!

The green tile is a great reminder to me of the impact preschoolers and children can have when they give to missions. This single tile that sits on a shelf in the WMU lobby has a chevron design and a flower. A plaque beside the tile notes that it is from the Tung Shan Church which was built in Canton, China, in 1908 by the Sunbeam Bands of the USA. Sunbeams was the forerunner of Mission Friends^®, and the children at that time were encouraged to give their money towards building a church in China. The children were told about the need for people to hear of Jesus, and encouraged to give as their part in sharing the gospel with people around the world. I wonder how many people heard about Christ because of this Chinese church that the Sunbeams built?

Preschoolers grow toward God as they come to understand Bible thoughts that are used throughout the month. As they understand the meaning of Bible thoughts, they grow spiritually as the missions concepts become a part of their lives. Today we wanted to share with you several different ways of using Bible thoughts with your preschoolers.

The first 5 years in a child’s life are crucial, as these are the years of the most growth both physically and mentally. Their personalities are set during this time as they grow emotionally. Preschoolers’ social development is also enormous during these years as they learn language skills and how to relate to others. If growth in all of these areas is of such importance during the preschool years, it stands to reason that their growth spiritually is also crucial during these years. What a privilege we are given to have a part in guiding preschoolers’ spiritual growth. Our purpose in teaching preschoolers about missions is to lead them in developing a heart for missions so that a missions mind-set becomes part of their lifestyle.