A Bracelet Tells the Gospel Message to Mothers in Slums
BY PÄIVI RANTA (pictured below giving out bracelets)
I was in a slum village sitting in the back row of a church. A group of mothers was listening to the teaching of our worker Daniela. Infants were held while older siblings were at home or played outside.
These women had become mothers at very young ages. Their circle of influence is small, but they have a very important task in taking care of their children.
Daniela was holding a bracelet with five tokens hanging on it: a heart, a person, a cross, a crown, and a tree. Each woman had just received an identical bracelet.
Daniela shared the story of the bracelet, and it is a story for each one of us.
The story begins from God's heart.
“God knows you and loves you very much. You are valuable and special to Him,” Daniela assured mothers, who, since childhood, have heard that they are second-rate citizens.
Daniela held the next token, a person, between her fingers.
“God’s desire is that you would know Him. He wants to give you eternal life as a gift. But our sin (bad thoughts and deeds) separates us from Him. In the end, sin will destroy us and set us apart from God forever.
We cannot get rid of our sinfulness, even if we try really hard. This is why Jesus, the Son of God, was born into the world as a human to save us from our sins.”
Daniela showed the cross.
“Jesus died on the cross and suffered the punishment for us. God laid all our sins on Him.”
Some of the mothers were holding the cross between their fingers.
“God’s love is greater than our sins and stronger than death. God showed it by raising Jesus from the dead. Jesus is the only way to God. If we confess our sins to God and turn to Jesus who died for us, He will forgive our sins and give us eternal life with Him.”
Daniela picked up the crown, and so did the mothers.
“The crown tells us that Jesus is King and He lives and reigns forever. When we believe in Him, we become God’s children, sons and daughters of the King. God is our Heavenly Father who will never leave us.”
We have reached the last symbol, the tree.
“Our faith is like a seed that needs water and sun to grow. Your faith grows stronger when you pray and read the Bible. In time, your faith will become like a large tree that bears good fruit.”
With this bracelet you can tell the gospel story to your children.
The story the mothers heard was known to many of them, but some got to hear the gospel message for the first time.
The bracelet also serves another purpose.
“You have been given the important task of caring for your children and telling them about God. Using this bracelet, you can share the gospel with them. When your children see you wear the bracelet, they remember what you have taught them.”
A story that is told over and over again
After the event, the churchyard filled with the sound of joyful chatting. Some other village women joined the crowd. A friend of Maria’s saw her bracelet and asked about it. Maria shared the simple story she had just been taught.
In this way the gospel message will be told to many people, both in this village and beyond.
In the photo: A grandmother and child listening to the gospel story
