Jason was one of the first children to join Jesse Ketchum with his younger brother when we started the KIC programs in January 2022.
KIC is an afterschool program where children have the opportunity to hear the life-changing news of the gospel, some for the first time. Jason is one of our students who was introduced to the gospel through our programs. In addition, one of TCM’s core values is relationship building. Consequently, as the children engage with their Outreach Workers and volunteers, they are exposed to people whose lives have been transformed by the gospel.
Jason is an artistic and creative thinker. He likes to draw and colour during his free time and enjoys passionately sharing things he is excited about to his peers. In addition, he also loves gym games and is not shy about being around other kids and joining in on activities with them.
Through Jason is often a lively kid, Abi (Outreach Worker at Jesse-Ketchum) realized that he does not like praise and worship or listening to Bible lessons. She often finds that he is not attentive to the Bible lesson as he hides behind chairs, or sits away from the group. Earlier last year, he mentioned that he “hates God” but then quickly said he was joking.
However, One day in October 2022, Jason had a change of heart and began becoming more curious about the Bible lesson and participating in praise and worship. One day the Bible lesson was about God’s promises to the prophets of the Bible. Jason was actively listening and participating in the discussion. He asked questions about the trinity, specifically, the Holy Spirit, and how we can talk to God personally. He also began to request specific worship songs and danced and sang along. One day, Jason’s dad asked us for a list of worship songs we sing during KIC because he noticed that his sons were singing them at home. His favourite song is "A Million Reasons” by Lifetree Kids.
Abi and Karen were surprised with Jason’s change of heart. Seeing him enjoy worship along with the other kids brought them joy and encouragement. Their goal is to integrate worship music in all parts of the program so the children are exposed to it even in “non-worship” environments. Further, we hope that Jason and his brother minister to their parents by continuing to listen to the songs at home. Specifically, that their parents will hear the lyrics and begin to think about the meaning behind them and wonder about the God that their children are singing about. This shows us that although we are ministering to children, they are bringing the Gospel home and have the power to influence their parents.
Through this experience, we witnessed God’s working power even when we don’t see results right away. Although we cannot pinpoint exactly what the switch was with Jason. We are thankful that God opened his heart to have the desire to learn about Him and bring His presence home through music.