CIS 2nd Generation Conference

by WMD   01-06-2015   0 reads

From January 2nd to 4th we held a 2nd Generation conference alongside the CIS Director’s conference in Kirgizstan. In total, 9 children attended from the following countries: Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kirgizstan and Russia. We hoped that 2nd generation missionaries would receive God’s calling personally. The title of the conference was “A royal priesthood and a holy nation”. On the first day, the children were welcomed by doing icebreakers, giving introductions and having singspiration. Then they heard a message on Jeremiah 1:1-19. The 2nd generations learned that God set them apart and appointed them for His work. Like Jeremiah, we often make excuses of why we are unable to obey His calling. But the 2nd generations learned not to look at themselves but to look at the mighty God, who equips them to do His work. We can obey God’s will because it’s God’s authority that is behind our calling and that He is always with us.

After hearing the message, they split into groups based on gender to have bible study on Jeremiah 1:1-19. Through this, they could find answers to all their remaining questions.

The highlight of the first day was the CIS world mission night. The 2nd generations represented their country by performances and presentations. They reported on their languages, cultures, food, people and personal experiences of living as Christians. It was amazing to see how those, who represented their countries, had such a burning shepherd heart for their parents, ministries and nations. Moreover, all of them prayed for each other with passion and unity.

The next day, we started with group bible study on 1 Peter 2:4-10. Then they heard the message and learned that instead of building their life on other things, they should let Jesus be the cornerstone and foundation of their lives. Additionally, they renewed their identities as God’s chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation and God’s special possession. They took time to reflect on the passage by writing and sharing testimonies. In the evening, they had the opportunity to perform in front of all the missionaries and shepherds at the Director’s conference and introduce themselves and their prayer topics.

On the last day, we heard the message on Galatians 2:11-21. For this, we invited John from Almaty, Kazakhstan. They learned that they cannot please God by their own actions. Only Christ would enable them to bear fruits.

Then we had a Bible Memorization Contest. We had encouraged them to memorize 1 Peter 2:4-10 at the start of the conference. Afterwards, the 2nd generations had time to reflect on the conference by sharing what they learned and their individual prayer topics. Even when the conference ended, they shared their prayer topics and contact information to continue encouraging each other.

The children accepted their identity as 2nd generation missionaries and royal priests who would co-work with their parents in their respective mission fields. By God’s grace, they received a deeper spiritual desire to know Jesus more personally by bible study and prayer. They liked to have much praise (with many motions) and games for variation.

We thank God for giving us this opportunity to serve CIS 2nd generations and support them in their spiritual growth. Through them, we saw God’s hope and love for the whole world. While living in Muslim countries, they kept their faith in Christ and were eagerly looking for ways to share the gospel with their friends. When we saw how gifted they were in many languages, such as Korean, English, and Russian, and how spiritually mature they were, we believed that God would use them as a source of a blessing for all nations.\