Family Ministry Volunteer Spotlight

Published March 8, 2022 by Missy Wells

One of my favorite places to be is in the two- and three-year-old classrooms on the preschool hall at South Main Baptist Church. The little children crawl into my lap and I get to love them just like Jesus did. I know many adults might refer to this age as the "terrible twos" and "temper tantrum threes," but to me two- and three-year-old children are pure joy.

The squeals and giggles, the hugs—and even the tears—fill my heart to overflowing. This is the age when kids really begin to discover the world, and I have the privilege of helping them learn that God loves them and that each one of them is special. In the early weeks, the lessons are often as simple as God made my eyes so I can see all the beautiful colors in the world around me. We color, paint, and make glittery crafts. We build tall towers with Duplo blocks and talk about how God created the whole world and everything in it. We get to introduce the Bible stories that teach God is so big and He is always with us.

As each year progresses, I get to help each child discover their emotions and that God loves them all the time—when they are happy, sad, angry, frustrated, silly, stubborn, gentle, and kind. We learn to share and how to love one another. It is pure joy because everything we do is met with wonder and curiosity. The children and their wonder-filled approach to the world remind me that I am to have faith like a child who wants to learn more every day.