Mentoring Moms in the Military

Last week I received this post from Kate on my Facebook page:

How would you answer this question from young mothers? “I want my children to know the truth of creation, but they are in public school where I know they will be ridiculed by kids and teachers alike for believing the Bible’s account is truth. I want to protect them from ridicule and humiliation! . . . Does it make sense to let it ride while they are still quite young and more sensitive and then tackle the issue of a literal biblical creation when they are older?”

This is a question posed to me in our summer Creation Bible study (part 2) with American military and contractor wives at a USAF/RAF base here in England. I taught a study using the 7 Cs of History in the winter for the Protestant Women of the Chapel (PWOC). The women were hungry for truth and God showed up and opened their eyes! It was awesome! Now a smaller group has requested to continue in the topic this summer.

What a great question! Here is how I responded:

My daughter is in public school and so I’ve had to face this issue. It is so important that parents instruct their children about the truth of God’s Word beginning in Genesis right from the start. They are never too young. The more we build that foundation and give them answers now, the less likely they are to question as they get older and the better equipped they will be to give a defense for God's Word.

I have told my daughter that if she shares what she believes with those at school that she will be likely be made fun of. That has not stopped her from sharing! I’ve used AiG materials to equip her and prepare her to give answers so that when her friends laugh at her and ask questions about her beliefs she has the ability to share the truth. I think that has given her a lot of confidence. I don’t want my daughter to be on the defense but rather on the offense! Praise God for your ministry to these women and ultimately to their children! I have a new DVD that you might find helpful: Kid’s Most Asked Questions About Science and the Bible.

Kate replied and shared specifically how she is using AiG resources and how her interest in biblical creation began:

Thanks! I’ll share your response to my ladies on Tuesday! And check into the new DVD. I just collected my kids’ materials to take so the gals can look them over and find that I have a stack 3 feet high! It includes everything from the Answers Books for Kids 1–4 through the Answers for Kids curricula through It All Begins with Genesis to Demolishing Strongholds. I’ve worked mostly with kids in the past, before coming to England three years ago. Now I am enjoying teaching adults!

The ladies in PWOC come from a wide and varied church background. I am astounded at how they have responded to the biblical creation teaching, which has been totally new to 99% of them! OH, my! God is so good! And I thank Him all the time for AiG and the outstanding materials available to me in this ministry! Thought my husband and I are nearing retirement age, we were married just 3 years ago before coming to England. And believe it or not, we went to the Creation Museum for our honeymoon! While there, we acquired a brimming box full of books and DVDs that were on a special sale. We thought it would be a good investment and that maybe God would give us an opportunity to use them in England. We started with a Creation Bible study shortly after arriving and haven't stopped yet!

I hope others will be encouraged to step out and use AiG resources to help start studies. One of the things we found really successful when we ran the Answers with Ken Ham series, and which would probably be the same with the new Foundations series, is to take a break one week and play a DVD that addressed an issue in more detail. For instance, we have 4 about dinosaurs, or Lucy, She’s No Lady, several on the Grand Canyon, Dr. Gitt’s In the Beginning Was Information had us applying ice packs to our brains but we hung in there! I guess we have another 3 foot stack of DVDs that aren’t for kids’ ministry.

AiG makes it really easy to create a good study without having to do a lot of personal research. It may require some financial investment to build a library, but it’s so worth it! This is all pretty new to my husband, too.

I was hooked on biblical creation when I was 15. Back in the late 60s, my family was attending a church that promoted the Gap Theory, thanks to Scofield Bible notes. My dad was sent overseas in the air force to Turkey. He came home with a book from a man who attended the church services held by a Southern Baptist mission for the military. This gentleman was British science professor teaching at the university in Ankara on an exchange program. Dad got an autographed copy of the book, and, intrigued, I slogged my way through it. The man was A.E. Wilder Smith and the book was Man’s Origin, Man’s Destiny. I have been intensely interested in biblical creation ever since! Watching AiG grow has been a thrill! . . . My husband and I are looking forward to driving down to Ipswich in August to hear Ken Ham! Can hardly wait. We each just got the new Henry Morris Study Bible and plan to have him autograph them! Several of the Bible study ladies are interested in going as well, so hopefully we can show up with a group of Americans at this British church to hear our favorite Aussie!

God bless you. That you have taken the time and interest in our little group means so much! Due to the nature of military life, people come and go frequently. I just pray that they will have discovered a new confidence in God’s Word and an interest in continuing to search even after they leave. I am constantly saying, “Check the AiG website.”

What an amazing testimony! Reading it really encouraged me (which is why I decided to share it on my blog!) and reminded me of the far-reaching effects of the AiG ministry.

I’m off to Branson this week for a little bit of vacation time with the family and then speaking at the AiG Proclaiming the Faith conference there next week. Hope to see you there!

Keep fighting the good fight of the faith!