“How do people become staff with Ministry Essentials?” ”Do you think the board would accept me?” ”What could I do?” ”Can I be your assistant?” ”If I were your assistant, what do you need me to do?” ”Can I help now?”
At first I thought he was just asking because we had recently interviewed and accepted new staff. Maybe he just wanted to understand the process. But the more he talked, the more I realized the depth of what was being asked. He wanted to be a part. He wanted some ownership of the life we have in Thailand. But just being my son and going to school was not enough. His part had to be official and therefore meaningful.
Needing some time to think, I suggested he speak to the board about his desires since it could be a conflict of interest for me to interview him and 
decide whether he should have an ‘official role’. So, he did! Christian spoke to one of our advisory board members and then to our governing board. It was not until our staff gathering this past week that he underwent an “official” interview.
They asked about his relationship with the Lord and his desire to serve with the organization. Questions ranged from how he treats others to his attitude in doing what he is told. 
Well, not wanting to be left out, Jille wanted to undergo the same. When the day came for the commissioning, she was so excited and kept calling it the “preaching”. ”When are we going to have the preaching?” What we didn’t know was that Al & Chris had come up with some certificates to present at ‘the preaching. We all sat around the table as Al & Chris explained the significance of Christian and Jille’s commitment and then read their certificate. You could feel their excitement and slight embarrassment… but mostly excitement.
Closing in prayer, we committed these tender lives to God and welcomed them to ‘the team’.
Tags: children, service, volunteers
