Teen Delivers Immeasurable Gospel Message

by Lori Arnold — 21 April 2021

LaToria peeked inside the simple white bag. Looking right past the candy and other sweet treats, her tiny hand went straight to the colorful, beaded bracelet. She pulled it out and tied it to her wrist. Each color represented an aspect of the story of Jesus.

LaToria, a first-grader, instantly connected with the story, and with Jesus.

"She took that bracelet with her everywhere she went," said LaVonne Jarrow, outreach coordinator for Crown of Life Ministries. The Easter Bags she distributed, a ministry tool provided by Cru® Inner City, contain a popular gospel bead bracelet, candy and gospel literature for children.

LaToria and her siblings received the Easter Bags during an outreach in a park near their home in Bakersfield, California.

After hearing the message of God's love, all three kids accepted Christ and began regularly attending Crown of Life, but LaToria seemed especially intrigued.

"She was so happy to get the Easter bag," LaVonne said. "When we did our little stories with them and sat down with them and talked to them, she wanted to start coming to church."

The stories of Jesus provided hope for a little girl whose parents wrestled with substance abuse. Despite their struggle, Mom and Dad never stopped LaVonne from taking the kids to church. What LaToria learned there helped her to cope with the sadness she felt after her father passed away after an illness.

"She believes that he is with the Lord and has no more pain or suffering," LaVonne said.

Now 13, LaToria has come full circle, becoming an ambassador for Christ as she helps deliver the Easter Bags with the gospel message.

"She wanted to go with me so I let her go and the kids took to her really good," LaVonne shared, observing that LaToria has an innate ability to break the information down to their level. "I know that they can relate to her a little bit better. And they tend to receive her a little bit better. It's just been awesome."

During their neighborhood visits, LaToria explains the bracelets to her peers and what each color signifies. She follows up by making sure each child understands what was just explained.

Sometimes she will engage them with games. At the end, she invites them to church.

LaVonne, who is also LaToria's Sunday school teacher, noted the young teen's tender heart.

"What impresses me most about LaToria is that she has a genuine love for not only God, but just for people. I don't know, it's like she was automatically born to love the Lord," the Sunday school teacher said.

"She never says no. God has given her a really big heart of a servant. I see that and I just feel good knowing that this one child has gotten a chance in life now because of this experience with this Easter Bag."

Because of the pandemic, Crown of Life is not meeting in person, but LaVonne works to fill the void by creating home study packets she delivers to her Sunday school class at the first of the month. To hold them accountable, she also retrieves their completed work.

Because she's witnessed lives transformed through Christ, LaVonne is acutely aware of the vast possibilities of every touch, even through a small beaded bracelet.

"You know, I feel that if we would have never done [the Easter Bags], and they were never invited, she might not ever been the way she is now," she said.

Previous Posts:

• It Started With a Box
• A Gift of Life
• Navigating Through a COVID Time Warp
• Sowing Hope, Reaping New Life
• Honoring the Blues While Chasing Them Away

Lori Arnold serves as senior writer for Cru's inner-city ministry.