My cute student

"Happy Mother's Day!" A kid came to me last Sabbath afternoon during the orchetra/choir rehersal and said this to me and gave me a heart balloon. I was like, I am not a mother but thanks. And then he told me "but you are an excellent teacher." That was so sweet! We had just had one class up to that day but every time he sees me he tells me he's practicing his violin!

A wasted talent

Today one of the kids from the orchestra gave back his violin to the church. Even though he was not my student, it made me sad that he won't play anymore. It is not that we have lost our best violinist in the orchestra either.

Those kids, they all learned to play their instrument in church and develop their talents playing for the Lord every Sabbath in the orchestra. They did not even have to pay for their instrument! The church (and a sponsor family) bought all the instruments for them to learn and use. If it was not for what God has given to them through this church, I don't know how many of them would still be in church now.

God allowed Sandrinho to develop a beautiful talent > music. And what a better way to learn to play the violin than in church, worshiping our Lord every Sabbath?! Sadly to say, after a few years of classes in the conservatory, he decided he did not want to play for the Lord anymore. There, he saw that other kids from the conservatory play in orchestras on the weekend. Last year he was invited to be part of a group that practices on Friday evenings. He started missing orchestra practice in church some Friday evenings hoping his mom would let him go to the conservatory. Since he saw his mom was not going to let him go, he decided he was going to give back his violin. Around November last year he started saying he was going to quit. We all prayed for him, talked with him and his mom, encouraged him to continue, but he has finally decided to quit.

God gave Sandrinho one talent. For a while, he developed it and it looked like he was going to make it into two or three. But, he finally did like the servant in Matthew 25, he gave up and has "hid his master's money in the ground" (25:18, CEV). I pray that Sandrinho changes his mind and takes back that one talent and use it for the Lord.