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By Elaine Miller
 It's a perfect fall day. The diapers arrive in vans. Parents arrive on foot, pushing their little ones in hand-me-down strollers. Volunteers scramble to unload the vans, sort the diapers according to size, and stack the diapers against one wall of the school gymnasium. Other volunteers greet parents warmly. Thus "Diaper Days" begin.
The Ithaca, New York, Pregnancy Center has every minute well planned for this four-hour event. Childcare is provided in the gym while moms and dads enjoy making crafts and hearing presentations from various organizations offering help to young parents. A representative from Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) invites them to be part of their group. The library informs them of their pre-school story hour. Cooperative Extension talks about nutrition. A nice lunch is served.
I mingle with the young parents throughout the morning. Having never met any of them, I seek to know their fears and pain. I am here as the speaker. After lunch, I will share with these parents the spiritual aspects of parenting and close by presenting the Gospel and an invitation to accept Christ. At the conclusion, six new parents accept Jesus Christ as their eyes open to the Truth.
At the end of the event, the parents will go home with the diapers—100 days' worth! I suspect many of them came just for the diapers.
The volunteers at the Pregnancy Center did their job months before, showing Christlike love to the parents-to-be. The seeds were planted in their hearts by dedicated volunteers who are involved in clients' lives on a daily basis—not just at a one-day event.
It is joyful to realize a harvest from planting. So, I share with you, the seed planters, my experience in bringing in the harvest.
Her perky name and pretty face do not match her slow, dispirited walk. Receiving free diapers for two of her five children is her only expectation today. The heavy black coat and wool scarf covering her hair seem odd in the 70-degree sunshine. Unveiling her head reveals black, matted hair matching her dark, sad eyes. She is thin and fragile in body and spirit. I tell her of Jesus and how He loves her. She prays with me and gives her life to Him. Looking up from her prayer, her eyes sparkle, her lips curve up in the first smile of the day. Peace replaces the pain on her face. I witness the instantaneous and incredible transforming work of the Holy Spirit. She leaves the gym with her diapers and her newfound faith. Smiling, she breathes fresh air as the wind gently tickles her hair and the Holy Spirit tickles new life into her heart.
Another mother is very young. I don't remember her name. I only remember her tattoos. She is the first to proudly raise her hand when I ask if anyone has a tattoo. And then I ask, "Do you know who had the first tattoo?" She shakes her head shyly. I tell her: "It was God. He says in Isaiah 49:16, 'See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.' God had the first tattoo, and it was you." Her mouth opens slightly, her eyes widen. Fixed on the thought of God having a tattoo, she listens and learns of God's love for her. Eagerly and sweetly, she accepts Christ as her Savior.
A huge man walks into the room. Pleasantly beaming, he lovingly holds his eight-day-old daughter. Weighing four pounds at birth, she is the tiniest baby I have ever seen outside a hospital. She seems even smaller nestled in her father's large hand. He could have carried her in his coat pocket. She lay on her father's chest during my presentation. Baby and dad are the picture of contentment. His eyes brighten as I share the Gospel. I tell him of Jesus who loved him, died for him, rose for him, and is now praying for him. I tell him Jesus will forgive his sins, throw them into the deepest sea, and remember them no more. I was not prepared for his gentle response. My eyes cry when he responds, "I said to myself when my daughter was born, 'There must be a God.' Now I know that God is Jesus." With a huge smile he asks to pray the prayer that assures him of his salvation. The sincerity of his prayer assures me that this tiny, eight-day-old baby girl will now be raised in a Christian home. Her father will tell her about Jesus. He will tell her of the prayer he prayed because when he looked into her newborn face, he knew that God was real.
"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers" (I Corinthians 3:6-9a).
What a joy to be God's fellow workers! Have you been planting and watering but not seeing a harvest? Be encouraged. You are His servant, and you are bearing fruit.
| Elaine Miller is a writer and speaker. She lives in Horseheads, New York. |
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