All the world
Julia was playing outside, when her big sister Kate drove up. Kate was much older and
in college, and Julia loved it when she visited. Kate came home every other weekend, and
she always brought a little gift home to Julia. Julia ran up to the car and waited for Kate to
get out.
Kate opened the door and climbed out of the car. She yawned and stretched her arms.
She pulled Julia to her and tickled her under her chin; this always made Julia laugh. Julia grabbed her sister’s arm and excitedly led her to the barn. She had a surprise. Their cat, Freckles, had her kittens while she was gone. The two girls watched as the little kittens slept in the hay next to their momma. Julia begged her mom and dad to let her keep all of them, but they were only going to let her keep one. Julia asked Kate which kitten she thought was
the cutest. Kate looked them over. She liked the little gray one with the white paws; it was the smallest and the cutest. Julia agreed.
Julia helped Kate with her bags; they were heavier this time. She noticed there were a few smaller suitcases in the trunk; she wondered if her sister was moving back home. The idea made her smile; it would be perfect to have Kate home again.
That night, at dinner, Kate stopped eating and put her fork down. She informed her mom and dad that she had something very important to tell them. Julia stopped eating. Kate had a big smile on her face, whatever it was must have been something great. She told them she had received an offer to be a missionary in Russia. Everyone was quiet. Julia didn’t know much about Russia, but she did know that she didn’t want her sister to move there. Kate explained that she had been praying about the decision for the last few weeks, and she knew that it was something God wanted her to do. Their mother asked when she would be leaving. Kate said she would be flying out in a week. Julia pushed her plate away. She wasn’t hungry anymore.
She asked if she could go lie down for a while. Her dad nodded and she got up from the table, tears streaming down her cheeks, and slowly walked to her room at the end of the hall.
Julia lay in her bed and looked up at the ceiling. She didn’t want her sister to leave. Russia was millions of miles away; would Kate ever come home again? A few moments later there was a knock at her door. It was Kate; she asked if she could come in. Julia hid her face against her pillow; she didn’t want Kate to see that she was crying. Kate sat on the bed next to Julia. She smoothed Julia’s hair back. Kate admitted that it was very hard for her to leave her family.
“So don’t go then, stay here, you can be a missionary here.” Julia said softly. Kate smiled and looked down at her hands.
“Let me show you something.”Kate reached onto the nightstand and took Julia’s pink Bible.
She turned through the pages until she found the verse she was looking for. She read aloud.
Mark 16:15 Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Kate closed the Bible and held it in her lap. She explained to Julia that God had commanded her to go to Russia and witness to the people there. She told her about all the children who had never heard of Jesus, and how she was going to be able to tell them all about God’s love for them. Julia smiled. As much as she wanted her sister to stay with her, she knew the people of Russia needed to know about Jesus. She hugged her sister and told her she loved her.
The morning Kate left for Russia, Julia stood next to the car as her dad finished loading the trunk. Her parents hugged and kissed Kate goodbye. Julia waited until they had gone inside before she said her goodbyes.
Kate promised to write every week. Julia agreed to keep her updated on Freckles and the kittens. They hugged, and before she left, Kate handed her a little box. Julia untied the ribbon and took off the lid. It was a fancy bookmark. It had a picture of Kate holding Julia as
a baby, at the bottom was the verse Mark 16:15.
The Moral of the story…Unleashed:
Mark 16:15
Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
God has commanded us to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the entire world.
Every Christian is a missionary and it is our mission to tell everyone about the love of Jesus.