View photos from the Holiday Bible Club
View photos from Pinetown Baptist Church

DURBAN, South Africa — When most people think of a mistake, a bad decision or regrettable action comes to mind. Few people think of a child as a mistake.

During a Holiday Bible Club at Pinetown Baptist Church in Durban, youth pastor Tyronne Eilenburg found some of the children have never been told the words “I love you” by their parents. Some were even told they were a mistake from birth.

Even as the club was coming to an end, the sound of the children laughing and playing did not fade — their voices only grew louder and they played harder. Troubled homes of abuse and neglect leave them desperately needing the love of God the Father as they struggle to understand why they were ever born.

At the close of the final day, Eilenburg offered the simplest demonstration of love, a hug, to children who have maybe never been given one. He affirmed them by telling them how much God loves them. At first many children were shy when asked if they wanted a hug, but with the eyes of the audience closed, child after child came down to the front to receive the offered love and affection. The difference one hug makes was seen on the faces of the children as they walked away beaming from the encounter.

Eilenburg then pointed them to Jesus and His great and endless love for them, and to God the Father, Who will never leave them or forsake them. While heads were bowed and eyes closed, Eilenburg asked children who had been abused and wanted prayer to raise their hands where they were seated. Hand after hand was raised in a heartbreaking testimony to the fact that so many precious children live unloved.

During his sermon the Sunday morning after the Holiday Bible Club was over, Eilenburg shared about one young boy who was kicking a ball and it bounced over a wall. Eilenburg jokingly told the child to go get the ball, and the response of the boy was to look at his feet and say, “Please don’t hurt me.”

Eilenburg’s passion is to have hurting children like this continue coming to Pinetown Baptist, where they can be safe and begin to know how beautiful and cherished they are to God and to the people of the church. He has a vision of going into local primary schools (i.e., elementary schools) and ministering to the children while encouraging them to come to church. This vision is in the beginning stages, and Eilenburg hopes to continue training his staff of leaders and rolling out his vision for the children of Pinetown.

Please pray for the children, that they would know the immense, unfailing love of their heavenly Father. Pray also for Eilenburg and his staff as they offer the perfect love of Jesus to the children God brings into Pinetown Baptist Church.