Pablo Picasso: All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.
My wife Yasho and I are blessed
with two wonderful girls, Reena and Rowena
Rinku bearing fruit of God. As parents we
have found that Children watch what
parents do. Even at a small age they used
to study by themselves as we were busy with
Bible studies and prayer meetings at our
house and elsewhere. Who says spending
time with children’s studies is more important
than spending time with God? In 1 Samuel
2:30 God says – I will honour those who
honour me. The more we spent time
doing God’s work, the more God exalted
them academically. They never attended
coaching classes, yet both were toppers, and
Rinku even stood first in the country in two
subjects in her twelfth standard. She still holds
the record in one subject.
Reena and Rinku were products of
St.John’s Sunday School and loved it, as
they had excellent teachers. They are
continuing in Children and Young Adults
Ministry, the elder in the States and the
younger at Scotch Kirk.
How to get children interested in
God’s work? Silence is not always golden.
When our children could not attend all the
prayer meetings, we would give them the
message that was shared, sitting round the
dining table. Gradually by the grace of God
they took an interest and started asking about
the messages. We would also share with them
what God was doing in our lives and in the
I Tasted Jesus
Children, Bearing Fruit for God, are God┬Тs gift
lives of others. We need to sing His praise
and pray that He would take first
preference in our children’s lives. They
started tithing with their pocket money
and enjoyed the increase and started
sponsoring missionaries. Space permits
me to write only about one child for now.
At the age of 14, Rinku started giving
messages in big gatherings. People who have
heard her preach remember the anecdotes
she has shared. As a teenager she shared a
message at the Gideons meet and cassettes
of her message were circulated, and it is still
in demand. Her focus was always – JESUS.
Mrs. & Mr. Desappa, Rinku & her Kids
Rinku was a class rep from K.G. to
her final postgraduate class. I remember
when she was doing her first year MBA as
class rep of more than 40 boys and 20 girls,
she was in charge of arranging a farewell for
her seniors. She made all the arrangements,
but she was at home, skipping the farewell
meet, as Saturday was Bible study day at
our house, where sister Safia was leading us
on a study of Isaiah. The next year when it
was the juniors turn to arrange the farewell,
they arranged it on a Friday as, if it was
Saturday, Rinku would be absent from their
program but present at the Bible study. What
a testimony. We were humbled by it.
Training up children At Sunday
school, once a teenager asked Rinku, Akka
you talk so much about family and values.
What is a family? My mom and dad work
late hours and we hardly see each other, and
my brother and I are left to ourselves. This
moved her so much. A post graduate four
times over, including an M.A in Christian
studies where she again topped the
University, she decided to stay at home and
change nappies rather than join the rat race
and pursue her career. A wise decision as
she grooms the boys in the World of God.
Her son Rashaan at the age of 2 plus could
say psalm 23, Books of the Bible from
Genesis to Revelation, and many verses
which I am sure many adults cannot. She is
training up her children as Proverbs 22:6
says, Train up a child in the way that he
should go and he will not depart from it. It
takes diligence to manage a family well, as
we see in Timothy 3:12, Let the deacons
rule their children and their own houses
well. It takes effort to teach God’s Principles
Deuteronomy 4:9, teach them thy sons
and sons son.
Yasho and I bow our heads and
thank God for Children, bearing fruit for God,
a gift indeed.
- Mr.B.Subbas Desappa