It was a heart-and-soul moment when the Lewis County Adventist School fifth- and sixth-graders led the Chehalis Spanish Church service earlier this year.

These young people are participating in, and being exposed to, practical and cross-cultural ministry close to home and at a young age.

From praying, to singing, to reading Scripture, delivering the sermon and closing the service with prayer, the students delivered a program with great enthusiasm.

In the process, the students made their parents, teachers, and pastor very proud. Church members openly embraced the evangelism efforts of the students.

Student Joe Olsen presented the sermon with the aid of an interpreter. Ministry team leader Karsten Cook called Olsen the night before to pray with him about his sermon—an act that impressed the young preacher.

The student ministry teams help to train future leaders. For teachers and ministry leaders, it is a privilege to prepare young people for future ministry.

While the church members gained a blessing from the fifth- and sixth-graders, it is really the students who received a greater blessing as they learned lessons in leadership while making a difference for the kingdom.