"I have chosen you out of the world therefore the world hateth you."

by Steve Brogdon — missionary in Mexico City, Mexico

It is Monday and the first day back to school after summer vacation. The teacher stands before the class of fourth graders and begins roll call. As each child stands at his name being called, he is warmly greeted by the teacher. “Welcome back, Juanito!” “Good to see you, Lupita!” says the smiling teacher.

“...Evelyn Perez.” Evelyn quietly stands as her name is called and sees the smile fade from her teacher’s face. “Oh, it’s you,” is the bland greeting given to Evelyn. Blushing, and painfully aware of the eyes of the class upon her, she takes her seat and prepares for another year like the last one.

Two years ago, Evelyn joyfully received Christ as her Savior and was baptized, along with her parents, Isidro and Virginia, her sister Araceli, and brother Jorge. She was so thrilled at what Jesus had done for her and her family! Mommy and Daddy weren’t talking about divorce anymore. The whole family began doing things together. She and her brother and sister found a new love and fellowship, and their new friends at church were so different from the ones they’d had before!

Conflict arose immediately in school. Evelyn’s teacher threatened to withhold her report card because she would not bow and cross herself before a picture of the Virgin Guadalupe. She was ridiculed by the teacher in class because she did not receive “First Communion” in the Catholic church along with the rest of the students.

Evelyn never complained. She took little homemade tracts with hand-drawn pictures and handwritten Bible verses to everyone at school, including the teacher. At Christmas, she made cards for everyone, always with the plan of salvation. At recess, she witnessed to her friends. Of course, she was severely reprimanded for all of this, threatened, and ordered to stop. But not before she was able to win several of her schoolmates and even a teacher to Christ!

The negative attitude was picked up by the other children, of course. One girl announced to a group of friends that Evelyn goes to church “in a big circus tent - like a bunch of monkeys in a cage!” Some of the children told Evelyn that they were not allowed to play with her. They just couldn’t understand that Evelyn loved Jesus, the Bible, and her church (even if it does meet in a circus tent).

The teacher closes the roll book. “Now, class, let’s all stand and offer a prayer to the Blessed Virgin.” As the other children repeat the teacher’s prayer, Evelyn bows her head and quietly asks the Lord Jesus to give her strength to be faithful.

Last Sunday night during memory verse time (the first Sunday after this incident), Evelyn stood and quoted John 15:18-19 “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own: But because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”

May we be faithful to pray for Evelyn, her family, and Christian children around the world who go through this every day! May we learn from the example of this courageous little girl and her love for God!