By Susan G Mathis

When my daughter was little, I taught her to love and pray for the world, even as a toddler. All it took was a blow up globe and a little fun. As she grew, a globe on the kitchen table gave us a fun educational game I called “Spin Around the World.” During meals, we would often find a country, spin the globe, and call someone’s name. Then that person would have to find where the country was. Before middle school, my kids knew even the tiniest countries and where they were located.

Today my daughter is a missionary in South Africa and my three granddaughters were born there. They are “international children” in every sense of the word, and they have an amazing understanding of God’s big world.

Last month I got to go to South Africa to be with my three granddaughters. Even though they are just two, four, and nearly six, they talked about being American as well as being South African. Even in their tender years, they already love the experience of international travel, and they understood that they were a part of two different countries.

One of the highlights of my time in South Africa was reading my new picture book to the girls. They loved it, and we read it over and over again until the oldest could read most of it
herself. Talk about rewarding!

Lexie’s Adventure in Kenya is the story is about a little girl who travels with her family to Kenya, Africa, and she learns to be patient while dealing with a bully. My granddaughters wanted to see where Kenya was on the map, and they asked lots of questions about the Maasai. We had fun doing the activities at the end of the book, and throughout the ten days I was there, they talked about the book and even told their little friends about it.

Though there’s a bit of melancholy attached to having family live so far away, I know I am partly to blame. I cast a vision for God’s heart for the world in my daughter when she was
little and she’s passing it on to her children. But I can’t complain; they are right in the middle of doing God’s work, and for that, I am richly blessed.

So whether you’re a mom, dad, grandparent, or teacher, I encourage you to help children learn about God’s beautiful, big world in the global society of the 21stcentury. Help them
understand that they are a part of history, a part of God’s bigger picture and plan for His world. And read them stories about other countries, cultures, missionaries, and travel. In this time in global history, you’ll be glad you did.