Creating Memories for a Lifetime

Providing children with experiences that lead them to better understand the message of the Bible can result in eternal rewards.  

April 20, 2023 | Montemorelos, Nuevo Leon, Mexico | Lizbeth Elejalde

It was a work trip that looked long from the beginning. The goal? To produce a television series for Hope Channel Inter-America in Egypt, Israel, and Jordan, so that viewers could have a deeper understanding of the Bible as they see it from the geography, the culture, and the artifacts found by archeologists in places where patriarchs, prophets, and even Jesus and His disciples walked.

I never imagined that in those weeks spent analyzing remains from the past, God would place a mirror in front of me that would lead me to reflect on my present and plan my future with my son, who had stayed in Montemorelos, Mexico, with his dad.

On the first day, most of us felt tired. After flying for 14 hours, we arrived in Cairo close to midnight, yet our plan was to leave the hotel by 7 a.m. the next morning. We visited the pyramids and had our first encounter with camels. We listened to explanations before the Sphinx, the great pyramid of Cheops, and a lookout from where one can enjoy the Giza complex. It was our first contact with the desert sun and sand, and I was very much focused on looking for the best shots and capturing the host’s explanations as clearly as possible.

Several hours elapsed before I found out and my attention was drawn to another group traveling with us. Indeed, the combination of deserts, seas, rivers, long-winded explanations, long hours walking and few hours sleeping could be considered a hardly attractive trip option for a family with six children. The Pérez-Febles, however thought differently. This family, which included grandparents, their two daughters Yaczaira and Yarimell with their husbands, and their son Benjamin with his wife, decided that spending 19 days giving the youngest ones a first-hand experience of the places where Jesus, the patriarchs, the prophets, and the disciples made their mark on the history of Christianity, was a matchless opportunity.

Thus, visiting the pyramids, basilicas, tombs, and museums was an enriching and thrilling experience not only for the children but the whole family as well. “No doubt, this is something we will remember for the rest of our lives,” Vladimir, Yaczaira’s husband, said.

Walking through the same places where Jesus preached and performed miracles will help children understand biblical history better and will strengthen their faith. So, he said, “every night at the hotel we spend some time in worship and reflection about the experiences we went through during the day, thanking God for the things He did and continues doing for us.”

I kept recording for the TV show, but I noticed that in every town we visited, those children would adapt to being in an environment with adults and responded well to the demands of each day. It’s not difficult to imagine how difficult traveling with children can be. Parents would have to plan their days very carefully, taking into account everyone’s needs, their hours of sleep, and their times for eating and resting. You could tell, however, that they felt their efforts were well worth it.

“Let the little children come to Me” (Matt. 19:14), was their inspiration. Benjamín Pérez-Soto, the grandpa in the family, shared that since their children were little, they tried to instil the notion of the closeness of God with them, emphasizing the strong connection between education at home, education at school, and their experiences at church. Now that their children have grown and everyone has their own family, they are replicating that experience with their own kids.

Melitza, Benjamin’s wife, shared, “The day we visited Mount Gethsemane, without anyone asking, our daughter Amaia said, ‘I’ll be back; I will go pray under the olive tree.’ She went without anyone telling her what to do. We reflected on how children were indeed paying attention and learning.”

Just like Melitza, the rest of the family members saw in their children some behaviors that told them they were on the right track. “It encouraged us, for instance, to base our daily evening family worship on the place we had visited hours before,” she said.

Little by little, I got to know every family member, and I discovered that behind their warmth and kindness, they have individual initiatives to support evangelism in the place they live. I found out that the children, together with their parents and grandparents, are active in their church community. And I found a unity of purpose around the goal that every experience on this trip will inspire them to stay together as they travel to our heavenly home.

Thanks to this trip, I learned a lot about archeology, Bible and production, but it also led me to reflect on what my husband and I do with our son. At the end of the day, it’s not about the places we visit but the spirit in which we do it. Whether it a visit to a nearby garden or to Bethlehem in Palestine, our goal should be to find there, God’s presence and boundless love for us.

The reward of this family effort won’t be only big smiles on children’s faces, but their involvement with their local church and community, their receptiveness to the gospel message, their cultural enrichment, and the sensitivity with which they lead. Every current experience is a seed that will shape their behavior as Seventh-day Adventist servants and future preachers. Mark 10:14 puts it this way, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

Our production is done. Everyone returned home. However, I did not only bring many production hours with me. I also brought with me precious reflections and countless memories that I will always treasure in my heart.

Lizbeth Elejalde is programming director of Hope Channel Inter-America, and also teaches television production classes at Montemorelos University in Mexico.