A Hug from Heaven

He opened up about his past. How he used to feel distant from God—as if God wasn’t listening. 

But over time, he realized God had been there all along. In his words, “I didn’t need to fight to be heard. God already heard me. He was already loving me.”

He also spoke about loss. Someone close to him had passed away, and that pain became part of his journey toward faith. It helped him grow.

Isaiah walked off quietly after sharing. 

That’s when it happened. 

A little boy—who didn’t speak his language—walked straight up to him. No words. Just a smile. Then he gave Isaiah a warm, silent hug.

Moments later, a trip leader found Isaiah in a corner, crying.

“I’m okay. I just wasn’t expecting that,” he said. The little hug hit him deep. It felt to him like God was hugging him again—reassuring him and loving him—right there through the arms of a child.

Isaiah also believed the little boy had been moved by the message. Even through a translator, the love had reached him.

Before the team left, every child in that school heard the gospel. Each one walked away with a Spark magazine in hand—and something greater in their hearts.

You could flip it to create more intrigue:

There's a neighbourhood in Parana, Brazil that is known to have the city's largest number of special needs students. This is where the GO Team arrived.... 

Starting like that creates a bit of intrigue and interest, so you've roped them into the ensuing story.

This is the jarring way we yank people back in and that's stronger if it stands alone.