Sister Beverly gives Ana a paper envelope of sunflower seeds, and Ana plants them along the fence with plans for blooms taller than Dad. Then she discovers there is nothing to do but wait — and waiting has never been Ana’s strong suit. That same week, Brother Thompson goes to Dad and to the Pastor with the biggest question of his life: he wants to ask Sister Beverly to marry him. The counsel he receives is one small word. Wait. To Ana, who is seven and in a hurry, wait sounds an awful lot like no — until a dug-up seed, a quiet porch, and a secret she must carry all by herself teach her the difference. A warm story about God’s timing, godly counsel, and the things that are growing right now where nobody can see them. Scripture: Psalm 27:14; Galatians 6:9 (KJV).

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Addison has to say her memory verse in front of the whole church on Sunday evening, and she has spent two weeks planning exactly what she will wear. The verse is not the problem. Being looked at is. Meanwhile, after Sunday school tells the story of David and the giant, two-year-old Andy falls asleep with his red ball in his fist — and dreams himself down into the valley of Elah, where the armor is far too big, the giant is far too loud, and the smallest person in Israel has exactly one word and one red ball. Andy cannot tell a soul what he dreamed. But when Addison stands trembling at the back of the church in the perfect outfit that is not helping her one bit, a toddler toddles up and hands her something small and round. A dream-episode about going out in your own clothes, in the name of the Lord. Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:47; Psalm 56:3 (KJV).

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The welcome the Jones girls gave a lonely camper up in the pines has borne fruit: Abigale comes to church. She keeps coming back, too, drawn by something she cannot yet name — and one Sunday she asks the question that changes everything: how does a person come to Jesus? Allison and Addison, who are only children themselves, discover that they know more than they thought. With Allison’s careful order and Addison’s tender eye for what things mean, the two of them open the Book and show their friend the old apostolic way: repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins, and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. With Sister Ward, Brother Thompson, Sister Beverly, and the whole Jones family looking on, Abigale is born of the water and of the Spirit. A joyful story about the fruit of one small light. Scripture: Acts 2:38 (KJV).

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