In the spring of 2004, I felt led by the Lord to train and prepare the preteens for our first mission trip.

We taught them to lead the worship songs, teach an evangelistic Bible study, and counsel lost children.

When I shared with my church staff what I was going to do that summer, they thought I had lost my mind.

The time for our mission trip arrived, and we loaded up 27 preteens and 10 adults and headed to Corpus Christi, Texas, a drive that was a little more than 6 hours away.

We planned to let our preteens lead the Bible studies in three apartment complexes for five days.

As we drove down from Fort Worth, I found myself asking, “Lord, did I hear you right?” I questioned my decision to do this.

Even some adults who went on the trip had difficulty letting the kids do everything.

On Monday of the mission trip, we sent three groups of preteens and leaders into the apartments to minister.

At one location, an 11-year-old preteen named Mark stood up to teach.

When he wrapped up his message that day, he gave an invitation for the children to respond to the Gospel.

Seven kids came forward to make a decision—four children and three teenagers. The adult leaders there were shocked by what they had witnessed.

Later that afternoon, Mark approached me and asked if he could talk with me. I said, “Sure!”

He said, “Brother Clint, when I was speaking today, I felt something like fire going through me.”

Wow! I had never heard anything like this from an adult before, much less a child. I told Mark, “That was the Holy Spirit speaking through you—Acts 1:8!”

After that first summer, I began videotaping and documenting what we were witnessing.

I honestly had never seen anything like this in my previous years of ministry, and I felt like it was a marvelous move of God.

These videos and stories have opened the eyes and hearts of many leaders in the Church today.

Some time ago, I woke up in the middle of the night, and this passage of Scripture came to my mind:

“Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know?” (Isaiah 43:18-19).

I, like many leaders, have never witnessed anything like this, and we are blessed and amazed by this powerful work of God.

For more information about missions with preteens, click here.