By Brenda Walsh
When Kids Time began 15 years ago, the very first letter I read on the very first Sharing Time segment was from Nicole, a seven-year-old girl from Michigan. She was writing to ask for prayer for her dad so that he would stop smoking and drinking. I could feel the love this little girl had for her father as I read her heartfelt letter, and I looked into the camera and asked all the boys and girls to pray for Nicole’s father, too.
Two years later, I was speaking at a church in Michigan and stayed after the meeting to greet a long line of people. I happened to notice an anxious little girl holding her father’s hand, in eager anticipation to meet me. Finally, when it was her turn, she gave me a big hug, looked up into my face, and said, “Miss Brenda, do you remember me? I’m the one who wrote you a letter!” Well, my heart began to beat a little faster. I could see how very important it was to her that I remember who she was, but she obviously had no idea about the enormous amount of letters I receive. I had never even met her before—how could I possibly know her name? Please Heavenly Father, tell me what her name is, I pleaded.
Immediately, I looked down at her hopeful face and said, “Why, your name is Nicole!” I almost cried as I saw her quickly look at her dad, jumping up and down exclaiming, “See, Daddy! I told you Miss Brenda would remember me!” Thank you, Jesus! I prayed. She quickly introduced me to her dad, saying, “Miss Brenda, Jesus answered our prayers! This is my daddy! He doesn’t drink anymore and he loves Jesus now.”
Nicole’s father had tears in his eyes as he told me about that day, two years before, when Kids Time was on the television in their home. “I about stopped dead in my tracks as I watched you hold up my little girl’s photo and then read her precious letter. I couldn’t believe my ears! She was asking you to pray for me!” He continued to share how his heart was touched that his daughter loved him so much she was willing to write to me, and how that moment changed his life forever!
Before they left, Nicole gave me another hug and said, “Oh, and Miss Brenda, I want you to know, I’m going to be baptized soon.”
Nicole grew up loving Jesus, but during her teen years, she became rebellious and lost her connection with God. She began cutting herself, pierced her ears, and experimented with alcohol. Pretty soon, she stopped going to church altogether.
Not long after that, she met and fell in love with Drew, and soon they were married. Today, they are the proud parents of two precious girls, Karlee and Madee.
Nicole’s mom, Teri, never gave up on her, and the Holy Spirit continued to work on Nicole’s heart in answer to her mom’s prayers. Although she wasn’t professing to be a Christian, there were still some beliefs that Nicole had learned as a child that she would not compromise on. She refused to eat unclean meat and there were certain things that she didn’t do on the Sabbath.
Drew was confused, since he had never heard of these beliefs before, and hadn’t grown up in a Christian home. One day, while visiting Nicole’s parents, he asked Teri why Nicole would not eat pork. “Well, it doesn’t matter what I say, let’s see what the Bible tells us,” she answered. Turning to Leviticus 11, she showed Drew what God said about abstaining from certain meats. From that day on, he never ate unclean meat again.
At one point, Drew became very upset with Nicole, saying, “You had all this knowledge—why would you go against it all?” That’s when it hit her that she should have been a witness to him all this time. Not long after, Drew and Nicole began to study with some church members who shared God’s Bible truth with them. Drew and Nicole made the decision to give their hearts to Jesus, and both requested baptism. Although she had been baptized when she was a little girl, because she had recommitted her life to Christ, she wanted to be rebaptized with her husband. She contacted the same pastor who had baptized her years ago and let him know how much it would mean to her if he would baptize her again.
Here is where the story takes on a special twist . . .
A few weeks ago, my father called me to pray for him. Although he is retired now, he often said, “There’s really no such thing as a retired pastor.” In fact, Dad still preaches to this day! But at 84 years of age, he has suffered with his health and was worried whether or not he would have the strength to baptize a girl who had specifically asked him to baptize her.
“Brenda, please pray that God will give me the strength, as this means so much to her.” I had absolutely no knowledge at all about whom he was going to baptize, or even what this girl’s name was. But I prayed with him on the phone and told him that I would be lifting him up in prayer on the day of baptism, as well. Imagine my surprise to learn that the minister who baptized Nicole 14 years ago, the same little girl whose letter I had read on our first Kids Time program . . . was my very own father, Pastor James Micheff!
And just a few weeks ago, God gave him the strength to baptize her once again. I found out who she was when I saw Nicole’s mom posting photos of her rebaptism on Facebook! Wow! I was blown away!
Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with Nicole, and she told me, “Our eyes have been opened and we have given our lives fully to God. We will raise our daughters to love Jesus, and they will learn by seeing us live our lives for Him! My prayer is that someday all my family, and Drew’s too, will be in Heaven together.”
Maybe someday Nicole’s daughters, Karlee and Madee will write me a letter that I’ll read on Kids Time, too. . . you never know where that could lead—for God sure works in mysterious ways!