Ashley Virto was a teenager 10 years ago who knew about Jesus Christ but didn’t know Jesus Christ.
Thanks to a bus ministry and a Vacation Bible School (VBS), Virto, now 24, is a Christian serving Jesus Christ in her church in Tennessee and is now helping to train Spanish-language VBS leaders.
Her passion for VBS is fueled by the love and care she received during VBS a decade ago at The Way, The Truth and The Life Baptist Church, a Hispanic congregation in Ripley, Mississippi.
Virto said she probably never would have attended VBS had it not been for the church’s bus ministry.
Her mother allowed her to go, “so I just went,” she said. “It looked like a lot of fun.” Not only was it fun, it proved to be life-changing.
Following a Bible story Virto gave her life to Christ and prayed to receive Him in her heart.
“I didn’t know what I was doing at the time, but I did it,” she said. “I told Him in my prayer, ‘I don’t know who You are, but I want You to show me who You are.’”
One day her mother saw Virto reading her Bible and asked where she had gotten it. Vitro said the church had given it to her and to her surprise her mother asked if she could go with her the next Sunday.
Making an impact
Her mother felt welcomed by the church and before long Virto’s family began attending as well. All have since accepted Christ as their Savior.
Recalling the impact one VBS had on not only her but her entire family, Virto said, “You don’t know the impact that you are making when you talk to children about Jesus.
“When you teach them music, when you show them a piece of artwork that reminds them of who He is or read a Scripture verse from the Bible — you don’t realize what that’s doing to you until you are older or when you start to build your relationship with God,” she said.
Three years ago she was introduced to the VBS training sessions and has been involved ever since.
Voicing her passion for children, Virto said, “I feel that I have been called to be in children’s ministry. I still don’t know what aspect, but I know that I belong in it.”
And it all began at a VBS in rural Mississippi. (BP)
How to Pray:
- Pray for Ashley Virto as she pursues her calling in children’s ministry.
- Pray for the churches preparing to offer VBS this summer, and pray children across the country will come to know Christ. (TAB)
Share with others: