Before Julie, a student at California State University–Los Angeles, started her summer job at the Lincoln Heights Tutorial Program with InterVarsity’s Los Angeles Urban Project, she prayed. She prayed that God would give her wisdom to declare his love to the children she would be teaching. And God answered her prayer. Julie spent her summer teaching eight first-grade children at the Church of the Redeemer, where several rooms were set up for the tutoring program. God gave her a deep love for these students, especially six-year-old Adam. Adam improved much over the summer, though when Julie first met him, she was unsure if he would progress at all. At the beginning of the summer, Adam did not want to participate in the tutoring program. He did not do any of the assignments and often disrupted class. He simply did not want to learn. Julie spent time praying for each of her students; and as she prayed for Adam, she felt God prompting her to look deeper into the background of this disruptive child. As she asked questions, Julie found out that Adam had been told that he was not smart enough to succeed in school. He believed what he had been told, so he did not even try to learn. Julie again turned to God in prayer. She invited Adam to a quiet corner of the room and they bowed their heads together. “Dear God, please show Adam that you love him and that he has the ability to learn about this world that you created,” prayed Julie. “Jesus, please help me,” Adam added. God answered that prayer almost immediately. “I feel like God is telling me I’m smart,” Adam smiled. Julie was faithful to pray and to work. God changed one small boy and transformed his life.
