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Kerri Brammeier, AGWM Missionary Associate working with the Vienna Christian Center in Austria teaches a children's Sunday School class. She tells how one Sunday she completely emptied the classroom of everything that wasn't nailed down; chairs, sound equipment, tables, cords, wires,...everything! As the kids came in, she greeted them and encouraged them to sit down. The floor being their only option, none of them wanted to sit. Kerri sat on the floor and started teaching the lesson. Every once in a while she tried to get them to sit down...unsuccessfully.
 Finally, one brave child asked what was going on. It was then that Kerri welcomed them to their new classroom, explaining that the new building purchased by the church doesn't have any supplies or equipment. She explained that the church is raising money for the new building and that as children, they too could participate. The children replied that they did not have any money.
Kerri proceeded to tell them her own true story that went like this: "I love Oreo milkshakes! TGI Friday's has the best Oreo milkshakes ever! Every day this past week I stopped and bought one on my way home. They cost 4 euros! That means I spent 20 euros on milkshakes last week! Did I NEED those milkshakes?" The kids were quick to answer "no". Kerri said that she had made the choice to buy them. "But what if I would choose to take that money and put it in the church fund instead? I think that the church could afford to buy one chair with that money for the new building." So she went outside and brought in a chair and sat down. She asked the kids to come up with more ways of saving money to help the church. The kids were spouting out answers and eventually everyone had a chair to sit on!
The following Friday Kerri was with one of the kids waiting for some other people outside TGI Fridays. She said to him, "Hey, Noah, why don't we go and get an Oreo Milkshake!" Noah looked at her with all seriousness and said, "But Miss Kerri, that's a chair for the new building!" Kerri looked at him with admiration and joy as she realized that the vision that she had hoped to impart in the kids had made it through to one boy's heart. Since that time, each Sunday children fill the bank with their pledges. The children are reminding the adults that God desires gifts from a joyful heart and that the amount does not matter. He uses everything for His glory and purposes, no matter how big or how small.
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