For their birthday, most children would want the usual things such as balloons, cakes, games, and toys as gifts.
Six-year-old Jacoby Enge from Orlando, Florida, however, is not one of those kids. For his birthday, he had an unusual wish to his parents: for the Word of God to be preached by an evangelist.
In an article from The Christian Broadcasting Network, the child's parents, Rob and Megan, shared how surprised they were when their son told them that he wanted Peter Vandenberg, vice president of the ministry called Christ For All Nations, to share the Gospel during his sixth birthday. The boy's father works in this ministry, which is founded by evangelist Reinhard Bonnke.
"So I thought to myself, 'Okay, why do you want to invite him?' And he so nonchalantly responded and said, 'Because I want him to preach the Gospel at my birthday party,'" Megan recalled.
She further said that Jacoby told them that he "wanted all of his friends that didn't know Jesus to come into His kingdom."
Jacoby, for his part, said he wanted to use his birthday as an opportunity for his friends to accept Jesus.
"I wanted Peter Vandenberg to tell all the people that don't know Jesus, and I just really wanted to do that," the six-year-old kid told CBN News.
Jacoby's parents granted his wish. They invited Vandenberg to his birthday, and what happened was nothing short of miraculous: Fifteen of the people who attended the event immediately accepted Christ.
Instead of receiving gifts on his birthday, the boy also gave out unique presents to those who attended his special day: New Testament Bibles with tags saying "Jesus is your #1 Hero," in line with his party's superhero theme.
Jacoby's father, Rob, said his son's birthday party served as a lesson of faith for their entire family.
"He really encourages me each and every single day," Rob said. "In the scripture we read several accounts where Jesus talks about children and having childlike faith. And this situation with his birthday party really spoke to that, and it challenged me."
"So when Jacoby asked this... it challenged me as a father; it challenged us as a family," he continued. "And I think sometimes the Lord loves throwing those little things into our lives – not religion, but sincere, genuine relationship – to never lose focus on what really matters most, and that's souls. The very reason that we're here is for souls."
