Jenny Age 11

Jenny Story – Age 11 – Joy A.

“It is such a beautiful day," thought Jenny as she walked with Gordon to school. She had been so excited to be out of school, and be able to be outside and play more, but now she was ready to get back to school and see all her friends more often. She had gotten to see them at church on Sunday during the summer, but not many other times. She was excited because this year she was eleven, and would be in the sixth grade. She wondered what this year would bring, and if there would be any new students at the school and any new friends.
“Well, one thing for sure,” she thought, “I will still have my old friends.” Ruthie and Ida were two of her best friends. All three of them were in the same school, same grade, and went to the same church. They had been friends as long as Jenny could remember. Jenny was excited to be able to see them every day now!
As Jenny entered the double doors of the school building, she saw Ruthie over by the window looking around. Jenny waved, and Ruthie waved back.
“Hi!” Ruthie exclaimed, giving Jenny a big hug. “It is good to see you again!”
Jenny nodded and asked, “Which room is ours this year?”
“The list is posted over there; I haven’t looked yet,” Ruthie replied and started waving at Ida who was just coming in.
When Ida saw them she waved and came over. After she had greeted them, she whispered, “Did you see that new girl?”
Ruthie frowned, “Which one?” she asked.
“The one that has really bright red hair and wrinkled clothes?”
Jenny looked around; finally she spotted the girl sitting on the bench in the corner. “Wow,” said Jenny, “She really does look like a mess. I wonder what grade she is in.”
“I don’t know; I just hope it isn’t ours,” Ida retorted. “She looks like she needs a bath or something, and we sure don’t need someone to ruin our class!”
Ruthie nodded in agreement.
“I’m going to go over and look at the list and see what room we’re in, because class starts in ten minutes and we need to hurry,” Jenny announced, as she went to look at the list.
As the giggly, chatting girls later walked to their classroom, Jenny noticed the red haired girl coming down the hallway behind them, and wondered if she would be in their class, but soon forgot about it as they rushed in the room and quickly looked around for seats near each other. They made it just in time, because they had scarcely sat down when the bell rang. Their first day of school was started.
Time flew and finally it was time for lunch. It was an easy day at school. Everyone had to say their name and how their summer went, and all different things like that. Jenny liked their teacher. She seemed like a really nice lady. Kelly was the red haired girl’s name, and she was in their class. Jenny sighed. She wondered how their year would go.
At lunch all Ruthie and Ida could talk about was Kelly and how she smelled, and looked awful, and on and on. At first, Jenny agreed and went along with them, but after a little while, she was starting to feel a little bit uncomfortable. Would Jesus be pleased with everything they were saying about Kelly? The verse came to her mind that she had learned in Sunday School last week: (John 15:19) “These things I command you, that ye love one another.” Jenny didn’t know what to do. She thought about it all day, and as she walked home.
That night during devotions, Dad got the Bible out and turned to where they had been reading. “Tonight we are in chapter two in II Kings,” Dad remarked and started reading. It was about when Elijah was taken up to heaven in a chariot and Elisha took his mantle, and the chapter went on about Elisha. All of a sudden Jenny sat up straight and listened. It was saying that some children mocked Elisha about his bald head, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord, and two bears came out of the woods and tore them up!
All Jenny could think of was what she had said about Kelly that day, making fun of how bad she looked and her red hair. Jenny felt horrible. What was she going to do? What if Ruthie and Ida got upset at her, and wouldn’t play with her if she was nice to Kelly?
“You look deep in thought, Jenny.” Mother commented after they had finished their family devotions, “What is on your mind?”
Jenny turned red and hung her head, and then told Mother about everything that had happened that day at school. “What am I going to do, Mother? I feel horrible, but I don’t know what to do!”
Mother looked soberly at her. “First, you need to ask Jesus to forgive you, because you have not shown His love, by talking badly about someone else.”
Jenny nodded, and Mother and she knelt down and had a word of prayer right then. Jenny felt like a big load fell off her shoulders, as she knew Jesus forgave her. After they prayed, Mother continued, “Now, Jenny, can you tell me what else you need to do?”
Jenny nodded, “I need to ask forgiveness of Kelly, and be friendly to her no matter what the other girls say. Then, I should ask Ruthie and Ida to forgive me for not acting as a Christian should.”
Mother nodded and gave Jenny a smile and a hug. “I’m glad that you’re doing what Jesus would want you to do. It makes Jesus happy and me, too! You remember tomorrow I will be praying that Jesus will give you strength. Now run off to bed!”
As Jenny crawled into bed, she thought about what she had to do the next day. It was kind of scary, but she knew that Jesus would be with her, and she knew it was the right thing to do.
The next day at school, Jenny was nervous. There hadn’t been time for her to talk to Ruthie and Ida before class time, and what she needed to tell them was weighing on her mind. She hoped she would be able to talk to them at recess. She noticed that quite a few of the kids were being rude to Kelly, and Jenny felt bad, because she knew that Ruthie, Ida and she had had a lot to do with that. The morning seemed to drag on forever, and Jenny had a hard time concentrating.
Finally it was time for recess, and everyone seemed relieved to be outside for a break. Ruthie, Ida, and Jenny walked slowly to the playground. Jenny knew that she needed to tell them now; she just didn’t know how to start. “Dear Jesus,” she prayed, “Please help me and give me courage, and help them to understand.”
Jenny cleared her throat. “Girls, I have something I need to talk to you about.” Ruthie and Ida looked at her and nodded. “Yesterday after school I was thinking back over my day, and I was really feeling bad about what I said about Kelly. I know she doesn’t look the greatest, but she still is a person, and I’m sure she has feelings. I shouldn’t have said anything bad about her. I wanted to ask your forgiveness for talking about her at all.”
Ruthie and Ida glanced at each other, and then Ruthie quietly said, “I forgive you, Jenny.”
Ida nodded in agreement. “I do, too.”
Jenny sighed in relief, “Thank you so much. I am going to talk to Kelly at lunch and ask her to forgive me, too.”
The girls were quiet the rest of the recess. All of them were thinking about what had been said. Jenny was praying and asking the Lord to help her, because talking to Kelly would be just as hard as or harder than asking Ruthie and Ida to forgive her.
Soon it was lunch-time, and Jenny looked around for Kelly. She needed to talk to her now, before the day was over and she lost her courage. When she couldn’t seem to find Kelly, she started walking to the cafeteria. Ruthie, Ida and Jenny sat down and got their lunches out. None of them had very much to say, and Jenny was preoccupied with looking around for Kelly.
“Do you see Kelly anywhere?” Jenny asked the other girls. Ruthie and Ida also looked around, as the cafeteria filled with children.
“I don’t see her anywhere,” Ida said.
“Me either,” said Ruthie.
Jenny was puzzled. Where could Kelly have gone to skip lunch? She had to come to the cafeteria sometime. All of a sudden an idea came to Jenny. “Do you think she might be in the restroom?” she asked.
Ruthie and Ida both shrugged their shoulders. “Save my place; I’m going to go check.”
With that Jenny scooted her chair back, and walked down to the restroom. As she went inside, it appeared to be empty. Jenny sighed. What was she going to do if she couldn’t find her? Just then Jenny heard a sniffle. Where had that come from?
Jenny walked down to the end of the restroom where there was a small space between the wall and a stall door, and there was Kelly hunched up, crying.
“What’s wrong, Kelly?” Jenny asked.
Kelly buried her face in her hands and mumbled, “I hate it here. It is miserable; nobody likes me at all, and everybody calls me names.”
Jenny felt very badly that she had ever said anything mean. “I am so sorry, Kelly. I have been trying to find you to ask you to forgive me for saying some mean things yesterday. Jesus showed me that it was wrong and I want to apologize and be your friend.”
Kelly continued sniffling, but she looked up. “Do you really mean that?” she asked.
Jenny nodded, and her eyes filled with tears. “I feel so bad about it, but I can’t take back the words I said. But I will try to make it up to you by being a good friend.”
Kelly dried her tears, “I forgive you, and I want to be your friend,” she said. Jenny gave her a big hug.
“Are you going to come to the cafeteria for lunch? You can sit with me if you want.”
Kelly nodded and grabbed her sack lunch. When they reached the cafeteria, Jenny found her place, and Kelly sat down beside her. Ruthie and Ida looked a little uncomfortable, but both tried to be friendly. When lunchtime was over, the four girls walked down the hall together.
Ruthie and Ida exchanged glances, and then Ida said, “Kelly, we want to ask your forgiveness for the bad things we’ve said about you. We are really sorry, and we want to be your friends.
Ruthie nodded.
Kelly smiled, and lowered her head. “Thank you all so much for being friendly with me. I hope that we will become good friends.”
Jenny felt so good; she knew she had done the right thing, and she knew that Jesus was pleased with her. “Thank-you Jesus for helping me make right what I had done wrong,” Jenny prayed. “Help me to be a good friend to Kelly, and show her that Jesus loves her.” Jenny wondered if Kelly knew anything about Jesus. If she already did, that was great, but if she didn’t, Jenny wanted to try to show her how Jesus could change her life. “She looks like she comes from a pretty rough home,” Jenny thought. “I hope that I can help her and be a good friend.” Jenny sighed. It was so good not to be feeling guilty anymore, and to know that everything was in the clear again with her Savior and her friends.
Copyright GGN


Jenny Story - Age 11 - Janet and Beth A.
Glenn and Wilma Sechler were neighbors of the Johnsons. Wilma was homebound due to her ill health, but Glenn was always out and about in town and coming by to visit. He would come by the Johnsons’, dragging an old vacuum cleaner (or some such thing) in tow, and say to them, "Look what I found in the Adams’ trash-pile today! I just can’t believe the wonderful things people throw away! Would y’all happen to be needing a new sweeper?"
One Saturday in June when Glenn came he asked Jenny’s dad, "Do you think you could spare your son this afternoon? I am needing somebody else to mow my yard since Billy Marcus can’t do it for me anymore."
Dad said, "Sure, I’ll send Gordon over about one o-clock." So Gordon went over that afternoon. Not only did he mow, but Glenn came out of the house and asked him to weed and then pick grapes. After he got done with all of that, and Glenn had paid him $2, he went home for supper. He worked for Glenn every week, doing as much yard work as he needed done.
Then one week, after Gordon was done with the yard work, Glenn said, "Could you help me flip our mattress? And I have some dishes that need to be done."
"Yes, sir, I’d be glad to help." As they climbed the steps into the kitchen from the back door of their house, Gordon looked around. It was an old house, so it was a completely different style from the Johnsons’ newer one. He noticed that the sink was full of dishes. They went into the bedroom to flip the mattress. As they flipped the mattress, Gordon saw lots of $100 bills and a gun!
Glenn, noticing Gordon’s looks of surprise and fright, made light of it all, "Yeah, that’s our bank and the armed security guard!"
As Gordon continued working for him, he noticed Glenn was short of breath and soon after that, he began wearing oxygen continuously. He told Gordon that he had a heart condition.Soon Gordon was coming every day to help the Sechlers by doing the dishes, cleaning house, taking out the trash or whatever needed to be done for small pay, in addition to the weekly mowing.
One day he thought, I don’t really have enough time to come every day because of school and my other mowing jobs; maybe Jenny would like to help them out with the housework after school like I’ve been doing, and I could just mow and do yard work for them. I’ll ask Jenny if she’d like to do it.
"Sure, if they would let me," Jenny replied when Gordon asked her. "We should ask Mom and Dad."
After getting permission from her parents and after Gordon had spoken to Glenn and Wilma about it, Jenny started going to their house to help after school every weekday and on Saturdays. As she would do the dishes and clean up the kitchen she would visit with Wilma, who was usually sitting in her wheelchair in the living room. Jenny would talk about the Lord and her family, and Wilma would talk about life back when she was a girl, and growing up, and even about her adult life.
"I used to be a telephone operator, before I got married," Wilma told Jenny. "I worked with several other ‘girls’. We were great friends; and we’d know all the gossip in town ‘cause of visiting with the people while we plugged them in to talk to whoever they wanted to."
On another day eleven-year-old Jenny asked, "Did you go to Sunday School or church when you were a little girl?"
"Yes, honey. Even though we don’t make it out to church these days, I’ve been reading my Bible every day," Wilma replied. "But, my eyes are getting so bad, you know, that it’s getting difficult to read."
"Would you like me to read the Bible to you when I get done with my work?" Jenny offered.
"That would be lovely, honey."
After Jenny finished the dishes she sat down in the living room and asked, "What would you like me to read to you?"
"Would you read me Psalm…" she paused, thinking, "Psalm 86."
"…Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore…" Jenny read. After she had read from several passages, Jenny asked, "Would you tell me about your relationship with God?"
"The Lord saved me when I was forty-four, about a year after Glenn and I got married. When I left home and got a job and all, I had quit going to church, but then I was invited to a special revival meeting at the church and I got right with God. I went to church after that as long as I was able, but now I can’t," Wilma answered. "Some of the church people still come to see me sometimes."
"What about Glenn; is he a Christian?" Jenny asked curiously.
"Nope, he says he doesn’t need religion. It’s good enough for me to have it for the both of us. I always pray for him, that he will give his heart to the Lord," Wilma said, shaking her head.
"Well, why don’t we pray right now before I leave and we can pray for Glenn."
"That would be good. Go on, Dearie," Wilma urged.
"Our Father in Heaven, thank You for this wonderful day You have made. Thank You for letting me come over here and have devotions with Wilma, and that we can enjoy Your presence together. Lord, we want to pray for Glenn, that he will realize that he needs you to save him from his sin and to live in his heart. Lord, please call to him today. Please bless Wilma, and make her a witness and a blessing to Glenn. Please give them both the physical touch that they need. In Jesus’ name, Amen," Jenny prayed.
As Jenny got her jacket on and was getting ready to leave, Wilma said, "Why don’t you take a few of the animal crackers in that bowl and give them to your younger brother and sister."
"Thanks," Jenny said and took a few. "Bye!" she called.

Jenny continued to go and help them nearly every day for several months. In December, Glenn secretly called Jenny over to him and asked her to make a German chocolate cake for Wilma’s birthday as a surprise. Jenny was glad to do it, and Wilma was blessed by being remembered in that way.
Jenny tried to read the Bible to Wilma every day and have prayer with her. Then in February, as both Glenn and Wilma’s health deteriorated, they moved to the nursing home. The Johnsons went to see them each Sunday afternoon. All of the elderly people in the nursing home loved to see their family. Some Sundays when they visited, Jenny or her Mother would read the Bible aloud to them. The Johnsons always prayed for the Sechlers every day, especially for Glenn’s salvation.
One day when they went to see the Sechlers, Glenn’s breathing was especially labored. Jenny was very concerned and asked her dad to talk to Glenn about his salvation. He stayed behind after the family left and asked Glenn if he was ready to meet God if he should die. Glenn was willing to admit that he was worried about that and wanted to know how to get saved. Pete Johnson explained the way of salvation and prayed with Glenn. Glenn said that the weight of sin was gone!
The next time the Johnsons went to visit Glenn and Wilma, they took a small tape player and the New Testament on tape for them to listen to, and prayed with them. Both of them testified that they were ready to meet the Lord with peace in their hearts.
They both died soon afterward. The Johnson family was happy that they had gotten to be in the Sechlers’ lives and to know that they were both right with God when they died.
Copyright GGN