The winner of the 2025 Thalassa contest is Madeline Liebert ’24 with her submission, “He Knows My Name.”
In January 2023, Madeline served in workers’ camps in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, teaching a VBS for the mothers and children there.
MLC’s Cultural Engagement Center awarded her $1,000, half of which she designated to the Mission for the Children – Mexico. This is the 19th annual Thalassa Prize awarded by MLC.
He Knows My Name
Meet Cristian. And his beloved, adorable puppy he fittingly named “perrito,” which means puppy in Spanish.
Cristian lives in a workers’ camp for poor families of sugarcane workers in the rural city of Cuautla, Morelos, Mexico. To the children and young mothers living there, we presented a week-long vacation Bible school.
Every day when we arrived, Cristian would appear with a sneaky grin on his face, a glint in his eyes, his pet in his arms, and an excitement to participate in that day’s lessons and activities.
Little did I know upon meeting him that first day that I would be the one to share the love of Jesus with this precious child for the first time.
The stories we shared with the children during VBS were ones that I had grown up hearing my entire life: Jesus’ birth, Jesus feeding the 5000, Jesus raising Lazarus. I recounted the familiar details in imperfect Spanish, just hoping the children would at least understand, despite my errors and different accent, the important details: that there is a God who exists, and he loves us! He saved us!
Cristian’s name means “follower of Christ.” Cristian did not know of the Christ his very name speaks of. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit worked in his little heart so that whenever he hears his name, he remembers that there is a God who knows him by name, who loves him, and who offers free and full salvation to those who trust in him.
Cristian, God knows your name, follow Him!
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)
