September 2009

Dear Friends and Family,

R. has been coming to our day center for about six months and is one of the children with whom I have had the privilege of spending a lot of time recently. He will be a third grader this fall and is full of wonder and curiosity as he experiences each new day that is given to him. R.’s favorite activities at the day center include playing the drums, dancing to his favorite music and intentionally crashing his virtual race car during computer time. One of my favorite moments with R. was during a grammar lesson on the exclamation point. Upon asking him if he knew what an exclamation point is, he responded confidently with a broad sweep of his arm, “It’s an astonishment!” Assured by his earnestness, I then asked him to stand and to read a passage aloud from his textbook that included many exclamation points. I’m not sure how to describe what followed, but I do know that afterward I was convinced not only that R. knows exactly what an exclamation point is, but also that he might very well be on his way to Broadway. I still smile to myself when I think of that lesson.

R. and I almost always pray together before working on homework—and if I forget, he is quick to remind me. We pray about the fear that he says is inside of him as he walks to school. We pray that his family would not be kicked out of their home. We pray that he would know what to say to the kids who often beat him up after school.

The other day, after homework time, R. told me that he would like to drink a cup of tea with me instead of playing outside with the others. Sensing that he was craving some extra attention, I said yes and went to prepare the tea. I hesitated between the choice of black or chamomile (can third graders have caffeine?) and quickly settled on the latter. R. then reminded me, as he added an unknown number of spoonfuls of sugar to his tea, that chamomile is very good for the stomach, reassuring me that I had made the right choice. We took our places at a makeshift table in the laundry room and proceeded to just talk. For an hour. This third grader was able to hold a full conversation without the need for entertainment or distraction or the bathroom. Amazing. He told me more about his family and asked if I would like to meet them. Maybe next Saturday? Sure, I’d love to. Good, I’ll come by and show you the way.

R. reminds me of what it means to be a child of God. He once told the story of how he was walking along the street and was suddenly overcome with joy as he thought about the fact that he is God’s child. He said that he started saying aloud “I am God’s child!” over and over for all to hear. And, that simply, the fear that often accompanies him as he walks the streets of Galaţi melted away with this acknowledgement of his belovedness.

Jesus says that the kingdom of God belongs to little children (see Mark 10:14), and so I am thankful to have the opportunity every day to learn from children like R. about this kingdom. R. has taught me about friendship and generosity and openly inviting others into my life. He has taught me about living fully in the present, even during grammar lessons, and about not being controlled by others’ opinions of me. And he has taught me that my fear can melt away as I remember that I am dearly loved by God.

May you also learn from the example of a child today and be drawn more deeply into the simple knowledge of your belovedness.

Grace and peace,

John

P.S. It was wonderful being able to see and to reconnect with so many of you last month! Thank you for your encouragement and kind words to me. Know that you are appreciated. Also, if you would like to receive occasional email updates from me with prayer requests and current happenings, let me know (john.koon@wordmadeflesh.org).

PRAYER REQUESTS

1) Pray for us as we are at camp with the children the first week of September. Ask that all of our relationships would be deepened during this time and that the children might experience new levels of freedom and joy in their lives.

2) The children will be going back to school in mid-September. Ask God to give them minds that are ready to learn and to clothe them in the confidence that they are full of dignity as school can often be a humiliating environment for them.

3) Pray for a trip that I’ll be making to Moldova in mid-September. I will be meeting with a lawyer to discuss registering Word Made Flesh as an official non-profit organization in Moldova as well as getting living permits for our Romanian and U.S. staff. Pray that this might be a hopeful and encouraging visit.