May 2009

May 2009

Dear Friends and Family,

I write this letter at the close of my first twelve months as Word Made Flesh staff in Romania. Thank you for allowing me to be here; I have learned and grown much as I have entered more deeply into relationship with the children who come daily to our community center, the Valley House. Thank you for participating in the healing, hope and new life that is being birthed all around us.

Last month I took a two-week exploratory trip to Moldova with Rachel and Iosif (two future WMF Moldova staffers) as well as Josh, Robin and the current servant team. We all stayed in host families at the Bethany Center, a group of homes just outside of the capital city where children who are without parents are welcomed into family. We loved being able to spend a lot of time getting to know the parents and the children in the intimate home settings where we stayed. Our days were filled with helping on the construction site of a school that is being built for these children right next to the homes where they live, while our evenings were filled with homework help and an English club we led for them. This trip was for me full of hope as I saw many places where God is redeeming and bringing hope to dark places and as I felt confirmed in our calling to move to Moldova next year. And although we were confronted with much brokenness in the lives of the children we got to know, God was faithful in drawing us deeper into intimacy with Him as we saw the ways in which His heart is broken. I was especially moved by one of the boys who lives at the Bethany Center and would like to share a poem he wrote with you (the English translation is below):

Dincolo de nisipuri este natura proaspătă, înverzită,

apele sărate ale mării şi oamenii veseli ai oraşului.

Dincolo de dor şi jale există

o speranţă

Dincolo de viaţă este

Veşnicia

Dincolo de zâmbete există şi

tristeţe

Dincolo de limite este un

necontenit

Dincolo de imposibil este

miracolul

Dincolo de cer este

Tronul Slavei

Dincolo de timp este

o viaţă fără timp

Beyond the sands there is fresh, green nature,

the salty waters of the sea and joyful people of the city.

Beyond sorrow and grief there exists

a hope

Beyond life there is

Eternity

Beyond smiles there also exists

Sadness

Beyond limits there is a

never-ending

Beyond the impossible there is

Miracle

Beyond the sky there is

the Throne of Glory

Beyond time there is

a life without time

As I look forward to my next year of service with Word Made Flesh, I would like to share my estimated budget with you as I am committed to always showing you where your donated money goes. Thank you, even in the midst of an uncertain economy, for the ways you have participated in incredibly generous ways in the work God is doing at Word Made Flesh. Because of your generosity, I actually already have in my support account approximately 50% of what I need for the twelve month period of May 2009 to May 2010. Please pray about joyfully partnering in the work that God is doing at Word Made Flesh over the next year. Included in this letter you will find a response form as well as an automated deduction form if you would like to become a monthly supporter (or, alternately, you can donate directly online at www.wordmadeflesh.org). You may consider donating directly to my personal support account (which will help cover my salary and other expenses listed below) or to the Romania or Moldova field accounts (which will help cover on-the-field expenses in both places).

Finally, I am happy to announce that I will be taking a vacation/work trip to the States this summer! One of my best friends from college will be getting married in New York on July 17, and he has asked me to be a groomsman in his wedding. After the wedding, I will remain in the States until Monday, August 10. I have set aside much of that time as work time, meaning I am available and eager to meet with any of you to talk and share more stories about the past year in Romania and Moldova. What I need from you is help in planning my itinerary while I am in the States. So far, I know that I will be in Columbus for a good portion of the time and also in Nashville for at least several days. I hope to have at least some sort of an open house in both cities. I am also willing to travel to other places, especially if you have a Sunday school class, Bible study, small group or any other type of gathering where I could come and share about our work at Word Made Flesh. Please contact me as soon as possible at john.koon@wordmadeflesh.org or at 614-364-4098 if you have any type of gathering where I could come and share. I would also love to meet with you all in more informal and personal settings, so please contact me if you are interested in seeing me!

Grace and peace,

John Koon

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1) By the time you read this letter, we will have just returned from our regional retreat that happens just once every three years. We will be going to Lepşa, Romania (the same place we have summer camp with the kids) along with all of the WMF staff from Sierra Leone and from Moldova (there are now three fields in the Europe/Africa region!). There we will have lots of time for solitude, reflection, sharing, planning, etc. Please pray that as we all return to our respective homes that God’s Spirit would continue to work in all of our hearts. Pray that we continue to reflect on and to respond to the things He spoke to us while on retreat.

2) Please pray specifically for C., V. and M., the three children I spend intense time with daily. They are all doing so well as they learn and grow. Today we memorized the line from the Lord’s Prayer that says, “May your Kingdom come,” and told the children that as God’s children they are also princes and princesses in His Kingdom. Pray that they would grow to believe their worth as His children.

3) Continue to pray for all of the children who come to the Valley House daily. The spring weather has been gorgeous lately, which makes concentration on homework even more difficult. Pray for perseverance through the rest of this school year!

4) As you may have seen on the news, there has been substantial political unrest in Moldova over the past week or so (I write this on April 14). Please be in prayer for Moldova, asking that the Kingdom of God might come in the midst of injustice. Pray that His will would be done in Moldova as it is in heaven. Also, continue to pray for our team from WMF Romania and for our Moldovan friend Adriana as we prepare to make the move to Moldova in January.