Neighborhood Friends

The two older children, Lynne and Kendrick have become a regular part of our week. Lynne already has sweet motherly instincts at the age of 8 and Kendrick is giving me a good picture of what a little boy is like at the age of 6. They love to play with Jackson and they love to play with .... Jack! As if the picture doesn't already communicate that :)

I'm still trying to learn how to respond when kids knock on our door to see if "Jack" is home. If not, they usually sigh and then run off to do something else. Lynne & Kendrick have been coming to Church with us the past few weeks. They talk about it during the week and have said in their own ways how much they like going to church. We are blessed to know and love them.

"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child." 1Cor. 13:11

"My Daddy's in Jail"...these four striking words spoken with such little emotion from the mouth of a young boy were said in such a way that convinced me how completely foreign this concept is for me yet at the same time how normal it is for him. This is all he knows of his father right now and so he reasons, thinks and speaks of what he knows as a child would. I felt trapped to find the right words to respond. "I'm so sorry" came out first. The little boy then shared how his brothers and sisters have different Daddy's than him. Now this concept isn't so foreign to me, it was just said in a way I am not use to. I grew up hearing my friends’ say, "this is my step-dad, my half-brother, or my half-sister" Another way of saying this is simply how this little boy put it, "My brother & sister have a different Daddy's than me but we have the same Mommy."

After the initial feelings of uncertainty in how to respond passed, it was as if for the first time while living here I was able to speak back to him like a child by sharing a deep concept in a simple way. I shared how even though he can't see his earthly father right now He has a Father in heaven that sees him everyday, who takes care of him, who loves him and who knows him intimately. We talked about the ways God takes care of us and what Jesus ultimately did to take care of His children. I'm not sure what type of impact this conversation had on this young boy but I am confident that God is working in me to learn "discipleship & evangelism" in such a new and almost more challenging way than I have ever experienced. The scripture above finishes, "When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." Though this is true of me as an adult, my prayer is that I would put back into my mind & heart the way children think, reason and speak so I can better minister and love them while I live among them.

A Missionary Sits On A Rock

Day After Day, The Missionary
Learns The Ways And Language
Of The People From The Children

After Many Months,
The Life Of The People
Draws In The Life Of The Missionary

~Author Unknown~