Blake and Johnson
This semester, I have had the privilege of meeting with Johnson, a Burmese kindergartener, in the neighborhood every Monday to read.
Honestly, with the way this year was going, I wasn’t even sure if Refugee Resources would be able to operate in-person this fall. COVID cases were spiking in July, and school districts around DFW were pushing back the start of school left and right. But, by God’s grace and some faithful preparation from Ms. Alysa, we have been meeting for almost two months now in a COVID friendly environment, and I am so grateful for that.
It has been a joy getting to know Johnson and spending time with him every week. His cuteness is undeniable and he brings bundles of enthusiasm to everything we do. Like many kids his age these days, he is passionate about Roblox. He loves Sour Patch kids. He’s a huge fan of Marvel and seems to be wearing a different superhero shirt every time I see him. His imagination is boundless; one day, he started our time together by laying out his detailed plans for how he would survive a Zombie apocalypse! He clearly is deeply curious and always wanting to learn more.
One thing I love is that the thing that seems to pique his curiosity the most is reading the Jesus Storybook Bible together! I don’t know if I’ve ever seen someone so fascinated by a Bible story. As we have read the creation account or learned about Noah and his ark, he has asked thoughtful questions, wondered about how God did what he did, and reflected on what we have read in earlier weeks. As soon as we come in, he is eager to flip open his Bible and pick up where we left off. It is so exciting to see his innate curiosity to learn more about this God and what He has done. It’s certainly a challenge to me. I can’t help but think, “I should get this pumped about opening up my Bible too!” God’s Word is an incredible blessing that I often take for granted.
Johnson is also as hard-working of a kid as you will find anywhere. To give an idea of where we are, we began our first week together practicing the letters of the alphabet, and now we are reading some very small, basic books to start working on sounding out words. Every week, he adds more words to his budding reading vocabulary. If he doesn’t know a word, he is bright enough to say, “Hm, ‘b-a-g’, that sounds like bat, but the end is different.” He is already putting critical thinking skills to work to figure out how to say new words! I try to encourage him and let him know how incredible his tenacity and ingenuity are, though he doesn’t fully understand what great work he is doing.
Meeting in person has not been easy. While normally Johnson and I would be sitting comfortably side by side and high-fiving after crushing a difficult sentence, right now we are talking across a large table with masks on and a clear partition between us. At times I struggle to hear his small voice and feel connected. Yet I am so thankful for our times together thus far, and they have been richly blessed. I know all of you have faced similar situations during this challenging year. The circumstances are far from ideal, but God is still at work all over this world, including here in Dallas and in Reading Circle! I have been reminded recently that God is in full control, and He is not frustrated or perplexed by this virus. He calls us to be faithful, and He promises that He’s not going anywhere.
Written by: Blake Senn