John-John is 3 years old. He has 3 siblings; 2 older and a little baby brother. His mom brought them all to vbs every day this week and was so kind. She was the only parent to show up with the kids. John-John (or Jonathan) doesn't say much. On Monday I tried to talk to him without much success. He would look at you with the exact expression he has in this picture. It was sure cute, but difficult to communicate. He finally gave me some response by pointing and nodding, but still no words. John-John says so much with his eyes, though. I mean, look at those big brown eyes!
He grew to know many of us over the three days and would come up to us and yank on our pants leg then point to wherever he wanted to go. I couldn't get him to take a picture with me and this picture is when I told him to "smile!" Like I said, not very responsive except with his eyes. But boy did he have fun this week!
Today I was inviting the kids to have their faces painted (who hadn't already) and noticed that John-John didn't have any paint on his face! So I asked his mom if I could take him to get his face painted. She asked John-John who took a second to think, then nodded. I held his hand as we started walking over, but he was so excited that he started running! He was quickly distracting by some of the play equipment...but only briefly. I took him to Devon who asked John-John if he knew what he wanted. No reply, just those big brown eyes. But John-John did pick out what color he wanted. Blue! Devon asked if he wanted a star, and he nodded vigorously. He held perfectly still as Devon colored a blue star on those cute chubby cheeks. I think he even might of thought about smiling when he was finished. I told him he should go show his mom who was watching near by, and he ran over excitedly to show her!
The funny thing is that his baby brother at about 6 months old is at least 10x more expressive than John-John. However, as you can see, John-John did have fun!
He did draw with chalk for awhile, but for the most part he was content to wander around mostly by himself, skipping and spinning. He never strayed too far from his mother, but far enough to be independent and explore on his own.
After three days and as I leaving, I heard John-John say one word: "goodbye." He waved and when prompted by his mother, actually spoke that single word with a smile. It was such a bittersweet moment for me, and one I will cherish.
John-John, Lorenzanna, Luis and so many other kids have touched my heart and my life. Three days invested in their lives and both of us have been changed. I love these kids, and I am so grateful for these days with them. Even though I doubt I will ever see any of them again, I pray that Jesus' light will continue to shine in their lives. His glory is the reason we are here.
-ej
*Don't forget to check out http://picasaweb.google.com/ejtotheworld/SpringBreak?feat=directlink! Those kids are just so photogenic :).
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