Isaac just turned four, and overnight he has started asking the “why” questions – many of which I don’t know the answer to. He is thinking deeply about the things he is learning from the Bible and asking questions over and over. Last week, he got very serious about the fact that our friends are praying to a false god and decided to do something about it. He stood at the outdoor restaurant close to our house with Josh and said, “God!” (In English.) No one heard him, so he said it a few more times. Still getting no response, he continued in English, explaining to the owner that he did not need to pray to the false god anymore because Jesus died on the cross for his sins. While we know we must speak the language of the people and share the gospel in a way that they will hear and prayerfully receive, we can’t help but be challenged by Isaac’s desire to share Jesus with those around us. (For now, we are glad he doesn’t speak a whole lot of Arabic, because the conversations could get a lot more interesting!! Although, he does say that he has to do “Arabic lessons” every day with his stuffed animals.)
Category: Kid’s Corner
There really should be more of these posts, but I probably take for granted the super cute things my two kiddos say daily. Every once in a while, something is said that I immediately know will be shared on the blog. Here’s two for you:
As we turned left, off of our dirt road filled with potholes, onto the paved road in Abeche, Isaac said, “Now we’re on the clean road, Mom. That road we live on is really dirty…it’s covered in dirt.” Why, yes, in fact, it is!
Another day, recently, I was not paying attention as we drove in the car in the busy capital city, N’Djamena. Isaac was sitting by the window and pointed out the men who lined the streets doing the 5 o’clock Muslim prayers. Without missing a beat he said, “Those men are praying to a false god, Mommy.” Reading the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal with Isaac, as well as other stories about the Israelites turning to false gods has become real to my almost 4 year old as he sees many people in Chad doing something similar. It’s been a great opportunity to remind him exactly why we are here – to tell them about Jesus!
When we stepped off the airplane in Chad a few weeks ago and into a bus that drove us up to the airport, I was pointing out to Isaac that a lot of men here wear a different kind of hat. Trying to make it exciting for him and hoping all the new and different things wouldn’t scare him, I pointed out the different designs and patterns that some of the hats had. He asked me if it was like a train conductor’s hat. I never thought of it like that, but you know what? It does look like a conductor’s hat!
Two days ago on our walk through a nearby neighborhood, Isaac noticed a mosque for the first time. He saw the tall part where the minaret is and he said with much excitement, “Look, I spy a lighthouse!”
Sometimes we need the eyes of a 3 year old to keep life entertaining!