On the very first day, of our very first team week, I met Josiah. Naturally, my first question was "What is your name?" He responded, "Josiah. My mom named me after King Josiah in the Bible, but I don't know why." For some reason I was surprised that he or anyone in his family would have been connected to Scripture in such a way, but this was simply a response of my ignorance. The more I talked with this 10 year old, I was impressed with his level of maturity and his understanding of the Gospel Story. I asked if he would like to read what the Bible says about King Josiah with me, and he agreed to do it the following day. Well, he didn't show up the next day, or the day after that, or even the day after that. He finally came back around on Friday, but he showed up late which gave us little time to sit and read. I was OK with that, and told myself I would catch up with him the next team week.
Well the next team week came and went, and no Josiah. I was sad that I didn't get to see my friend, and afraid that I was going to see him the rest of the summer. It is not uncommon for a kid to come to kids club often, and then all of the sudden be moved to live with another family member. When we came into the last day of this past team week, I had pretty much accepted that I wasn't going to see Josiah again. So I got out of the van, and started walking towards our last kids club for the summer, when I saw before me a sight that stopped me in my tracks. There in front of me, Josiah stood with a Bible in his hand with his finger marking the passage we had agreed to read. I was glad to be wearing sunglasses, because they hid the tears that I was failing to hold back. He had remembered! I hugged him immediately and within minutes we were sitting on a hill reading Scripture together.
Needless to say, I was floored that he would have remembered a small conversation we had had over a month ago. I was even more amazed at God's goodness that he would allow that sweet time to take place. One of the hardest things about leaving Warm Springs is that there isn't a full-time staff to keep the ministry going year round. God reminded me that even though the teams will be gone... He will continue to be there, working, moving, and calling people unto Himself. Josiah and I played together the remainder of our time, and I cherished every minute of it. My prayer for him is that he would grow into a man like the King he was named after. I look into his eyes and see a leader. I hope and pray that God will grow him and protect him and lead him every step of his young life, and maybe one day I will get a chance to see the man he has grown to be.
"Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father; and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left." - 2 Chronicles 34:1-2
- Robert