A Little Prayer from a Little One (2004-04-04)

A group of children, age ranging from two to five, held a piece of paper in one hand and an origami animal in the other, praying…

Since August 2003, a number of women inmates in SeaTac Federal Detention Center have been making different kinds of hand crafts (paper hearts, paper animals, hats, scarves, bluffs, etc.)  to be delivered to different places in the community to offer people encouragement. This morning the paper animals made their way to a group of little worshipers in Chinese Baptist Church in Seattle.    

Against the far wall of a simply decorated room, there patiently stood the paper birds, dogs, grasshoppers, dinosaurs, deer, lions, giraffes, unicorns, and some that only the little ones have the creative power to figure out. When the little worshipers came in with their parents, most of them actually did not notice the quiet animals, but we invited a few over and their paper pals sparkled in their big round curious eyes.

“Who built the ark? Noah! Noah! …” The worship started. The paper animals told of the blessings that god provided to Noah. They told of the next stops they would visit – maybe nursing homes, maybe juvenile detention centers, or maybe some broken homes.  They told of the restoration and healing that God is providing to the inmates in FDC. They told of God’s unfailing promises: “I will establish my covenant with you…” (Gen 6:18)

Now, it was time for a special treat. Each child came forth to pick a favorite paper animal. The oos and ahs and the laughter that you would only hear in cartoons filled the room.

Some of the little worshipers were also given a piece of paper. Each piece of paper contains the name of an inmate in FDC. We bowed our heads. The prayer leader started off by remembering with a thankful heart the inmates who made the paper animals. Then each little prayer warrior uttered the name of an inmate. (Of course, a teacher helped them with the pronunciation for we would never expect a 2-to-5-year-old to be literate.) At the end, we all joined hearts and said “amen”.

The worshipers were little. The prayer warriors were little. The animals were little. The prayers were little. Do you think they are little in God’s eyes?

P.s. Please pray for the next stops. If you have places you would like to take the paper animals to, let me know. We still have limited supplies.

Peter