Italian Souls for Christ

The fields that surround the farm house where I grew up are known to my son and his cousins as “Indian country.” My dad was always fascinated by Indians and in his make-believe play as a boy he would often run among them as a young brave. One day as my dad led his grandchildren on a walk through the field he thought they’d enjoy this imaginary world from his childhood. He sat down on a flat rock and began to tell them stories about the Indian chief that would gather his braves around him at that very spot. The Indians always seemed to be just beyond the horizon, but sometimes dad would say if the kids squinted their eyes hard enough they could see them in the distance. And so Indian country became a part of Isaiah’s childhood… and he loved every minute he spent there with grandpa as his guide.

Yesterday was Isaiah’s last walk into Indian country before we leave for Italy. From the outset I knew that one difficulty of ministering on a foreign field would be leaving behind pieces of our lives that we would not normally have set aside. On this day Isaiah would leave behind Indian country. The finality of seeing my son walk quietly beside his grandpa in a place that has held such magic for them both was sobering and once again I was reminded how greatly my calling affects the lives of those I love.

Today was the last day we would visit my parents’ farm for quite some time. Isaiah hugged and kissed both his grandparents good-bye and his smiling face told them he loved them and would miss them. As we got in the car he could no longer hold back the tears and he began to weep. I drove silently. Sandy consoled Isaiah. Pearl slept. Isaiah wept some more. He said, “I didn’t want to cry around grandma and grandpa. I didn’t want to upset them.” Grandpa’s little “Indian” was trying hard to be brave.

I entrust Isaiah to his Saviour and fully believe he has an incredible life ahead of him filled with many adventures. As he looks back into the shadows of his mind the “Indians” that always evaded him on his exploits with grandpa will only grow clearer with time. And for dad, as he imagines our new life in Italy, in his mind there will always be a little blonde headed boy running around in Indian country.