Where’s Wonderful?

Dear Teacher,  

At a construction site beside Memorial Children's Hospital in South Bend, Indiana, foreman and artist, Jason Haney, wanted to give young patients something fun to look forward to.  

It started with an inflatable snowman placed on the site to make the children smile.  Then a co-worker suggested something different: A real-life game of Where's Waldo.  Haney built a life-sized cutout of the red-and-and-white-striped character and began hiding it around his construction site.  The cutout stood 8.2 feet tall and weighed about 60 pounds.

Soon, children in hospital rooms and play areas were eagerly searching the site each day, looking out the windows and pointing excitedly when they spotted him.  For a few moments, they could focus on finding Waldo instead of being in the hospital.  Jason repeatedly said he had one goal: "All I did this for was to make the kids smile."  The idea became so popular that he later planned to add four Minoins from "Despicable Me" to the game.  Families shared photos and stories online, including on mother who said Waldo gave her son something to look forward to while recovering from a bicycle accident.  What began with an inflatable snowman became a daily game that brought excitement and distraction to children facing difficulties days during healing.

And you, Teacher, there in your classroom serve a hospital, of sorts.  Many students come to you with trauma and injuries from dysfunctional home lives or times they weren't protected.  They come with erratic behavior, short attention spans, and dysregulated emotions.  Yet, when they look into your classroom, they spot something different.  Despite their emotional damage, they can see Jesus amidst the textbook and tactiles, reading nooks and calm down corners.  They might spy Him in the tone of your voice, or your unconditional warmth and positive regard.  They may excitedly point Him out when they experience Him through a classmate's kindness, or look forward to experiencing Him at worship sing-along.  Whenever and however you do it, your one goal remains the same:  How will my students look for and find Jesus today?

Seeking and Finding too,
Mindy
Christian Educator & School Counselor