From the Pastor's Pen

Dear friends,

I read a delightful news article today about a four-year-old in New Zealand who called the police dispatch (our equivalent of 911) to tell them he had some really cool toys.  He invited the dispatcher to come over to see them!  Now first of all… isn’t it a great thing to have a little child believe he is lucky to have the toys he has and to want to share those toys?  At this point in the story, mom discovered what her child was doing, apologized and ended the call.  But this is where the story gets good.  The dispatcher, apparently charmed by the small boy put out a request for an officer to respond, stating: “There is a four-year-old there who is wanting to show police their toys, over.”  Constable Kirk jumped on the request and said he would go see the child and his toys.    The Constable did indeed confirm the little boy had some “really cool toys.”  Then he invited the child to see the inside of his police car and showed him the blue flashing lights.  He concluded his visit with a little educational chat with the boy and his parents about using the emergency phone number only for emergencies. 

I really enjoyed reading this story for all sorts of reasons. First, I love to see a grateful and generous child.  Second, I love it when adults take kids seriously and treat them with respect and kindness.  Actually, I love to see respect and kindness at any age.  The apostle Paul wrote, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.”  (Eph. 4:32)  It’s such good advice!

Peace,

Pr. Sally

p.s.  If you want to read the full news story, here’s the link: https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/20/asia/police-new-zealand-toys-int-scli/index.html