Tomo's Sunday School Teachers Kristian and Randy Whitaker are in love with him and that just blesses all our hearts to say the least. Kristian wrote a story about Tomo as they are moving soon and wanted to share how he has touched their lives.
Have you met my friend Tomo?
If so, you’re one of the special people on this earth who have been blessed by Tomo’s touch.
Randy and I met Tomo in our Sunday School class. We’ve known him less than a year, now, and only get to see him on Sundays, but we know a lot about those other days in between by what we’ve seen in the classroom each week.
We work with little ones, who are pretty good at crawling, sometimes pulling up on the furniture, and some even walking pretty well. They’re really a good-natured crowd most of the time. But sometimes they can get a little cranky, and fuss a little bit. And sometimes Tomo will listen for a minute, and then bring them a toy, to try to cheer them up. Or with a pat on their backs, his arm around their shoulders, he will lean around and look them in the face and show them how much he cares.
Occasionally one of the little guys will take a tumble---they’re not too steady on their feet yet. One tiny young lady went rolling one day, and landed on her back, looking up at the ceiling. She wasn’t crying or hurt, but the first person on the scene was Tomo, stroking her bangs back out of her face, then cradling her head gently in his own two hands until she could right herself and sit up again. I was quite amazed, but even more touched, nearly to tears.
You see, I think Tomo has seen these loving touches demonstrated daily in his own life and he is a natural at sharing them with other people. I think he knows how to reach out to others, because he is surrounded by a loving, caring family and hundreds of caring friends who have shown him God’s love, and modeled for him how to reach out and show that love to others. Someone has taken the time to share with him and his brothers and sister. Someone has wrapped their arms around them and comforted them when they needed it. That’s not something you tell a child, it’s something you teach in silent, loving gestures on a steady, consistent basis.
Tomo is an exuberant, fun-loving guy too. He dances with the music, and loves making music himself, with the classroom keyboard and a little drum there. He loves chasing bubbles when our precious Kazuko-san blows them, and he stretches pretty high to catch them in his hands. He points out stray bubbles to the others every now and then, when a bubble has landed next to them on the floor, and they didn’t seem to notice it.
Tomo is also a master at figuring out just how everything works. He takes things apart, puts them back together, then tries to make them work in new and different ways. He works and works to get the rolling monkey to go, and then delights when it rolls back to him. He has graduated from the butterfly-in-a-ball to the inner workings of the baby swings with their many fascinating buttons, but he still likes to take a leisurely swing himself, every now and then.
I think Tomo will someday be a great social worker, or maybe an architect, or maybe an electromechanical engineer and inventor. But I won’t limit him with those tiny labels. I just know he’s not limited by anyone or anything. He’s just the amazing Tomo!
He can’t communicate verbally too well, just yet, but he’s getting there, with his singing and his preaching during church services. And oh how he communicates love to the other kids in our little classroom! His tongue may be tied for the moment, but hey! He’s not even three years old yet. And my bet is, if he’s anything like his big brother Juda, he’ll be talking your ears off in another year or two, and working his way into thousands more hearts in the years to come.
Tomo, we love you. And thank you for sharing your Tomo’s touch with us. We are so blessed to have enjoyed this small part of your life, and we look forward to all the exciting things that God has planned for you!
Have you met my friend Tomo?
If so, you’re one of the special people on this earth who have been blessed by Tomo’s touch.
Randy and I met Tomo in our Sunday School class. We’ve known him less than a year, now, and only get to see him on Sundays, but we know a lot about those other days in between by what we’ve seen in the classroom each week.
We work with little ones, who are pretty good at crawling, sometimes pulling up on the furniture, and some even walking pretty well. They’re really a good-natured crowd most of the time. But sometimes they can get a little cranky, and fuss a little bit. And sometimes Tomo will listen for a minute, and then bring them a toy, to try to cheer them up. Or with a pat on their backs, his arm around their shoulders, he will lean around and look them in the face and show them how much he cares.
Occasionally one of the little guys will take a tumble---they’re not too steady on their feet yet. One tiny young lady went rolling one day, and landed on her back, looking up at the ceiling. She wasn’t crying or hurt, but the first person on the scene was Tomo, stroking her bangs back out of her face, then cradling her head gently in his own two hands until she could right herself and sit up again. I was quite amazed, but even more touched, nearly to tears.
You see, I think Tomo has seen these loving touches demonstrated daily in his own life and he is a natural at sharing them with other people. I think he knows how to reach out to others, because he is surrounded by a loving, caring family and hundreds of caring friends who have shown him God’s love, and modeled for him how to reach out and show that love to others. Someone has taken the time to share with him and his brothers and sister. Someone has wrapped their arms around them and comforted them when they needed it. That’s not something you tell a child, it’s something you teach in silent, loving gestures on a steady, consistent basis.
Tomo is an exuberant, fun-loving guy too. He dances with the music, and loves making music himself, with the classroom keyboard and a little drum there. He loves chasing bubbles when our precious Kazuko-san blows them, and he stretches pretty high to catch them in his hands. He points out stray bubbles to the others every now and then, when a bubble has landed next to them on the floor, and they didn’t seem to notice it.
Tomo is also a master at figuring out just how everything works. He takes things apart, puts them back together, then tries to make them work in new and different ways. He works and works to get the rolling monkey to go, and then delights when it rolls back to him. He has graduated from the butterfly-in-a-ball to the inner workings of the baby swings with their many fascinating buttons, but he still likes to take a leisurely swing himself, every now and then.
I think Tomo will someday be a great social worker, or maybe an architect, or maybe an electromechanical engineer and inventor. But I won’t limit him with those tiny labels. I just know he’s not limited by anyone or anything. He’s just the amazing Tomo!
He can’t communicate verbally too well, just yet, but he’s getting there, with his singing and his preaching during church services. And oh how he communicates love to the other kids in our little classroom! His tongue may be tied for the moment, but hey! He’s not even three years old yet. And my bet is, if he’s anything like his big brother Juda, he’ll be talking your ears off in another year or two, and working his way into thousands more hearts in the years to come.
Tomo, we love you. And thank you for sharing your Tomo’s touch with us. We are so blessed to have enjoyed this small part of your life, and we look forward to all the exciting things that God has planned for you!
Tomo and the reluctant rolling monkey
Randy gets to hold Tomo at Christmas Time
Tomo loves to make music, every chance he gets!
