Jesus is my Superhero!
By Zinnia Manipon (Placement Student)
I am participating in a year-long placement at Toronto City Mission. Working with kids has brought so much happiness in my heart. I co-facilitate the after school program ‘Kids in Community (K.I.C)’ in the St. James Town neighbourhood. It has been a pleasure for me to assist the children with their homework and day by day, I can see them learn and grow. It brings pure joy to my heart to be able to teach new songs and do worship with the kids and I hope someday they will be able to understand the true meaning of worship. I’ve always found it interesting to observe the kids as they explore their creativity in drawing, coloring, or any arts and crafts activities. It constantly reminds me of how God blessed each individual with amazing talents, and how He himself crafted His work of art in this world, bringing color to our lives. I also feel like a child again whenever I join games with the children. Leading the bible storytelling makes me feel that God entrusted me to share His gospel with these children. One of the most memorable experiences I have had in TCM was being involved in the Christmas potluck – truly a joining of creativity as well as the gospel. It was my first Christmas potluck in the community and I was astonished. Oh! The foooooood and the families and friends that came together to celebrate was just simply amazing. I was in charge of the children’s presentation for the Christmas potluck. The kids did an amazing job and one of my favorite performances was the grade five and six boys’ rap. Their rap went like this;
I know a superhero, he’s got his own films and a book.
No it’s not Spiderman, listen closely and look.
He was born in December, sleeping in a manger
He is God’s only begotten son, He is the chosen one
You could say he’s an Avenger, coz he avenged us of our sins.
You could say he’s a true pal, coz he’ll stay through thick and thin.
Aqua man, Iceman, Wolverine and Thor.
Those guys are kinda cool, but let me tell you MORE about Jesus
Superman flies from here to there; Jesus is Lord he exists everywhere.
Batman, Bruce Wayne, the world’s greatest detective. Jesus is King, and his word is addictive.
Hulk is strong, but my God is stronger. Jesus moves mountains without lifting a finger.
Ironman is smart and his brain’s a work of art. Jesus knows all, He even knows every beat of your heart!
Jesus is my superhero!
The audience loved it and my heart was warmed to see the children enjoying themselves and being totally engaged in the activity. I felt like that event was the biggest endeavor entrusted to me by God and I cherished that sense of accomplishment, thanking Him for allowing me the opportunity to be an instrument of His purpose. During the planning stages, I worried about how to organize everything, yet I felt God’s presence, inspiring me and driving me towards my goal. I was relieved when everything started falling into place in time for the event and what an event it turned out to be! I’m very thankful for the experience.
My previous 5 months were full of fun and lessons in life that I will carry with me. While I have given my services to TCM, I feel that it has done much more for me in the sense that it has nurtured my spiritual hunger and the best thing is that I am doing what I love and have striven for; working with kids. It has been wonderful working with TCM and a dream come true. I look forward to the following months and my only wish is that these children will take the lessons they learned and use them as a basis for their future and all it holds within.