A 3 year little boy named Christopher, upon first seeing the doll in church school, crawled into a rocking chair, gently lifted the doll onto his lap, and said "Jesus, I gotta’ talk to you!" (This event was an easy first step in helping Christopher understand prayer.)
A Christian counselor who treats child victims of sexual abuse
shares that the tangible "presence" of the The Jesus Doll™ has
affected poignant moments of healing for several children in
therapy.
In a southeastern Pennsylvania nursing home, The Jesus Doll™ is passed from resident to resident as they share His presence and love with each other. A woman remarks that she likes to take the doll with her for "walks" observing, "He rides so well in a wheelchair!" Her friend just likes to hold the dolls hand when she is alone.
A 9 year old girl, blinded by a malignant brain tumor and confined to a hospice, feels the closeness, despite her isolation and separation from usual sources of comfort. She strokes the Doll's hair and hugs him tightly, as the chaplain talks with her about living and dying.
5 year old Melissa runs outside the front door of her house, calling to a friend across the street, "Guess who's coming to live at my house?" (Melissa was given The Jesus Doll™ by her grandmother for her birthday.)
Notes from the creator of The Jesus Doll™:
The first image of The Jesus Doll came to me in a dream in 1993. Because I recognized that the image of Jesus is a powerful one for both children and adults of faith, creating and producing the doll was both a bold undertaking and a humbling experience. But from the very first doll sold for use in ministry, stories of comfort and growth were shared with me. Since 1993, The Jesus Doll™ ministry has grown. Many thousands of dolls are now found in churches, schools, retirement homes, hospitals, hospice, mission sites, counseling centers, prisons, and in homes of the faithful. Each Jesus Doll is made by hand in our studio near Cleveland, Ohio, where we carefully monitor its appearance to meet our original artistic design standards. We regularly receive, and continue to be blessed, by notes of thanks from persons who have been comforted and empowered by God’s grace, through the image of this simple doll. May some of the anecdotes on these pages help you identify ways the doll can be useful in your own ministry. Brenda Grauer
