The Letter Writer Who Walked Through the Door

For eleven years, Margaret Chen wrote letters to her sponsored child, Amara, in a small village outside Kigali, Rwanda. She sent photographs, birthday cards, handwritten notes on yellow legal paper. Amara pinned every one to the wall above her bed. She knew Margaret's handwriting the way you know a familiar voice — every loop, every slant. She could trace the letters with her finger and feel something like love.

But in 2019, Margaret retired from her nursing career in Portland, sold her house on Hawthorne Street, and bought a one-way ticket to Kigali. When she appeared in the doorway of Amara's classroom, the girl stared at her for a long moment, then burst into tears. Not because the letters had been untrue — every word had been faithful. But because a living, breathing person standing in front of you is an entirely different thing than ink on paper.

The Almighty had been writing to humanity for centuries — through prophets, through the Law, through psalms that burned with longing. Every word was true. Every promise was faithful. But John tells us something staggering happened: "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." The Author of all creation walked through the door. Not more words. Not another letter. A person. Emmanuel — God with us — full of grace and truth, close enough to touch.