Meet Ted.  He’s the newest member of the Paraclete Centre.  We share an office.

Ted showed up in my office a year ago.  I walked in to discover a giant bear in my chair.  It was something of a Reverse Goldilocks effect.

It took a little sleuthing, but later in the day I learned that WorldVenture’s president had been seen carrying a giant bear across the parking lot.  Ted was his daughter’s bear, but she was moving to South Africa.  Ted would require his own seat on the plane.  It didn’t seem like good stewardship to move him with the rest of her things.  She thought he might like a change of scenery and some new friends.

And that’s how Ted came to live in my office.

For more than six months Ted didn’t do much but guard the dark chocolate in the desk drawer.  He made a few new friends as people came to visit, but most of the time he sat watch over the chocolate and Kopikos.  That all changed in April.

During a new missionary orientation in April, Ted made his big debut.  He got a suitcase and filled it with some of his favorite things.  He started having sleepovers with WorldVenture’s newest MKs.  His journal started to fill up with all his adventures.  He learned to run down the hallway near the guest rooms with some of his new friends.  He also learned to wrestle with his new friends and not hurt them.

Just by being himself, Ted teaches about consistency, the importance of reading the Bible and journaling every day, and avoiding foods that we’re allergic to–like honey in his case.  I know, it’s strange for a bear to be allergic to honey, but sticky foods don’t go well with inside fur.

A few weeks after the April group left, I got a report that Ted did his job well.  As one of the younger kids who met Ted at orientation was preparing for his first sleep over, he insisted on having a bag like Ted’s.  That included having his very own journal.

During the summer Ted split his time between sleep overs with TCKs and hanging out in the classroom with all the kids.  He enjoyed lots of snuggles–especially when we read books.  He watched a few movies.  He cuddled with a few people who were feeling lonely or out of sorts.

While I didn’t know I needed Ted around, he certainly has made life more interesting.  I’m happy to share my office with him.

Ted not only has his own suitcase, he also has his own facebook page.  If you’re interested, you can like him here.  You can also follow some of his exploits there.  He may hibernate for part of the fall, but I’m pretty sure he’ll wake up when there are more kids in the building.

Ted is our resident TCB–Third Culture Bear.  Come to Colorado and meet him!