Staff
John Koon
- john.koon@wordmadeflesh.org
- Country
- Moldova
As the eldest of four children, John grew up in Columbus, Ohio, with great affection for reading, water-skiing and the cello. At a young age, he gave his life to Jesus and was quickly captivated by God's heart for the healing of the entire world. He was first exposed to the presence of Jesus among the poor on a high school summer trip to Rio de Janeiro, where he served among the vulnerable in slum communities. Upon his return to the United States, he began to ask many questions about poverty and oppression, sensing that the injustice found in the world was never part of God's intention for creation.
In 2001, John moved to Nashville, Tenn., in order to pursue a music degree in cello performance at Vanderbilt University. While he was there, God began to stretch him in his understanding of the way in which all things are being made new as he met and formed relationships with people from many different walks of life. Sensing God calling him to be involved in some type of ministry, John decided to stop pursuing a career as a professional musician after he graduated in 2005 and instead to seek God's leading in service among the poor. During this time of seeking, he completed a Master of Education in Organizational Leadership at Vanderbilt.
In 2006, horrified by stories of human-trafficking and extreme poverty in the small eastern European country of Moldova, John committed one year of his life to teaching an English class there at a state-run boarding school. With a desire to see the Kingdom of God come even to this country, known around the world for little more than its delicious wine and high contribution to the global sex trade, John packed his bags and moved that September. While he was there, he encountered the beauty of the Moldovan people as he studied the Romanian language and built relationships with teenage boys who lived at the school. Through the brokenness in their lives, John was confronted with his own brokenness and the healing presence of the Word made flesh among them. He encountered the love of Jesus there in a fresh way.
After his one-year commitment was over in Moldova, John decided to hop across the River Prut to Galati, Romania, in order to participate in a four-month internship with Word Made Flesh. There he learned about the Lifestyle Celebrations and philosophy of ministry of this organization and was affirmed in the calling on his life to serve Jesus among the poorest of the poor. By November of 2007, John was busy filling out his application to return to Romania as field staff in the spring of 2008. He is humbled to have this opportunity to continually encounter the depths of the heart of God among the children at Casa La Vale.