Yvonne Rhodes has a simple request for St. Louis. She wants everyone to pray for her grandbaby on his birthday: “I ask you, the believers of the city, to celebrate Ray’s birthday on September 23 by praying for him.”
Her grandson, Ray Lathon, age 5, has a brain tumor. It was diagnosed on June 15. At that time, the family was told the condition was incurable and the boy was given a prognosis of six months to a year of life remaining. He finished his medical treatment on August 17.
“Now it’s time for God to put the icing on the cake,” Rhodes said, expressing her belief in the power of prayer and faith.
Though a small boy, Ray has always been a man of faith, his grandmother said.
“At his baptism at Tribe of Judah Christian Church, Bishop Alonzo Johnson raised him up and presented him to the world as a Moses who will lead the people,” she said.
Ray takes this mission seriously. As a member of Universal King Outreach Ministry, he makes and serves sandwiches to homeless people on the second Friday of every month. With Pastor John Mango and first lady Elaine Mango, he regularly visits an area nursing home for early morning worship services.
His favorite scripture is the Lord’s Prayer. At age three, he recited the prayer during Easter Sunday service at Hope House of Worship, invited by Pastor Cassandra Harris.
“He is so lovingly smart,” his grandmother said.
Though his work in ministry would be enough to keep most small children busy, Ray also manages to be helpful in other, secular ways.
“He is a big helper, always asking, ‘Can I help?’” Rhodes said. “And it didn’t make a difference what you were doing, from cooking, doing the laundry, gardening, working on cars with his uncle.”
When not helping to cook, clean, garden, repair cars, feed the homeless or serve the Lord, Ray also has a full family and personal life.
“Ray is in love with his mother (Erica Rhodes) and brothers – he is the fifth child of six boys,” his grandmother said. “Ray has many friends, young and old alike. He treats everybody the same, doesn’t see any color. His heart has no jealousy, envy, hatred. His love is real and pure.”
Though spiritually driven for a small child, Ray also enjoys typical pastimes. “Caillou” is his favorite cartoon. He listens to music and likes to entertain family and friends by rapping and dancing. “It seems to be challenging for him to do now, but he doesn’t stop trying,” Rhodes said.
Ray is a Cardinals and Rams fan. “He loves all sports, especially basketball, and knows the players on all the teams,” his grandmother said. His favorite players are LeBron James and even – being something of an old soul – Michael Jordan, who hung up his sneakers long before Ray was born.
His medical caretakers have noticed the elder in the little boy’s soul.
“I have heard statements coming from doctors and staff, such as ‘he is an old soul, he has been here before,’” his grandmother said. “He’s incredibly wise beyond his years.”
In fact, Ray himself – those who love him best call him “Ray Ray” – started the prayer circle that his grandmother is asking St. Louis to join on his birthday.
“Just about every day that he was hospitalized, he would ask his visitors to all hold hands because it was time for prayer and would ask somebody to start the prayer,” Rhodes said. “There was so much crying and such testimonies that came from this little boy’s belief in prayer.”
Now his grandmother asks those who share this boy’s beliefs to pray with and for him on his birthday, September 23.
“Ray has not done anything to deserve this, but he has not allowed it to bother him at all,” his grandmother said. “He believes that this is part of his life, that God is going to heal him, and he will be able to play and ride his bike again.”
Follow this reporter on Twitter @chriskingstl.
