The Chosen Son

Supposed to be posted last night.:)

Last night we went to a friends' house to celebrate the birthday of their 12 year old son. The son's name is Sam. Actually, he's not their real son nor January 3rd is his real birthday. Sam used to live in the streets ever since he was small. He doesn't know who his real parents are , as he and his siblings (who are all missing) were abandoned by their parents when they were young. Sam doesn't even know when is his real birthday. They just celebrate January 3rd as his birthday because that's the date when our friends got him, brought him home and treated him as thier own.

When I asked my friend why they decided to adopt Sam, she said that they want to share their blessings to others and they can do this by loving and taking care of a child who has never have a chance to experience all these in life. And I was just so touched and impressed by the way they show God's love, it's something that you could say that's for real and not just for show. Everytime we see this family with Sam we're just so blessed as how they treat him equally and even more special than the other children. His siblings extend their love and extra understanding to him too. He has a totally different background, worldview, value system and even maybe many traumatic experiences. The whole family had to make a lot of adjustments in their life, routine, finances and etc to welcome Sam in their lives.

I could just imagine, what if no one ever found Sam? He could still be in the streets now. What if they never came to a decision to accept him as he is and make him as their son? He could be involved with other things now and live a wasted life. He couldn't have experienced how it is to be loved and to be cared for by a family. Most of all, he could'nt have experienced the life changing power of our Lord, Jesus.

It's a blessing to see Sam changed. He's a totally different person now from the first time we saw him several months ago. He used to be very timid, shy and insecure. Now, he's very confident, secure and his joy is just contagious. He's quite a smart kid too. He hasn't experienced going to school or studying for the past 11 years in hus life. But when my friend taught him to read, he learned it fast and now he's reading everything from books to street signs.

My Hubby asked me this question again and again for 2 years now: Can we adopt a child? It's also his desire to bless other children. My answer would be," if God tells me so, then I will. " But honestly, I think I'm not ready for this kind of call. I know it entails a lot of adjustments, a lot of sacrifice and etc. Or maybe I'm not called to serve in this way. I don't know. But as what I said, if God tells me, then I will do it for I know if He calls, he will enable. But as for now, I'll have to pray for more strength and grace to take care of my two kids. Even as of now, I would want to say..huhuhuh! Two is enough! It is finished!...hahahah!!

Party Pictures

Tricia with her 'grown up' friends

The birthday boy. When his Mom asked him who he wants to invite for his party, he specifically asked our family to be there. So sweet of him!

Tricia with David ( Sam's brother). They said they're going for shopping.

Sam's Dad, Mom and sibling..and oh, that's my son they're holding. :)

By the way, please pray for Sam's processing of documents too. The process is a bit complicated since Sam is considered "invisible" in Thailand as he doesnt' have any documents and his parents are nowhere to be found. It's a challenge for the family and they even have to sacrifice going back to US as they don't want to leave Sam alone. They can only go back home to US once Sam gets all his paperwork is done.