Adopted!

The trigger of interest for me to go on the mission trip to Vnam was the orphans. I have followed many blogs of families that have adopted and have been on the praying end of those as well as friends from college and now high school who are adopting! I am an adoption blog junky!! My Dear and I are watching for God to tell us when we are to join the ranks of these parents. I wondered if Vnam might be where He would lead us.

In my readings, I have established a few rules for adoption....this is where families who have adopted laugh! We have 1 son and 2 daughters so naturally, our child would be a boy. Our child would also fall within the birth order meaning that he would be 2-3 years younger than B. keeping with the pattern of the ages. Yeah, I know, only God would smile at my arrogance with a "bless her heart" on His lips!

Let me just say, the little boy above broke the mold! He came into the orphanage later in the afternoon because he goes to a deaf school off campus. I attempted to talk with him at the orphanage but our signs were different-it was worth the try. I think he was in shock that someone was attempting to communicate with him.

We played with chalk and wrote our ages learning that he is 11 years old. We played Frisbee and ball as well.

The next day we returned to the orphanage. This was the day that Fay would lead the children through the plan of salvation by telling a story. The director said, "we welcome your Jesus story." Fay began with Adam and Eve's sin in the garden and then taught our need for a Savior-Jesus. She told how Jesus was born, died, and rose again (makes me want to say Hallelujah just listing them!)

The majority of the children listened. We invited anyone who prayed to ask Jesus to come into their hearts to come to the front. As children sometimes do, they all came forward- copying one another. In that crowd, I spotted my little friend.

I tapped him on the should and motioned for him to come and stand with me. He did so. We prayed with the other children and they went out for snacks and the goodies we had brought them. My little friend and I stayed in the upstairs classroom. We went and got the picture book, flannel board pictures, and a Bible lesson book that we had given the children with the story of Jesus in it. I began flipping the pages in the book. I touched the picture of Jesus in the manger and signed Jesus. We turned the page to a picture of Jesus as a toddler and I signed Jesus. Again and again, I found Jesus on the pages and then my little friend turned the page and found Jesus and signed to me. HE GOT IT! He would flip pages and point with his little eyebrows narrowed as if asking a question and I would answer with pointing to pictures and signing it. When he saw the cross he made the sign of the cross as most Catholics do. I showed him the sign language for the word cross. That little guy sat as I told him the very story that Fay had told the other children but this little guy was getting it!!! He wanted to know who hung Jesus on the cross and found a picture of an angry King assuming that is who did it. He found the pictures of a heart colored black and related that to Adam and Eve and a heart colored white and related that to the picture of Christ's resurrection.

We looked at a picture of Adam and Eve in the garden. I touched the picture-he signed them and I signed, "God Made" after each of them. Then I pointed to him and signed "GOD MADE!" His face lit up!!

It was an "I love you too God!" moment! I was unsure that anyone knew we were still in that upper room but my heart was thrilled. This little guy was hungry to know!!

I spent the rest of the afternoon playing with this little guy and that included the "God Made" game. When it was time to go, I looked at my friend Bob and said, "Can I keep him?" What an amazing little boy. It was easy to tell him I loved him.

This little guy did not fit my list but would have fit perfect in our family. Americans are not allowed to adopt for Vnam. If they were, I would have My Dear on his knees about this one. I shared with my friend the love I have for this child. She told me the government may tell me that I can not adopt him but no one could tell me I could not adopt him through prayer. So with that being said, this little guy is ADOPTED by me!!



You know the tongue roll is hereditary. He must be mine!