Rising Hope

He was now without a father. After losing his mother at a young age, his father was the only family he had left. Now he had no one. There were relatives around but none of them could properly take care of him. None one could ever replace his father! How was an 8-year-old boy supposed to journey through life without a family to care for him?

This little boy, whose name I shall withhold, learned about death at a very young age. He barely knew his mother before she died. Without his father, he was now left all alone. Plus, he too was dying. Born with HIV, he got more and more sick with time. When we met him, he had AIDS. Such a cruel disease that ravaged his body to the point where he was barely more than skin and bones. Oozing sores covered his entire body. His fingers and toes were clubbed from lack of oxygen. His tummy was extended as his spleen and liver were shutting down. He couldn't run for long without gasping for breath. There appeared to be little hope for his survival, but then God brought him to us.

The doctor told us that he only had a couple of months left to live. His immune system was too compromised; he had been too sick for too long. My parents decided that they were going to give him the best care that he could get for the little time that he had left. He started taking medication to combat the virus's activity. He also took multi-vitamins to give his body a boost. We made sure that he had three square meals a day and stayed clean to prevent infections. As a family we worked together to make him as comfortable as possible and people around the world prayed! We also prayed. We prayed that this young boy, who had now become a part of our family, would live until Christmas. We really wanted to celebrate Christmas with him!

Months passed and instead of getting worse, this little guy got better. As he continued to improve, my parents felt led by the Lord to start the adoption process. He already felt like he was a part of our family and we couldn't imagine our lives without him. It took about 3 and 1/2 years to complete the adoption. He was 12 when the adoption was finalized.

While we were in the midst of the adoption process, my mom began to homeschool my brother along with my siblings and I. As a result, he learned English. Reading and writing in English proved difficult for him but he persevered. As for speaking a new language, he picked it up fairly quickly.

As his health improved, we realized that he was quite the athlete. He enjoyed playing sports, like soccer, and was actually pretty good! It was so neat to see his body begin to thrive! Seeing the progress in his health was nothing short of miraculous!

After the adoption was completed, my family moved from Thailand to Canada. We were able to acquire his Canadian citizenship and passport before leaving SouthEast Asia. We weren't sure about how he would transition from one country to the next, but we assured him that we would be with him every step of the way. He was now a part of a new family; no longer without a mother, father or siblings!

It was amazing to see! He adapted to being in a new country very well! The language and culture difference didn't seem to affect him much. He quickly began to make friends at school. He loved seeing snow for the first time! With his love for athletics, he even learned how to ice skate within the first year of being in Canada! When he saw some kids playing hockey for the first time, he was determined to give it a try himself. So that first winter, he joined a recreational hockey league. He soon became a great hockey player!

Watching my brother's life transform from hopelessness to joy was a privilege to watch! Our family felt so grateful to have him as a member of our family (and of course, we still do)! Providing a child in need with a home is a most fulfilling feeling! To offer love and care to an orphan is both a humbling and a honoring experience. God knew that we needed him in our family as much as he needed us!