Sou and I were both in shock. We were seated at Sarin and Rosa’s twelfth anniversary celebration, actually a re-marriage ceremony (they are leaders in the music ministry at the Chom Choa Church Home, who grew up in our church home system and married). There must have been nearly 300 people there, most of them kids we’d raised, now young adults with kids in their early teens. The others were friends that Rosa knew from her shop at the market, Dozens of them were awestruck, “This group (FCOP) came and did this for you, “Stray Dogs?”  They looked at the facilities and at Mak Sou and I, “Why did they do that? Did they make money?” Those who knew us from the beginning, just smiled and said, “No, they just loved us, and now they are a lot older and in debt.” Through a mystified gaze came the inevitable question, “Why then, would they do this?” Our kids simply said, “Now, you know why we follow Jesus.”

As our grown-up FCOP kids came to greet us, there were doctors, nurses, pastors, mechanics, movie stars, tour guides, singers, dentists, business owners, farmers, and technicians. The parade seemed to be unending. Sou and I looked at each other and said, almost simultaneously, “None of this would have happened, if we hadn’t come. It’s been hard, but it’s been worth it!”

After a recent church service, as the children under our care were coming up for a greeting, a hug, a simple acknowledgement, or just a smile, I felt a slap on the back, and a team member from the USA said, “You’re the richest guy on earth!” I looked at him and chuckled, “I just wish that were a little more true in the financial sense!”