The little guy sitting here with Andy (in Cambodia in 1994) is Top. I was flipping through years of scrapbooks and I found this picture and I couldn't help but think of how much Top changed our lives and the lives of so many others. One little street child in Cambodia changed the course of our lives in more ways than I'll ever know.
For starters, Top helped Andy and I fall in love. We were in Cambodia together in 1994 and the crazy combination of Andy and I playing with orphans and street children mixed with this terribly horrible stomach virus we both got somehow turned both of our hearts from friends to somewhere-down-the-line-there-is-a-future-for-us. I was pretty much already to that point, but the trip and the events of that trip made Andy realize that he loved me and he wanted to marry me. Nothing came of those feelings for ten months, but they rooted themselves in our time in Cambodia. Thank you, Top.
Then, I think Top ultimately played a huge role in our adoption journey. I don't know if Andy would have ever considered adoption if it weren't for the little tug Top gave Andy's heart that night. So, I think I will give Top some of the credit for Gabby and Tiki being in our lives.
I often wonder what happened to Top. He was a street kid in the capital city of Cambodia. His parents sent him to the city to make money for the family and World Vision had a special program to "host" these street children while they were in the city. My prayer is that somehow, Top became a Christian so that I can thank him in heaven and so that he can know how many lives he changed.
It is amazing to me to think that if a small homeless six year old in Cambodia can change so many lives. . .how many lives can I change doing what I am called to do?
Anyway, thank you, Top. Thank you, God, for orchestrating our lives. . .our time at Baylor, our trip to Cambodia and everything from that point on.
Comments
Thanks! :-)