Before we were married, my husband asked me how I would feel about bringing children who were not our biological kids into our family. He told me that it was something on his heart. Fast forward a few years. William shared with me that there was a young man from our community who had just finished 8th grade. He had finished strong, in spite of enormous odds against him. This young man had great potential, but almost no resources to put that potential to work. He is the oldest son of a single-mother who battles severe mental illness. He needed help to get to high school.
And that day began our journey with Jonah. It's been more than nine-years since we started walking together. Jonah may not be the son of my blood, but he is certainly the son of my heart. Recently my biological son Ryan and I were chatting before he went to sleep. He was asking some questions about his birth. And then he asked "Mommy, did you give birth to Jonah? Because he's my brother." My heart melted. I explained that while I hadn't given birth to Jonah, he is absolutely Ryan's brother and a part of our family. God brought him to us. Jonah has been in Ryan's life since day one.
Over the years I've watched Jonah work hard to help make sure his younger siblings were safe and getting access to education. He takes his role as a big brother very seriously. He also has embraced Ryan has his younger brother. Beaded name bracelets are all the rage right now in our area. Someone had gifted me one last year. We recently had some made for one of our visiting teams. Unbeknownst to us, Jonah had one special ordered for Ryan, in just his size. He's has also helped Ryan transition from riding his two-wheeler bike on nice CA pavement, to riding here on the rough village roads. Their bond blesses my spirit.
There have been a few other youths and children who the Lord has brought into our home for seasons. And I don't doubt that there will be more to come in the future. I feel thankful that the Lord has given us more than just a season with Jonah. It's been an honor to walk with him for almost a decade now.Today is a really big day for Jonah. He is graduating with a bachelor's degree in public health. My mama heart is bursting with pride. Congratulations Jonah! William, Ryan and I could not be more proud!
