MY COMMITTED CHILD

Sorry for the picture of a picture.  I don't own a scanner, so this will have to do.

This is Eugene from the Philippines.  He's the one who started this whole madness of sponsoring.  He is 18 years old today, so what better way to celebrate his birthday than to blog about him?

I have been sponsoring Eugene through Child Fund for eight years now, shortly before he turned ten.  I call him my committed child.  I am committed to him, not to the organization.  For about a year, I was debating whether or not to stop sponsoring him.  The Lord convicted me it would be him that I would be rejecting, not Child Fund.  And,  I couldn't do that to him.  I am more committed to him than ever, and my hope is to continue to sponsor him until he graduates from the program.

Since his second letter, I have been his Aunt Stacey, and he is my nephew Eugene.  Sometimes, I actually remember to start out as Dear Nephew Eugene.  But I always sign the letter as Aunt Stacey.

I can't believe that my once adorable little boy from the Philippines is now an adult.  He is in his third year of high school.  His goal is to graduate.  I pray he will.  He only has a couple more years left. I know he is able to finish.  It will be a huge honor and reward for him.  Not to mention, it will be for me, knowing that I have helped him complete something.

I look at this picture, and I still wonder where the little boy went.  I am so proud of him.  He is beaming self confidence, isn't he?

Eugene has had a tough few years.  A couple years ago, he dropped out of high school to help take care of his father.  His father had throat cancer and had surgery.  The surgery didn't help, and his father died in March of 2011.  This picture was taken sometime after his father's death, which is why he looks so sad.  I do have a couple pictures of him smiling and looking so happy.

Eugene credits his father as the one who led him to Christ the year before.  I am glad that his father was a good influence on him.  I am even more pleased that Eugene belongs to the Lord.  I look forward to meeting him in Heaven.

I'm not exactly sure what Eugene would like to do after high school.  At first, he wanted to be a pilot so he can go to many places.  Now, he admits that being a pilot is not in his ability.  I keep praying for guidance for him in his decisions.

I can't wait until October, when I will receive his updated photo and progress report.  I'm sure I will be even more shocked to find out he is a man and not a teen boy.

How did I sponsor him?  What was it about him that I chose him?  I didn't choose him.  I chose the region, Asia, and that was it.  I saw an ad about Christian Children's Fund (now Child Fund), and called them to sponsor a child from Asia.  They sent me Eugene.  I admit, I was a little disappointed that it wasn't a girl.  After all, girls from the Philippines are simply beautiful.  The more I thought about it (it took only a day), the more I realized that this was the child the Lord wanted me to have.  How could I say no to him, simply because he was a boy?  So, I sent the response card back and sponsored Eugene.  And, I am so glad I did. Eugene has been such a blessing and encouragement to me over the years.  He truly is my nephew, and I hope to continue the relationship with him long after he graduates from Child Fund.