March 3rd

For me, it’s God’s day and His number. I’ve explained why I see the number three this way in the posting weeks ago (Grace Came, February 15, 2011). I don’t even know when I started noticing. It used to just be my youngest brother’s birthday. When we moved here to Chiang Mai, we met our neighbor on the right and it was her birthday. Just a year or so later, we met our neighbor on the left and it was her birthday, too! Hmm, I just realized as I’m writing this that those neighbors helped me pass away the loneliness when we first moved here almost seven years ago. They were Thai Buddhists but God used them anyway. Thank you, my 3G! You used them to make it easier to adjust here and signed the whole deal. =)

Last year, we were supposed to know the results of Eric’s biopsy on February 20. When they moved it to March 3rd, I was dismayed but relieved. I knew God’s good will come out of it and now looking back, it certainly DID! Learning then that Eric had cancer wasn’t easy news but receiving it on this date made it easier.

This year, I came home from school on March 3rd and Ethan’s pet hamster Nike still looked cute but was unmoving. I couldn’t believe it because Ethan’s best friend Mathias left for Home Assignment two days ago and so losing his pet too just did not look too good, timing wise. I returned to the cage several times. I called out to Nike using different voices: playful, friendly, frantic, loud, and finally, desperate(!). None worked, he was obviously dead. I enlisted the help of friends to pray for me as I picked up Ethan from his friend’s house and delivered the grim news. We also swung by Nike’s former owners because I thought Ethan was simply looking after their hamster. It was explained to me that Nike was Ethan’s and they no longer wanted him back. Praise God for mercy! Nike was totally Ethan’s and that was good as he was totally dead. Now, Ethan has a new hamster named Moopy. He’s older, white, furry, and just as cute as Nike. Mathias’ family needed a home for it so Ethan inherited him. What a blessing as Moopy now distracts and comforts Ethan and helps with the sadness of losing both Mathias and Nike. Papa God looks after even the tiniest detail of our lives.

I slept early then. If not, I would have read the email that indicated that my childhood friend had Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (ACC) behind her left eye. The prognosis does not look very good. The survival rate is not very high in the long run. She could lose the use of her left eye. She could even not make it. Still, the news came on March 3rd. It will turn out for good. I know because they were supposed to see the doctor on the fourth but they were asked to come on the 3rd instead. The Lord had marked it again. Thank you, Papa God. You are SO GOOD. I choose to trust you.

And this brings me to the last point which is the Jarots. I think if they knew the significance of March 3rd, they may not have been as anxious as they were for their daughters’ adoption paperwork. I’m sorry that I can’t elaborate any more than that. Paula wrote an excellent and compelling book about their adopted Cambodian daughters and what they had to go through to get their US citizenship. I don’t want to spoil it for you. I just know if you read “Daughters by Design,” you’ll be glad for the time you spend reading it. It’ll leave you with a heart praising God and rooting for more of what He does. It’ll encourage you and warm your heart.

Lastly, I hope you won’t take offense that the Lord has related to me this way and that this is what I believe. He probably does it differently with you and March 3rd may not mean anything to you. He’s still good and does what He wants, yes?