THE ROAD Less Traveled
Confirmation comes in an unlikely place to hear spoken in an Irish accent in the middle By Jason Herring of Hong Kong, Josiah’s name was uttered when Almost 12 years ago I lost a child to cancer. I least expected. Josiah Lee was a few months shy of his fifth After our intense labor in Hong Kong was birthday and our youngest at the time. Given finished, we went to Beijing for a few days of the nature of the inoperable, incurable tumor sightseeing. Then on the weekend, we went to that resided in his brain, we thought we would visit the Harmony House orphanage located have eleven months to a year and a half to about 45 minutes south of the capital city, spend with our son. It turned out we only had where I was told Steven Curtis Chapman had 55 days. Josiah’s journey ended on our last adopted Maria – his beautiful daughter who morning of his Make-A-Wish trip to Disney was tragically killed and the theme of his third World. He passed up a character breakfast at verse to “Yours”. Chef Mickey’s for a better reunion beyond the When we arrived, I was unprepared for what veil. There’s much more to the story that I’ll I saw. There were dozens of orphans from todsave for another column. dler to three years old who loved to pose for the Over a year after Josiah passed, I was precamera. All of the kids had a special need of sented with the opportunity to go to China. It Jason Herring some kind. One kid in particular caught my eye seemed like a great idea when I accepted, but right away. He was very interested in me, and as the departure date got closer, I began to wonder if it was stuck his tongue out every time I took his picture. really the right thing to do. There were issues in the church I When all of the kids left the dining room and went into the was pastoring, and I was still coping and grieving over the loss of my son. How could I go to the other side of the world when living room to play with the rest of the team, I remained in the dining room conversing with this little guy who didn’t underthere were fires burning on the home front? stand anything but a smile. Then he pointed at my camera. I With apprehension I left for China not having any idea noticed that he pointed with his deformed feet as though they what to expect. During the first six days, our team carried or were his hands. He kept his hands hidden in the sleeves of his “smuggled” over 17,000 Bibles from Hong Kong over into sweater. He liked my camera, and he loved it when I would Shenzen to be delivered into the hands of unregistered or show him his picture after each snapshot. When a worker “underground” churches. In two of my twelve crossings, I was helped him to the floor and he began to hop across the floor stopped and had my Bibles confiscated, which meant I would like a baby seal, I could no longer contain myself. I made a have to go back through customs to retrieve them and take beeline for the restroom, closed the door, and cried where no them back into Hong Kong. one could see me. During my second retrieval I was kneeling down near the Regaining my composure I went into the living room to see customs office loading my Bibles back into my luggage case some of the other precious children. I wasn’t there but a few and feeling quite discouraged over the fact that they would minutes when I heard someone say, “Josiah.” And then I heard never make it into the hands of the people who desperately it again. needed them. From the crowd of folks waiting for their con“Excuse me. Did I hear Josiah? Is there a child here named traband an old man walked over to where I was kneeling. With Josiah?” I asked the director of the orphanage. his arms outstretched, he said, “Bible. Bible.” I handed him “Yes, there is,” she replied. a Bible and he took it and hugged it to his chest, bowing in “Which child is he?” I asked. gratitude. Inspired by this unexpected encounter, I presented a “He’s going up the stairs,” she said, gesturing to the stairwell. Bible to one of the guards, which he warmly accepted. PerBefore I looked I already knew who it was. There was my haps my inconvenient citation and confiscation was so that little photogenic buddy hopping up the stairs, one step at a those two people could get the Word of God in their possestime. When I walked up the stairs there were a dozen more sion. kids playing with their toys. It didn’t take long to observe the While serving in the Hong Kong ministry, I met a wonderful pecking order. Josiah was the kingpin of the toy room. He held couple from Ireland, Richard and Cherith. We were leaving a monopoly on a box of animal-shaped blocks. A lady from the main office and riding down the escalator when Cherith our group asked him, “Are you Josiah?” Josiah looked up at asked me, “Do you have any children?” her with sparkling eyes and said, “Josiah!” Hearing that name “Yes. A son,” I replied. from the lips of a four-year-old little boy was almost too much. “How old is he?” “Stink! I’m going to lose it again. Not in front of the kids. “Eight years old,” I answered. Fight to keep it in. There, got it under control.” “What’s his name?” I spent the rest of our time at Harmony House watching “Jason. He’s a junior.” and interacting with my newfound little buddy. Once he “Oh, that’s funny,” Cherith said smiling, “I would have tired of controlling the block market, he turned his attention thought that his name would be Josiah.” to coloring with his toes on construction paper. I spelled his I stopped, and then with a laugh said, “Well, that is very name for him, and he scribbled something. And that’s pretty interesting.” much how it went. I wrote or drew something and Josiah I shared Josiah’s testimony with Cherith and Richard, and scribbled. And the only thing we mutually understood was a later with others in our team of volunteers. How could she smile and “Josiah”. have known that I had a son named Josiah? Of all the names
14 March / April 2021 | Christian Living
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