“Mommy! That is a sunflower I planted!” Daniel exclaimed. I stopped washing dishes and went over to look. It was a beautiful plant, strong and tall with three colorful heads. I remembered how Daniel had planted his sunflower seeds in a planter on our back porch and how eagerly he had watched for the first signs of sprouting. We were all excited when the seedlings shot up, and we were all disappointed when some creature ate them one night. I had completely forgotten that Daniel had thrown a few extra seeds over the cement wall into the neighbor’s overgrown vacant lot. Now, in the midst of weeds, tall grass and bushes, one of those seeds had become robust sunflower plant. You never know which seeds will grow.

“We received a beautiful message from Keiko today,” Ricardo told me. “She has become a Christian!” I thought back on the time we had spent with Keiko and other students during our language studies in Bangkok. Once our Buddhist teacher had talked about what people put their faith in, and then asked us to share what we believed in. Keiko had replied, “Luck.” We had shared our testimonies with Keiko and had meaningful times together, including Thanksgiving at our home where Gabriel and Daniel gave a presentation on the meaning of the holiday.

I read Keiko’s message for myself: “Today I have been baptized, so now I’m Christian! Thanks to you, I have started to believe in God. It took a little time, but now I’m so happy.”

We feel greatly privileged to have been one small part of God’s plan to reach Keiko. This good news increases our joy as we anticipate seeing other seeds grow into mature plants here in Thailand.

May God also bless you with the joy of knowing the value of the seeds you are planting right where you are.

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