Charlie's birthday fell on a weekend day, which was fortunate, because he has been at one camp or another pretty much all summer (which is why I've been so bad about updating anything--he just hasn't been here to provide his usual antics!). The celebration was fairly quiet, just Charlie and Rick and me, Rick's dad, my parents, and Charlie's godfather's family. He got the Lord of the Rings set in Chinese from me, and Eragon and a book on transportation in Chinese from my parents. Rick gave him a set of cross earrings. His godfather and family gave him some money, a coffee mug that says "Got Jesus?" and a Hero T-shirt (which Charlie later told me was a total hit with the kids at camp). The best brownie points, though, go to Rick's dad, who gave him a silver/blue/black softball bat to go with the glove and ball I got from someone in my freecycle group. We got to see one of those split-your-face-in-half grins flash across his face at that. Ted had written Charlie's name on it in both English and Chinese in metal glitter paint. Very cool.
The other thing Charlie got from me was a cross necklace. He'd been bugging me for one, since both Rick and I wear a cross, and I had told him he could have one when he'd learned enough to know what that cross really meant--it wasn't just a fashion statement. So he's been studying once a week with our pastor (who is a deaf Korean--I think the fellow deaf Asian bond makes Charlie feel very comfortable with him) and his baptism was planned for the day after his birthday. He was really tickled to be getting his cross necklace.
Funny episode during the baptism, though. Rev. Joo Kang did not rehearse ahead of time with Charlie the exact questions he would ask and the answers expected of him. Keep in mind, Charlie's only been here 6 months. His ASL is really good now, but not totally perfect. So when Rev. Kang asked him if he renounced the sins of his past, Charlie grinned and signed, "No." Not once, not twice, but three times. I heard Charlie's godfather (who is a pastor himself), standing next to me, draw in a sharp breath and whisper sotto voce, "re-word it, re-word it...." There were a few giggles out in the congregation, too. Rev. Kang eventually re-worded it so that Charlie gave the right answer, and the rest of the baptism went on without further incident.
The minute the baptism was over, Charlie and I jumped in the car to head for yet another week of camp.
The other thing Charlie got from me was a cross necklace. He'd been bugging me for one, since both Rick and I wear a cross, and I had told him he could have one when he'd learned enough to know what that cross really meant--it wasn't just a fashion statement. So he's been studying once a week with our pastor (who is a deaf Korean--I think the fellow deaf Asian bond makes Charlie feel very comfortable with him) and his baptism was planned for the day after his birthday. He was really tickled to be getting his cross necklace.
Funny episode during the baptism, though. Rev. Joo Kang did not rehearse ahead of time with Charlie the exact questions he would ask and the answers expected of him. Keep in mind, Charlie's only been here 6 months. His ASL is really good now, but not totally perfect. So when Rev. Kang asked him if he renounced the sins of his past, Charlie grinned and signed, "No." Not once, not twice, but three times. I heard Charlie's godfather (who is a pastor himself), standing next to me, draw in a sharp breath and whisper sotto voce, "re-word it, re-word it...." There were a few giggles out in the congregation, too. Rev. Kang eventually re-worded it so that Charlie gave the right answer, and the rest of the baptism went on without further incident.
The minute the baptism was over, Charlie and I jumped in the car to head for yet another week of camp.
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