I know that the word “Trump” in euchre is not named after Donald, but somehow in my mind it seemed to relate. We were trying to explain the card game to the guys’ Asian friend (I’ll call him LJ), and it was amazing how many new words came up that we were scrambling to try to explain. We were not teaching him a mere card game, but a full list of card-playing vocabulary! “Trump, tricks, suit, clubs, spades, diamonds, dealt”…good thing we didn’t have to bring up anything really hard like “renege!”
Remarkably, LJ grasped the meaning of the dozen new English words we threw at him during the explanation of the rules. He not only figured out how to play, he also proceeded to beat us at our own game!
At dinner, LJ turned to me and out of the blue asked the meaning of my name. I was happy to tell him (it means “God is gracious”) and explained what it means. He was curious where it came from, and I got to tell him my parents chose it from their favorite book… the Bible!
We discovered that he is taking a class on myths and religions, and had to read some Bible stories and write essays about them. He knew a lot of stories, but didn’t believe they were real. Kansas and I got to tell him how we found out the Bible is really true, and how since believing in God, our lives have gotten so much better!
After dinner he asked if we could help choose an English name for him, something with a nice sound and a good meaning! I’m sure we’ll find him a name just as meaningful as mine! I can tell LJ is really open, and that seeds of truth have already been planted. I believe he will someday come to know God is real, and believe the Bible is true. Be praying with me for him to join the family this year!