To My Sons... (Part 3)

This is part 3 of a 3-part letter. Please scroll down to read the first 2 parts.

"Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, 'Abraham! Abraham!' 'Here I am,' he replied. 'Do not lay a hand on the boy,' he said. 'Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.'"

Genesis 22:10-12

My Sons,

I love you very much. But the only way I can possibly love you to the fullest, is by loving God before you. All I have ever wanted was to know you, love you, and be with you. Yet even the noblest of intentions can become idols in themselves without purposing them to be. Because I am growing daily in my love of Christ above all else, I am simultaneously growing to love you as you need. I hope that you see that the name I give you drips with adoration of Him. Only then, can you love your friends, your future wives, and your future sons properly!

When people state that God does something "ironic", it is actually evidence of their limitations in seeing the master plan. When we are surprised or in awe of God as if He has just performed a magic trick in our presence, our surprised look usually reveals our lack of faith. But when God does something that seems "unexpected" in our story, we do not like it! WE think WE know better than God. WE think the story of our lives should happen this way and not the way He is writing it. Disappointment in God is the number 1 reason that atheism exists.

The amazing part of the story is that, He doesn't disappoint! For those who are called; who are his elect, He graciously and abundantly blesses us beyond fathomability! (Yes that's a word my sons! Trust me, I'm your father!) What we think we have to "give up" in order to "follow Christ" is microscopic when compared to the lavishness with which he pours back into our lives. This lavish outpouring takes on so many shapes and sizes that it would cheapen it to only consider it in material terms. He is not limited to material blessings. And we can't get hung up on that.

On that day that Lindy and I realized that we already had a family with 8 boys in it, we began looking at family and ministry quite differently. I am convinced that no greater ministry exists than the one in the home. In our case, unto each other and these 8 boys. If my ministry unto my wife is unhealthy, then soon every other part of my life will be infected. When I put Christ first and love her as He declares, then I need not worry about the "success" of other ministries. Because I'm operating in the right frame-work.

Boys, what I am trying to say to you is this: God did not grant me merely what I hoped for AND THEN I realized that He had to be first and my wife had to be loved properly. No! When I realized that He is first and then started loving Lindy properly, He showed me what was already there: His blessing. You! You were there all along!

The moment that I became content that 'God is enough' was the very moment that I became satisfied with all He had already given me. I finally saw clearly. And that's not all!!!

My Heavenly Father knows how to give good gifts! I am evil. Yet, I seem to manage to give and bless others with "good things" from time to time. So, if I, who am evil, can manage to bless someone else with good things, just think about all the innumerable ways He can AND DOES bless us!!!

I have thought about those great and innumerable gifts. You were not the only gift He showed me. We found out we were pregnant with Ezra Lewis Thompson, your brother, in October of last year! I don't have words to describe the beauty that He brought to us from the ashes we felt covered by. It was from the very ashes of 6 years of infertility, 2 failed adoptions, and a total surrendering of "my will be done", that God, my gracious Father, gave him to us. The smoke had not even settled from Rwanda and our bitterness. How great a Father is He!?!

So I want to tell each of you just how special you are to me, and I want to give you my blessing from this day forward. You are my sons, and I will always love you...

Johnny Garavu

Johnny, you are sharper and more keen than you realize. You see things so quickly and understand things well. I know the life in the streets forced you to be hard. I am sure that you had to "grow up" quickly, but God IS turning those days of hardship into something for your good! Johnny, you have an incredible way of focusing in on what you want. When you play football, you are under control because you are focused. Not many people can boast of that ability. Your focus has also helped you in the classroom. In such a short period of time, you've demonstrated a profound growth in your education.

Johnny, stay focused. Keep your eyes on Christ and NOT what this world tells you. You cannot ever make your name great on your own. You will always fail. Be honest before the Lord. Trust that He will guide you in the way He desires you to go, and KNOW that His way is ALWAYS better than your own. You may not believe that now or you may find it difficult to believe, but as your father, I know from experience. If you cannot be honest before yourself, you will find life hard. Use your ability to focus on Christ, His Word, and serving Him, then you will find more peace, blessings, and satisfaction than you will ever imagine.

I love you Johnny Garavu. You are my son and no matter what happens in your life, I will love you and be proud to have you as my son!

Christopher Chingi

Chingi, you are so much like me that I am nervous! You have more jokes, quick retorts, and cleverness than any Kenyan boy should have. Yet, you have worked so very hard to get back to school and finish. I am so proud of that. I am proud that you recognize that Christ loves you and you have surrendered your heart to him. None of your accomplishments in the classroom or on the football pitch will be as special to me as your acceptance of Christ in your heart!

Now Chingi, I want you to grow that relationship with Christ more. Pursue Him because He is pursuing you. His knowledge of you is only overshadowed by His love for you! Study His Word each day. You have demonstrated an awesome ability to memorize His Word, so keep going. Hide His Word deep in your heart. It is ammunition for you against the devil and this world. The more you Know of His Word, the more you will be able to discern Truth from lies in the world.

I love you Chingi. Every time I see you I am reminded that each of your brothers can now follow in your footsteps. No matter where you go, you will always be my son whom I love and boast about unto others!

Patrick Thuku

In the past year, I've watched you mature into a fine young man. You carry yourself well. You take good care of the things you have which demonstrates a great deal of responsibility on your part. Your brothers notice that and will follow you. I want you to continue to make good decisions. I want you to set an example as their brother. They will follow you, just make sure you are leading them down healthy and proper paths. You may not realize it Patrick, but you are a leader. You are careful with your words and careful with your behavior. This shows me that you are a thinker! I enjoy watching you work out problems and situations in your mind.

Your walk with Christ, which you professed this year, is more important than all the other relationships you have. I pray that you see the example of my life and follow where I chose to be obedient and avoid the areas where I wasn't making Him my first priority! He loves you more than anyone you will ever meet in life!

Thank you Patrick for your soft-spoken and careful ways. I cannot wait to see where God takes you and how He uses you in your future. You will always be loved as my son!

Halt "Brian" Maichi

Just like Jacob, God has revealed to you that you couldn't continue pretending to be someone else. The moment Jacob realized that God would only bless him when he admitted who he truly was, his life starting taking on a new path. This time it was the right path! No more running for Jacob. The same is true for you. I love you and am so grateful that you have opened up your whole life to us and let us be a part of yours. You have so many natural abilities and such a warm personality. Everyone you are around is encouraged by you. You easily make others smile. Everyone wants a friend who does these things to them!

Brian, make sure that you are building your life off the Truth found in God's Word. Never return to hiding who you are or pretending the lie is the truth. God is not honored in that. You will go and do more things than you can possibly imagine IF you totally and obediently trust His ways and NOT your own! Listen to me, I've tried these same things before. It will never work!

I love you Brian. I am always glad to be around you. You serve with such a willing heart and that makes me smile! Athletic abilities and talents do not impress me as much as a humble and servant-like heart. You possess this and I am so encouraged by you. Thank you son!

Julius Andrew Saidi

Few people have been blessed with the natural abilities that you have. God has richly blessed you with talents that others only dream of! This is even more impressive to me because you have a humble and sincere heart. I wish more adults were as sincere and humble as you! Do you know what humility means? It means, "power under restraint". And you exemplify this sir! You are a good young man and I love you so much. I am drawn to you because of your kind heart. It seems so easy for you to serve others. I think it seems easy because it's simply your nature. This is not common in the world. I hope you recognize that!

Julius, I have no doubt that your name will be known in this world because you have learned to place others ahead of yourself. Everyone desires to be associated with people like you! I will never ever forget the day that my heart broke for each of you. I thought no one saw me with tears, yet you did. And you came, sat beside me, placed your arm around me,... and cried also.

Julius, you are special. I am amazed as I watch you grow. You are growing into an incredible young man. I often dream of how God will use each of you specifically, but I struggle limiting my imagination of you to just one thing! Stay close to Christ. He is the best friend you will ever ever know! I love you Julius.

Nicholas Mutonga

If your smile was any larger, you wouldn't have a face. I know people who haven't faced the difficulties you have, yet they smile far less than you. Your smile is infectious and inviting. The only thing that shines brighter than your smile is your laugh! When you laugh, everyone smiles and laughs along with you. This comes from a good heart. Mutonga, I think you have a good heart. You desire to do what is right. Not many people do. As you grow, I hope that this natural inclination draws you closer to Christ. I want you to know Him better than you know anyone on this earth. He helped create you!

Mutonga, God said that David from the Bible, was a man after His own heart. I hope you will stay close to God, study the Bible, pray often, avoid temptation, and serve often so that He says the same about you!

I love you Nicholas Mutonga. Whenever you have doubts about yourself or your abilities, let these words be a reminder to you: I pray for you like a warrior in battle. I pray that God silences your doubts with the reminder of scripture to your heart. He loves you and always will! So do I!

Dan Dangware

Dan, you are a man's man! That means, you enjoy the things that most guys do and that makes me smile. You love sports, good meat, playing games, and being a guy! This may sound silly, but I love greeting you each day because you are so full of life! You seem ready for anything the day brings. If we needed to switch something or build something, you would be the first to volunteer. You are always up for an adventure! You are my adventurer. I love going camping with you and having you by my side because of your vitality. It rubs off on this old man!

Dan, God's Word is full of men who did great and mighty things for the Lord. They had strength and honor. Do you know why they had these gifts? They loved God first and put Him first in EVERYTHING they did, so God blessed them. He blessed them with incredible abilities and opportunities. You have this same potential. But each day you must put God first. You have to do it!

I love you Dan. I love the fun we have and the excitement you have for each day. Work hard in all you do my son. Do it as if you were doing it for the Lord. Then you will know what true happiness is!

James Kamau

Oh James. I am so glad you don't have a twin! You have more life, energy, and glow than 100 boys! You do not have to be encouraged to have a good time or laugh. The amazing thing is that your positive nature rubs off on everyone around you. Everyone loves James Kamau! I remember walking together through the streets with you and the other boys. It seemed as though everyone knew you. "Hey James," one would say. "James, how are you?," another would say. You make friends so easy. And then you find your way into their hearts. I understand how difficult it is to leave Kenya after spending time with you and your brothers. It's not easy leaving after you've been touched by James Kamau. Your life just isn't the same!

James, you will always be loved by hundreds of people. Some of these people you have never even met! They love you because you are special. They love you because they see so much of God's love in your smile. They love you because you are James Kamau.

I love you and wouldn't want you to be any other way! I will always love you James Kamau. And I will pray for you everyday. I will pray that God takes your limitations and uses them as your strengths! Now that would just be awesome to see!

Ezra Lewis Thompson

Ezra you have 8 brothers who love you. At the time of my writing this, they hadn't even met you. I want you to know that my love for you is strengthened because I've been growing my understanding of love as I loved your brothers. They have taught me so much about sacrifice, service, and God's heart. I hope I demonstrate to you how deep my love is by my adoration of God.

Ezra, I pray that you fulfill your name's meaning: "Helper". I desire for you to be a helper to my Father. I cannot imagine a greater honor than you growing under my love so that you serve Him with your entire life. I am striving to make you proud of the name you bear. My name should be a stepping stone and not a stumbling block. I make it my ambition to love my Father, His Word, your mother, and service unto His purposes every day so that I can be the father you need me to be.

I have awaited you for years. Now, I am excited to use the lessons I have learned to walk with you for many many many years to come. You are loved my son. I am so thankful for the path God has led me down. I wouldn't trade a single moment. All the successes and struggles have served to prepare me to be your dad.

My Sons, whether you are 25 or 75, I hope this letter can be read when you need to be reminded of who your father was. If I am still drawing breath or called home, the truth of these words will never lose their life. Stand tall Thompson men, for the Kingdom needs mighty warriors, helpers, and servants.

After all, We are all only servants...

He is enough,

Your father - Thomas Christopher Thompson