As a parent, it gives me great pleasure when my children display compassion, serve others, or go the extra mile without me having to ask or prompt them.

I love it when I see their genuine care for others, shown in spontaneous ways and without seeking a reward for themselves.

I recently heard a true story about one of the missionary boys here at ZOE that really warmed my heart.  As moms and dads, it is testimonies like these that inspire us in our job as parents, encouraging us to continue working hard, pray faithfully and guide our children to become responsible adults.  Stories like this give me confidence and reassurance even when my children are going through a difficult stage in their journey.

Let me introduce you to Noah.  Noah is a normal 6^th grader who enjoys hanging out with his friends and playing with Lego.

Joe Chongsiriwatana with his son Noah

Last year, during his family’s visit to Thailand, Noah and his friend had the opportunity to show an orphan boy a Lego set.  He was amazed that the orphan boy had never seen Lego before and so, of course, he did not know how to assemble all the pieces together.

As Noah headed back to his life in America, his thoughts were buzzing with ideas.  He concluded that it would be so good if he could somehow give away a whole lot of Lego to orphans like the boy he had met.  Why?  Because in his opinion, Lego was the most awesome toy ever made!  I love how kids think!

Putting his young mind and heart into action, he created a “Lego for Orphans” campaign at his church.  Over time, many people donated the Lego that they no longer played with.  He kept on collecting until he reached his goal.

Now, months later, Noah (who has since moved to Thailand with his sisters and parents who volunteer at the ZOE Children’s Home) has been able to donate the Lego just as he had imagined.

Noah and his family recently packed up a huge box of donated Lego and carried it in to ZOE where Noah gave it to the kids at ZOE.  And not only did he give them thousands of Lego, but he personally played with the boys and girls showing them the amazing things that they could create with these simple colorful blocks of plastic!

Well, you could be forgiven for thinking that no one was home on the day that Noah brought in the Lego.  Such a hush fell over the house as the pieces were distributed between the various straw mats.  Little bodies everywhere crowded around to play with “the most awesome toy ever!”