" My Jesus"

Two days after coming home from China with Teresa , we stopped by our Church on our way to Hopkins for Teresa to meet Father Whatley .

She was still speaking Mandarin and understood very little English but she really seemed to make a connection with Father Whatley.
Several weeks later we started taking Teresa with us to mass on Sundays. On Sunday mornings she would become very excited about going to church and seeing Jesus. She loves to sing the Alleluia . I don't remember exactly when but one particular Sunday as I was holding her during Mass, she took her hand and turned my head to the altar and said , " Look Mom , I see my Jesus". Thinking she was looking at Jesus on the cross or the stained glass windows, I said " I know isn't that a beautiful picture of Jesus". To which she replied, " NO , I see MY Jesus up there ",pointing to Father Whatley . I explained to her that was Father Whatley and he was Jesus' friend who helped him here on earth . She became a little MAD and said " NO , HE is MY Jesus!"

Father Whatley was so instrumental in helping us to bring Teresa home . His spiritual guidance is what lead us to follow through with Gods will when we were so unsure of how we would financially pay for Teressa's adoption or medical bills. We were unsure of how to care for a child so ill and how to prepare our other children for her severe medical condition .

As we walked up to communion on Good Friday , she was whispering to herself, " I am going to see my Jesus, I am going to see my Jesus". As we came closer to Father Whatley , it turned to " Hi Jesus , Hi Jesus " and lots of waiving at him!

Father Whatley was the first person Teresa met after coming home from China . I know she calls him " Her Jesus", because she can see Jesus in him .

I hope everyone had as wonderful Easter Holiday . We were very blessed to have all of our children home with us for the holiday .