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Our pastor didn't miss a beat, saying, "As a matter of fact, Fu, when Jesus was crucified, two men were executed along with him, and they were thieves. One of the thieves asked Jesus, 'Remember me when you come to your kingdom.' And Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth that today you'll be with me in paradise.'

"So, yes, Fu, you can be forgiven for stealing."

Fu is not only receiving ministry—he's giving to others in many ways.

I believe God specially blesses special-needs kids and those who come into relationship with them. There's a different kind of richness than there is with other kids. This year, Fu and Dinah went to Mexico with a group of deaf kids from Lovers Lane Methodist, and they held vacation Bible school for a group of deaf kids in Mexico.

When we adopted Fu, we gave him the middle name Joseph. First, Joseph is the name of the father of the woman who brought him over here. So we wanted to honor her. Second, we love the biblical story of Joseph and how he was left for dead but ended up accomplishing amazing things through God. That's our prayer for Fuyang Joseph DeLuca, now his legal name.

Fu is an incredible imitator; he learns mainly by watching. I've taken him on many photo shoots. Now he's a photographer for his high-school newspaper. In late November, he was shooting his team in a playoff game. I was covering the same game for my newspaper.

At the end of the night, he showed me one unbelievably great photo. I transmitted it back to the Morning News, and they actually ran his photo in the paper instead of mine!

Recently, we were at a restaurant and goofing off. We were walking out in the parking lot, and a woman came out of the restaurant and said, "Can I give your son a hug?"

"Sure, if you want to," I said. She hugged him, said, "God bless you," and then walked away. Puzzled, Fu turned to me, signing, "What was that about?"

I said, "It's all you, man. People just like you."

We have a steady stream of delightful surprises that God allows us to participate in. I believe God has even more incredible plans for Fu Yang in the years to come.

Louis DeLuca is a photojournalist for The Dallas Morning News.

Copyright © 2008 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Other reflections on adoption include "Blessed Are the Barren," by Sarah Hinlicky Wilson and "A Mother's Strange Love," by Miroslav Volf.

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February 2008, Vol. 52, No. 2