From the time that Eli had learned enough English to get even his basic needs understood by us, he has made sure we knew what his dream was for his life. He wants to serve in the military. At the time and over the last 3 years we've talked about it some with him and given him just basic information about what serving in the military actually entails. He's 11 but man is he determined.
His reasoning for wanting to go into the service goes way back to Zamboanga and the RSCC orphanage there. This was not a prosperous, well supplied orphanage by the descriptions we have received. They struggled for most things we think. But one of Eli's (and Lucas') fondest, happy memories were supplied by visits from the U.S. Navy. We believe that the Navy came in at some capacity to refurbish, supply and play with the kids. It made a huge impression on both the boys. Eli remembers them for the good they did, he wants to do that for others.
We've minimally tried to explain what other things the military does, from war zones to peace keeping missions. He always floors me with his explanations of how he would handle these different areas. He has the simplest explanations of an 11 year olds understanding and then the mature beyond his years insights.
The one that quieted the whole supper table this evening was, "Eli, you know you could get hurt and die being a soldier." His reply, "Yes but I could still be a soldier until Jesus came." Well. We will have to wait and see what the future brings in the way of Eli's career path but I'm positive we will be having this military discussion many times more before his final decisions are made.
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