25 Years of Witnessing to the Word in Thailand 189 knowing full well of my own limitations and inexperience. What I can give them is, ultimately, myself. Disciplining a child is not an easy task, just ask any parent. Now, imagine a 28-year-old, ill-equipped religious missionary with no parenting experience having to care for an HIVpositive child with mental disabilities prone to epileptic seizures and frequent emotional outburSt Working with this 16-year-old boy was uniquely challenging. At first, I was alarmed when he had a seizure because I was the only adult around. I did not know what to do. Things became easier as I became more educated about the matter and learned to just let him be. Periodically, he would throw a tantrum, being unable to control his emotions. The staff would then call me to intervene, and my interpretation of intervening was, again, let him be. I did not respond to any of his emotional uproars and sought to speak with him when he had settled down. To me, he’s quite an intelligent young man. He just needs someone to be patient and explain to him what is acceptable and what is not. Some have told me that he could not benefit from counseling due to his mental state, but I believe that we can help him to understand and practice healthy behavior to cope with strong emotions. I would not be as naïve to say that caring for this sweet little boy with a tragic history is smooth, easy, and personally gratifying. With every situation or circumstance that came forth, I had to find a moment of calmness from which I can see that things will be fine despite the chaos and hesitancy.
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