In 1969, amidst the turbulence of the Vietnam war, a young Thai woman and a 20 year-old American soldier fell in love, got married and gave birth to a baby boy. They named their son, Nueng.

At the end of the war, John Garcia, the father, and his wife, Pratorn, faced each other, uncertain about the future. Transferring back to the States together seemed remote since the army discouraged John from marrying a native, and Pratorn’s family discouraged her from moving away. Due to these circumstances, John moved back to America, leaving behind Pratorn and the baby boy, hoping to find a way to be united again. He tried to maintain contact with them, but as time wore on, it became increasingly difficult to do so. John wrote the Thai government in an attempt to locate his family and retain some contact with his son. He never received a reply. The ties that bound this father and son seemed to be ultimately severed.

In 1996, John was driving down a highway in Pueblo, Colorado in his restored 1970 Nova. He happened to peer at the gas gauge that indicated the tank was half full. For some inexplicable reason, John decided to stop at a total service station, a place he did not usually patronize. When it came time to pay for the gas, he did something he ordinarily wouldn’t do. Despite having enough money in his wallet, John paid by check.

The young man behind the service counter looked at the name on the check. With raised eyebrows, he looked up at the man standing in front of him and asked, “Are you John Garcia?”

“Yeah, that’s me alright. It’s on the check,” came the reply.

“Have you ever been in the army?” inquired the young man.

“I have, indeed,” replied John, thinking he was going to get a discount for his army service.

“Have you ever lived in Thailand?” the young man continued.

“Yes,” John said, as he stepped back, wondering what this was all about.

“Do you have a son there?” was the next question.

With great puzzlement, John, once again gave a resounding “Yes.”

Then with halting breath and a racing heart, the cashier posed one more question, “What was his
name?”

“Nueng,” came the reply.

Amidst a sea of anonymous commuters on highway 50, the young man then looked into the eyes
of the stranger standing before him and simply said,

“I am your son.”

No matter what happens to you, God can make a way. Scripture assures you, “I will make a way for you in the wilderness” ( Isaiah 43 : 19 ). What seemed impossible for this Father and this son was made possible, miraculously, along highway 50, in Pueblo, Colorado. The rest is history as this family, which seemed destined to wander in the wilderness, was reunited again.

Was it a coincidence how John and Nueng met? Or was it God’s providence that brought them together so mysteriously?

—Fr. Hugh Duffy