One courageous brother

In the meantime, I searched for Halloween costumes in several stores. I also kept an eye out for something small to add to the Halloween package that he could open on his birthday six days later. I never imagined we wouldn’t arrive in Colombia by then, November 6^th, his twelfth birthday. He came to Texas at the age of ten!

Halloween costumes, unfortunately, come with a pretty high price tag attached! I knew sending the box alone might cost a small fortune, so I searched for a cheaper route with the actual costumes. David and I browsed the local thrift store and enjoyed picking out costumes. David picked one for himself, too, while he searched for one for Juan David. I eyed the shelves and aisles for a simple princess dress for Viviana.

I couldn’t decide, so I bought two. David found matching costumes in different sizes for him and Juan David. I looked at him and smiled. “It’s almost like you’re brothers.”

“Mommy, we are already brothers.”

 Wow. I loved observing the faith of a child with no doubt in his mind. On Halloween night he and Juan David would wear matching outfits just like brothers, even in separate countries. I knew Juan David would like knowing that, too. He seemed to adore David, and they had so much in common.

During a recent conversation with Juan David, we talked about the distance between Dallas and Austin, where we lived in comparison to where he stayed for the hosting program. He didn’t have a map of Texas to look at, so I explained that Austin lay situated a few hours south of Dallas. I searched all over for a small sentimental gift to send for his birthday, and I recalled our conversation about the cities when my eyes caught sight of a little blue keychain shaped like Texas. Tiny diamonds imbedded themselves in the location of all the major cities, including Dallas and Austin, like a little map. I knew it made the perfect gift, a tangible reminder of the two families in Texas that loved him.

I never expected the surprise God neatly tucked around the next corner. Mid-October already, we still didn't have a date to appeal. While I checked my e-mail on a break at work, I noticed a message from Julian! I quickly opened it and read the most priceless note I’d ever received.

"Hello, Rachelle. How are you? I hope you are well. I only want to thank you for making the decision to adopt my brother and sister. I want to ask you to please do everything possible so you can adopt them, and when they are with you, I ask you to please show them a lot of love, all the love they did not receive from our mother. I give you a thousand thanks and hope you are filled with blessings."

Imagine the courage it took him to write that. Already sixteen years old, he couldn’t be included in the adoption (at least that’s what they told us). He must have gotten my e-mail address from his brother, who only had it for a few short weeks. I considered this letter his blessing for us to become their new family, an earnest plea and attempt to help them. What an act of selfless love toward his siblings!

I wrote him back immediately, telling him the same thing I told Juan David—both governments needed to agree on the placement before they made a final decision. It was not our decision to make at this point. I assured him we continued to do everything in our power to see them again. His siblings already had my love, and I loved him, too. I appreciated his e-mail more than he would ever know. I vowed to keep him a constant, steady presence in their lives once we got them home.

“Okay, God, what role does this boy play in our story? Will you use him to help us bring them home? Does any chance exist to adopt him, too, to get all three of them together? I assume he connects more to this story than we know. You’ve held things off long enough for him to finally make contact with us. We obviously didn’t see this coming . . .”