In only 36 hours

That night we planned to head to the Christian school’s graduation like we arranged four months previously, the only event set on our calendar besides our upcoming meeting at the orphanage. We felt a bit awkward going to a graduation where we didn’t know a soul, but we went with hopes of meeting several of the teachers and staff. So, after we left the orphanage, we went back to the apartment to let Julian drop off his stuff and accommodate himself.

Our little apartment offered a single bedroom and an office, a tiny kitchen, a living/dining area with a table, couch, futon, and two small bathrooms. David slept on the couch, so we gave Julian the option of sleeping on the futon across from him or taking the mattress off to sleep on the floor in the office. He chose the office.

We enjoyed our first meal with Julian at an Italian restaurant in the mall across the street from the apartment. He seemed more comfortable now that we stole a chance to sit and talk. I already felt like I had known him for a long time. Clarita asked many questions of us all, so the conversation never found a dry point while we all ate together.

Since Clarita worked at the Christian school when she first came to Colombia, she decided to go to the graduation with us in hopes of seeing some old friends (scratch out another fear of traveling somewhere we’d never gone without a guide). We enjoyed the ceremony, but Julian pointed out all the ways it differed from his own recent graduation from a public school.

 Afterwards, Clarita introduced us to the director of the school and to many of the other teachers. We found it almost ironic when we realized Julian stood in the minority rather than us. Almost everyone from the school spoke English, many coming from America! At least Mike and David felt at ease for the evening. A few teachers invited us out for pizza later that evening, but we declined so we could head back to the apartment. This would be our first night with Julian, and quite frankly, we didn’t know what to expect.

Back at the apartment, David and I dug out the games to break the ice. We brought several with us to teach Julian because we love to play games as a family. We picked out the ones that didn’t require a lot of talking since a huge language barrier existed between David, Mike, and Julian.

We played Connect Four first, and it ended up being our favorite game. We played it like crazy. With no TV, internet, or phone in the apartment, all the games came in handy. They forced us to communicate and spend a lot of quality time as a family.

After a few games of Connect Four that first night, Julian expressed his exhaustion and desire to turn in for the night. I wonder if he even slept the night before. I gave him a hug and told him I loved him before saying goodnight. Then he gave Mike a hug and said, “Goodnight, Dad.” What a priceless moment.

David snuggled up beside me on his couch, and I read to him until he fell asleep. Then Mike and I went to bed, too. I would cherish this day in my heart for the rest of my life. We really did spend a day in Colombia, and God covered every last detail over our first thirty-six hours. Each moment seemed miraculous to me.That night we planned to head to the Christian school’s graduation like we arranged four months previously, the only event set on our calendar besides our upcoming meeting at the orphanage. We felt a bit awkward going to a graduation where we didn’t know a soul, but we went with hopes of meeting several of the teachers and staff. So, after we left the orphanage, we went back to the apartment to let Julian drop off his stuff and accommodate himself.

Our little apartment offered a single bedroom and an office, a tiny kitchen, a living/dining area with a table, couch, futon, and two small bathrooms. David slept on the couch, so we gave Julian the option of sleeping on the futon across from him or taking the mattress off to sleep on the floor in the office. He chose the office.

We enjoyed our first meal with Julian at an Italian restaurant in the mall across the street from the apartment. He seemed more comfortable now that we stole a chance to sit and talk. I already felt like I had known him for a long time. Clarita asked many questions of us all, so the conversation never found a dry point while we all ate together.

Since Clarita worked at the Christian school when she first came to Colombia, she decided to go to the graduation with us in hopes of seeing some old friends (scratch out another fear of traveling somewhere we’d never gone without a guide). We enjoyed the ceremony, but Julian pointed out all the ways it differed from his own recent graduation from a public school.

 Afterwards, Clarita introduced us to the director of the school and to many of the other teachers. We found it almost ironic when we realized Julian stood in the minority rather than us. Almost everyone from the school spoke English, many coming from America! At least Mike and David felt at ease for the evening. A few teachers invited us out for pizza later that evening, but we declined so we could head back to the apartment. This would be our first night with Julian, and quite frankly, we didn’t know what to expect.

Back at the apartment, David and I dug out the games to break the ice. We brought several with us to teach Julian because we love to play games as a family. We picked out the ones that didn’t require a lot of talking since a huge language barrier existed between David, Mike, and Julian.

We played Connect Four first, and it ended up being our favorite game. We played it like crazy. With no TV, internet, or phone in the apartment, all the games came in handy. They forced us to communicate and spend a lot of quality time as a family.

After a few games of Connect Four that first night, Julian expressed his exhaustion and desire to turn in for the night. I wonder if he even slept the night before. I gave him a hug and told him I loved him before saying goodnight. Then he gave Mike a hug and said, “Goodnight, Dad.” What a priceless moment.

David snuggled up beside me on his couch, and I read to him until he fell asleep. Then Mike and I went to bed, too. I would cherish this day in my heart for the rest of my life. We really did spend a day in Colombia, and God covered every last detail over our first thirty-six hours. Each moment seemed miraculous to me.

Meeting our "son", face to face

We made it to the orphanage Sunday morning right around ten o’clock. We called before we left, so Julian anxiously waited for us. What incredible emotion overcame me as we drove down the street he lived on, the same streets I saw in someone else’s adoption video online, streets I assumed I’d never have the chance to see. The taxi driver dropped us off in front of the house at the specific address Julian gave me.

He said he’d wait outside, but the boy sitting outside didn’t look like him, so we proceeded to the door. I feared not recognizing him even after seeing his pictures. Several boys his age stood gathered around as we walked in the door. It didn’t take long for my eyes to meet with Julian’s. I recognized those eyes in an instant. Without saying a word, I reached my arms around his neck and hugged him.

The rest of those first few moments remain a blur. I know he met Mike and David, and we introduced him to our new friend, Clarita, who divinely accompanied us. Julian introduced us to the director and one of his house parents, and then he disappeared to go get the key.

“It’s so good for Julian to finally get to know you in person. You already obviously know each other well, but I know how much it means to him to finally meet you.” The director and I talked while I waited for Julian to come back, and I saw for myself how dearly she cared for him.

Julian returned after a few minutes, and then he gave us a quick tour of his house. It felt like one of those out-of-body experiences, so unfortunately, I didn’t take it all in like I wanted to. Emotion overwhelmed me. Thankfully, Mike snapped picture after picture.

I do remember seeing the bedroom Julian shared with five other boys, the specific bunk he slept on in the corner of the room and another little room with the only computer in the house—the exact place where he spent hour upon hour in the evenings “talking” to me via a keyboard over the last year and a half. He also introduced us to the one boy in the house he considered a friend, and then we started to leave.

“We can give you a tour of the entire orphanage when you come back on Tuesday for our meeting. I can show you the house where Viviana lived.” The director’s comment made me realize they respected the relationship I built with Viviana. She didn’t mention Juan David, but Julian already warned me we couldn’t see him because it would be too difficult for him emotionally. I understood and did not want to cause any problems with his new family in the process of adopting him. Still, I wondered what he thought about us finally being there, only this time to meet his brother. I promised him I’d come, and God let me fulfill my promise, though for different reasons now.

As we walked out the door, Clarita said her goodbyes, as well, and the director mentioned seeing her again in two days for our meeting. A different missionary we contacted planned to accompany us to our meeting, so I explained that Clarita would not return with us on Tuesday. The director hesitated for a moment and then offered to give us all a tour of the orphanage right then. She gave Julian permission to take us through all of the homes, so we followed him into each of the six houses. We saw both of the homes where Viviana lived and grew up, and we met her house parents and likely her friends.

Our tour ended with Juan David’s home. He spent the weekend with his new family, but we met all of his friends and housemates and saw where he ate, played, and slept. It felt strange to know he still lived there, and we actually stood in his home.

My gaze locked immediately on the phone hanging on the wall right outside the kitchen where he told me it had been. I stared at that phone, suddenly reliving so many of our conversations. I could still hear all the noise, the pots and pans clanging, and all the voices of the ladies in the kitchen as we spoke. Now, I stood precisely in the same spot he did for all of those conversations.

Mike and David stayed in the front room talking to some of the boys in their broken, limited Spanish, and Clarita met some girls there who taught English or something. I stood by the kitchen with Julian, so overwhelmed, trying to take it all in. Words can’t describe it.

I turned to Julian and hugged his neck. “I can’t believe we’re really here.”

We hadn’t even been in Colombia for twenty-four hours yet.

When we finally left Juan David’s house, David expressed feeling as overwhelmed as I did. We all felt the same. We walked across the busy street to catch a bus to take back to the apartment together. As we stepped away from the orphanage, our time as a family of four began.

Julian seemed incredibly nervous, but as we talked during the bus ride, he relaxed. He’d just left the orphanage to spend time with a family for the first time ever, never having experienced anything like this even once in his life before. He’d lived in this orphanage since the age of ten. His turn finally came to join a family, now as a young adult. 

United at Last!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Who Could Have Imagined?

http://www.ilibrarian.net/flagmaps/us_states_colors_map_lg.jpg

The kids had all been chosen,
carefully selected to participate
in a summer full of adventures,
scattered all over the United States.

Each child came with a story,
some of abandonment, neglect, or abuse,
but they all came in search of a family.
What more did they have to lose?

Though your own time already passed,

too old to be chosen to come,
you bravely sent off your siblings.
I’m sure your heart went numb.

You were convinced they’d join a family,
and your dreams for them would come true,
but who in the world could have imagined
 they instead found a family for you?

God’s ways are so mysterious,
and sometimes hurt more than I can say,
but now that I have you as my son,
I wouldn’t want it any other way.

A new forever friend

We made it. Our flight landed, and our driver picked us up right on time. After a long drive through the streets of Bogotá, we arrived at a beautiful apartment complex. Upon our arrival, we found ourselves in the middle of a communication gap, one that divinely left us stranded on the doorstep of an unexpected friend, Clarita. To be honest, she didn’t look too thrilled to entertain strangers on a cold, wet day, but two weeks later she admitted her gratitude to God for dropping us off on her doorstep.

No one could find the only people in the complex with the keys to our apartment, so we spent a few hours with Clarita, one of the apartment owners’ good friends. She also lived in Colombia as a missionary but no longer worked for the Christian school. Since she didn’t work for the school, we never would have had a reason to meet her, making this “accidental” appointment even more divine. She graciously let us use her computer to let our families know we made it to Colombia safely, and then we used her phone to call Julian.

“We’re here, Julian! We made it!” I finally got to say the words, but we still lacked that first embrace.

“Wow. You sound soooo close!!!” I’ll never forget the emotion in his voice.

“We will come to get you tomorrow morning at ten o’clock.”

“Okay. I will wait outside for you.” Not even twenty-four hours remained until we could finally meet.

 Clarita took us to get some cash out at the ATM, and she walked us to a pizza place to have dinner, the first we’d eaten since two o’clock that morning. Already almost four o’clock in the afternoon, the long day began to hit us. While we ate, she inquired a lot about what brought us to Colombia. After we explained the whole story, she offered to accompany us to the orphanage the next morning to get Julian.

Hmmm. Did God provide for yet another detail? Scratch out our fear of taking a taxi by ourselves in this very foreign country.

Finally, the keys showed up, and we had a chance to get into our apartment to relax, unpack, and regroup. Then it hit us—we physically stood in Colombia, after all this time. Our lives would change forever the next morning when we met our “son” face to face.