Today I write asking for your prayers. Yesterday, there was a decision made that
directly affects the lives of four of the brothers in our care. Before I try to explain this discouraging development,
let me first give you a little backstory.
As you may recall, last year at this time, we received three brothers,
Diogo, Kauã, and Maycon, whose arrival turned my world upside-down and
redefined “difficult” for me. However, by the grace of God, after several
weeks of consistent discipline, structure, and love, we saw immense improvements
in their behaviors. The transformation
in their lives has been one of the greatest miracles I’ve been privileged to
witness during my time here at the orphanage.
A few months after the brothers' arrival, we found out that their
mother was expecting yet again. We were
bewildered at this news as there were already seven siblings in this family, all
of them living in orphanages because the mother and father were so involved with
drugs that they had abandoned their children.
Why this woman would choose to bring another child into this world, one
that she had no intention of caring for, raising up, loving on, was beyond
reason. We took in this news with disbelief,
but knew it wouldn’t have too much of an effect on us as we were told the
mother was expecting a girl who would be placed in the girl’s orphanage down
the road after her birth.
We found out in March that this mother
did indeed give birth to her eighth child, a BOY, who was born two months
premature. When this happened, we were then
under the assumption that he would come to live with us until an aunt decided
to take him in. However, on May 26, little
two and half month old João Lucas was brought to the orphanage by a teary-eyed
aunt who just couldn’t care for him along with her other children. A baby changes everything and while those
first few weeks were full of adjustments and challenges, this little guy
quickly stole our hearts and it has been an absolute joy and blessing to love
on and care for him these past few months.
In our ministry, we try to be the hands and feet of Jesus to
these boys, showing them His love while raising them in a family
atmosphere. But, we are not and cannot
be a forever family for them. Knowing
this, we actively advocate their cases to the judge, which brings me to
yesterday’s decision. After weeks of
preparing paperwork and necessary documents, the directors and social worker
here at the orphanage met with the judge yesterday to discuss these boys’ case
and decide how to move forward. Since
they are not orphans, but rather have been abandoned by their family, the judge
has to decide to “destroy” the family, which legally means they can be placed
for adoption. Thankfully, the judge
agreed to do this; however, the way in which he decided to process their
paperwork and release them has many negative consequences. Without getting into a lot of logistics and
legal explanations that are hard to explain, it’s suffice to say that it is a disappointment
indeed. Basically, what it means for
these boys is that they will be here for at least another year by the time the
paperwork actually goes through and this timeframe doesn’t even include the
time it will take once the actual adoption process starts. Don’t get me wrong, the thought of being able
to have these boys in our care for more time brings pure delight to my soul as I
love the privilege of being their “house mom” especially the joys of caring for
the baby. However, I know that the more
time they are “in the system” means the harder that it will be for them to get
out. (As a prime example, one of our boys, Alisson, arrived at the age of 4
months old and was only supposed to be a “temporary placement” of a few months
until they secured a home for him. He is
still here and he just turned 6 years
old.) Obviously, I am disappointed
in the judge’s decision, and while I have not stopped believing that God is sovereign
over this development, I am petitioning your prayers on behalf of these
boys. Please pray that the process will
not take as long as expected, but will miraculously move forward. Pray that God will be preparing and raising
up the perfect forever families for these boys and pray for these boys for
their transition and adaptation into a real family. Pray for this extra time that we have been
granted with them, that we will continue to pour His love into their hearts,
training them in the Way they should go, and making the most of this time that they
have been entrusted to our care.
When I look at the facts and what this decision could
potentially mean for these brothers, it is hard not to be disheartened. However, when I look into the truth of God’s
word, I find peace and cling to verses like the following from Isaiah 49:15-16…"Can
a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she
has borne? Though she may forget, I will
not forget you! See, I have engraved you
on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me." I know that the Lord has not forgotten these
boys. He is writing their stories in a
way I might not understand, but I trust that He is orchestrating the events of
their lives according to His perfect plan (Isaiah 55:8-9). So we wait on Him, resting in His
sovereignty, looking forward to witnessing the ways in which He will fulfil His
purposes for these boys’ lives.
From
of old no one has heard
or
perceived by the ear,
no
eye has seen a God besides you,
who
acts for those who wait for him.
-Isaiah
64:4
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| The Brothers :) |
