Another interesting fact we’ve learned since arriving.
Thursday June 27, 2024-Anapoima, Colombia-
Today it has been 2-weeks since we received Andre. Time has flown by. A couple comments made that are nice to hear:
Daniela when we had our meeting with her for the first social worker meeting said, “he hs grown”. I kind of blew that off because for her it had been 4-days. Whatever
But today, some of the workers here at the airbnb said that yes he has grown and got a bit more chunky as well has having a more healthy color. It was a compliment that I took as he is blending in very well with our family.
His sleeping has improved. He goes to bed sometime between 8-9 depending on the fussing. He really likes hanging out with the big people and puts up a fight now and then. He sleeps through the night now and wakes up somewhere between 7-9 am. Sometimes he sits in his bed and babbles and plays. We let him do that for a while then come to get him. No need for lights because his smile lights up the room.
Interesting fact of the day
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Interesting fact of the day 〰️
As stated earlier in our blog, when we first received the referral for Andre, he did come with the potential for a medical condition. More specifically, a genetic condition called Cru Di Chat. Much like a majority of you all reading this, we’d never heard of it. We spent the night of our referral googling, reading, and YouTubing. Then, more importantly, praying. And more praying. It was a late night. We knew the possibility existed that we might be asked to deal with special needs. We asked if the genetic test had been done yet. It had not and would take something like 8 weeks to get the results back(my memory is foggy with the timeline). Ultimately, we put it in the Lord’s hands. He knows what he’s doing, right? Our talk was whether we were willing to give up our plans, no matter how big, to care for a child with this condition. The answer was yes! If it is God’s will, his plan for us, what good are our plans anyway? Scripture says that God laughs at the plans on men…(I paraphrase). So, you know the rest of the story. We put our hopes and trust in God and accepted the referral. It was never a question of live. Andre was going to receive his abundance of love plus more than he bargained for. The question was of our capabilities. We didn’t need if we had the strength, knowledge, capability, resources, you name it. Were we prepared? What about Nani & Santi? How would they react with all the attention that we would give Andre? We decided to accept the referral and then the prayer REALLY started! Oh boy, we had a genetic test out there that was going to show us how our child was. What the future looked like in some regards. My prayers sounded Very much like this”
“ “St. Joseph?! You advocated for us and we don’t know what we’re getting into. But much like you, St. Joseph, you didn’t know what you were getting into with saying “Yes” to your calling. Not comparing our situation to yours, but you know that feeling I’m certain. Help us to accept whatever Gods will is for us. And…it sure would be nice to get a healthy negative result with the test! Just sayin’.””
Lets not forget our prayers to the Mother of Mothers, the Virgin Mary. And yes, without a doubt, my prayers directly to my Lord and Savior whose will I only want to follow. These prayers were a constant. Every time we’d stop in the chapel…anywhere. In Eucharistic adoration, I would bring up a picture of Andre on my phone and face it towards the monstrance containing our Blessed Savior and pray “ Lord, this is the little boy you’ve given us. Immediately, we have given him back to you. We dedicate him to you Lord that he may serve you in whatever calling you have for him. Make hm healthy and help us to joyfully accept all that you have in store for our lives. We love you and want nothing but to do your will.”
Wow, I ramble a lot but I tell you what…I’m in the zone!
The interesting fact that we learned was that we were told that Andre had been offered to multiple other families prior to being referred to us. Colombia makes every effort to keep children in Colombia but adoption is something not all that common here and tentatively accepted. So I suppose, with the potential genetic issues that were looming, families dismissed the potential challenges related to the potential issues. Then they called us.
God is SO great!
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God is SO great! 〰️
Our God is providential, isn’t He? First they lose our Dossier for who knows how long, then we get referred a child with potential genetic problems that other families are afraid to accept…..then the Lord provides a clean bill of health! So awesome!