Meet Juan Pablo Wiggins (by Rachael)

Not too long ago, we highlighted each of the “big kids” at the Buckner Baby Home home.  However, as you may have noticed, we left out one very special big kid: Juan Pablo.  As many of you know, Juan Pablo is being adopted by our good friends John and Emily Wiggins. 

Since John and Emily have their own blog dedicated to telling tales about JP and their adoption, we’ll leave the storytelling to them! We highly recommend   that you spend some time on their site getting to know JP and his wonderful parents.

Since we aren’t introducing you to JP like we did with the other kids, this post has a slightly different aim. By writing this note, we hope to encourage you to pray for this family.  John and Emily left on Wednesday for what is hopefully their last adoption-related trip to Guatemala! This is it! The next time we see them they will (hopefully) be in Indiana with their son!

Over the next few days, they will be wrapping up loose ends at the U.S. Embassy and preparing for their exit/Visa interview.  Please pray that their paperwork is in order and that they receive word that they can finally take their son home!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know that John and Emily would also want you to pray for the other kids.  Since the Baby Home is closing, the kids are being split apart.   I wish I could do more for Danni and Alejandra.  I wish I could be there for them.  Can you imagine how Danni must be feeling right now?  He’s seven and has just been taken away from his home and his “family” and moved to a different orphanage.  Who’s loving on him? Who’s hugging him and kissing him and telling him everything is going to be all right? 

And Ale.  There’s no family for her yet.  Her
“brothers” have all left.  She must be so confused.  And scared.  And lonely. 

Please ask God that He would look after these special children, love them, and comfort them.

Meet Estuardo (by Nate)

We’ve all met old souls. That person in a group who seems to speak truth and wisdom beyond their years. The one who can communicate volumes with their eyes that perhaps most others won’t ever understand.

In this group of children, Estuardo is the old soul. If you’ve been following this blog since June, then you may remember his golden smile and heart-wrenching story in our post “Final day with the children”.

Estuardo was either abandoned and/or abused by his family. We have heard different stories from different workers. Now that he’s living at the Baby Home, he seems to have taken the role of older brother. When the other kids don’t understand something or miss out because they were playing, inevitably they go to Estuardo with their questions. When the adults need to communicate something to Jose, who is deaf, we often ask Estuardo for help since he connects well with Jose and understands a bit of English. What an amazing kid!

I think Estuardo, out of all the kids, would most benefit from being adopted. It’s a tragedy that he hasn’t been. And because he’s an old soul, I think (at a 9-year-old level) he gets this. He wants so badly to be a part of a family. He wants the long-term love and commitment of a mother and father. He asks when he’ll get his parents like Juan Pablo. 

Although he’s getting close to outgrowing some of the make-believe that the other kids so readily engage in, Estuardo still greatly enjoys visits from Spiderman. Other children are still in awe when Spiderman shows up, but Estuardo (and Jose) are very aware that I’m not there and have pointed out that I wear the same shoes as Spiderman. I think a part of Estuardo will always want to hold onto the ability to immerse in the fantasy world of superheroes. Who could blame a kid with this much pain, wanting a light at the end of the tunnel, a bringer-of-justice to his unfair world?

All this would seem so hopeless if not for a few things I keep reminding myself. God knows Estuardo. He deeply cares for orphans and victims of injustice. I am constantly reminded when looking at these kids that God’s word says this, “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.”

Perhaps a bit of Estuardo’s hope-filled future is already being revealed.  It just so happens that Estuardo’s birthday is next week when we are in Guatemala.  We’ll get to be there to help celebrate his life and make him feel extra special! Beyond that, there’s a possibility that our translator from June, Edwin, might be able to foster and/or adopt Estuardo!  He saw Estuardo’s tears when we left at the end of the week and recognized how very badly Estuardo wants to have a mommy and daddy.  We’re praying that the paperwork and legal issues move ahead without delay and that Estuardo goes home to live with his new family very, very soon.

Ultimately, my hope for Estuardo is that he will grow up knowing that he has an advocate on his side against injustice. He has a friend even better than a superhero who will never let him down or turn out to be just a well-intentioned human. Jesus knows Estuardo quite well, and I hope Estuardo will live out his days seeking to know Him.

Meet Alejandra (by Rachael)

Alejandra is undeniably gorgeous.  She’ll be a knockout when she grows up. Her hair, her eyes, her smile—everything about her is beautiful. I tend to focus on her smile.  When she smiles, she looks truly happy, which is amazing considering her story.

Like all the kids, Ale (pronounced ah-lay) has a tragic past.  Unfortunately, her “past” isn’t that far removed from the present.  She came to the Buckner home late last year (2008) after she was taken away from her abusive family.  On days when she’s wearing short sleeves or shorts, you can see the scars on her body from the cigarette burns.

The emotional scars of a sick father and uncle are a little more difficult to see, but they’re there.  When we first met her, she was hesitant to come near us.  She didn’t want  to be held or touched or played with like the other kids.  She didn’t trust us.  Why would she?

On our first day with her, our group took all the kids to Pizza Hut to eat and play.  Ale had never been in a restaurant before.  She probably had never eaten pizza.  She loved going to the bathroom to wash her hands, because in there she discovered the amazing invention that is the hand drier. When was the last time you were amazed by something so simple?

Today, almost a year later, that shy, scared girl is not the girl you see.  Now Ale’s somewhat of a tomboy, which shouldn’t be all that surprising when you consider that her “siblings” are four energetic boys! She likes it when Nate tosses her in the air.  She’s up for running, playing and even pushing if things start to get rough.

What’s more, she is obsessed with her “big brother” Estuardo.  She’s his shadow.  At the zoo, a worn out Estuardo said to us, “Why does she always have to sit by me?  She always wants to follow me around.”

I have no idea what the future holds for  Alejandra.  Unfortunately, her father is still legally in the picture.  In March, Ale had to go to court, and her father was there.  Ale screamed and begged to be able to get away from that “bad, bad man.”

My hope and prayer for Ale is that someday her perception of fathers and men is redeemed, and that God repairs the damage that has been done to her little heart and soul.  I pray that she is able to be a part of a family where men are loving and kind, not destructive and abusive.  In the meantime, I’m thankful for the role those who visit her get to play in her life.  We can help show her that adults can be kind, and that she is a precious little girl who should be cherished, loved, and treasured.