Beginnings
Buenos Dias! Greetings from Colombia~
We arrived safe and sound into Bogota on Monday lunchtime after a very early morning and somewhat bumpy (yet direct!) flight. After getting settled in on Monday we all slept well in the apartment first night and spent Tuesday in acclimation/ recovery mode. We explored Bogota and connected with our agency team in preparation for the ‘Big Day’ on Wednesday. Wednesday finally came and we were all a bit nervous but very excited! The goal was simple: to connect with Gerard’s care team at ICBF (Colombian equivalent of Social Services) and to take custody of our boy!
In short our goal was accomplished! Gerard slept well last night in our apartment and we enjoyed dinner and a family movie together and it is clear the bonding is coming along well : ) We are overjoyed to have him! Thank you for all the prayers and well wishes ❤️
When we arrived at ICBF things seemed straight forward~ we were to decorate a room for our custody meeting (like a party), meet with his care team to sign paperwork and then have our first meeting! After we arrived Gerard arrived separately shortly after and stayed with his team in a room near us. During the waiting time another there was an unprecedented incident involving an irate boy who became destructive and violent in the building which ended in him smashing a window in an attempt to harm his social worker. He walked by us at one point in the hallway, at the beginning of his tirade, where we witnessed him destroying property in the building but we quickly made our way outside and didn’t learn of the window incident until later. Unfortunately, Gerard bore witness to all of the violence of this boy. He was terrified and triggered, to say the least. After another hour of waiting to see him the team informed us that he was in no condition to continue with the procedings and that they planned to take him to see a doctor and back to the Institution for a night or two to recover and then try again. We were devastated and wanted nothing more than to comfort him. In fact, he sat two room away from us crying and shook up. The staff was upset, Gerard was upset, we were upset~ what now Lord?? Prayer!
After more waiting his social workers from the institution came to ICBF and Gerard was helped to calm down. We sat and waited and prayed as he processed all of the difficulties and changes (after a sleepless night no less) and prayed that the Lord’s will would be done in uniting us now or in a couple days,if need be.
Finally, his team came in to see us (and when I say team I mean a dozen people or more) and they were pleased to report that his body had relaxed, he took a walk and drank water and was now smiling and calmer. Someone had the wisdom to ask Gerard what HE wanted and he said without a doubt to be with his family. He had no intentions of returning to the institution but wanted nothing more than more than to be with us. Joy!!
In fact, we had a professional photographer on site and he even had calmed down enough to take several photos, with a smile! Our first meeting with him in person was beautiful~ he brought us flowers and handmade gifts with our names on them and he was smiling and joyful. We are truly amazed at his resilience and ability to recover from difficult circumstances! So brave.
We made the journey back to the apartment where he was a bit sad and despondent ~looking through photographs of his friends and teachers that he had said goodbye to and not sure what to do. He unpacked neatly (habits from his time int he institution) and after some comfort and reading a book together he seemed much better. We had his favorite dinner of chicken, rice and salad (he LOVES salad!) and watched Cars movie in Spanish (with English subtitles LOL!) and laughed a lot as a family. TowMater in Spanish is really funny~ fyi!
The sweetest part of the evening came right before bed when he came up to me and he made the sign of the cross on me. He was asking for prayer 😍 As far as we knew he had no connection to any faith. As a family we gathered around his bed and said a prayer, hugged and tucked him in to bed. He slept soudly through the night with no ‘bad dreams’ which have been his usual experience in the institution. We are so grateful! So far we know he is kind, gentle, curious, and eager to learn English and connect with us. He is shy at times but quirky and funny and enjoys hugs. We know the Lord took the difficult situation of yesterday and transformed it before our eyes!!
Today is a day of connecting and working on communication as well as taking care of immediate needs~ read: park, soccer, grocery store, maybe dinner out : )
Thank you all for your continued prayers and support! Prayers appreciated for communication to continue, for safety and good health for all of us, and for the kids to find ways to connect with Gerard that they enjoy.