In July we had a church group of 33 from First Baptist Church in Platte City, Missouri come visit the orphanage for a week. They did a number of things - painted, helped with our green areas, and did outreach in the Plaza and a popular mall. The group was led by youth pastor, Brady Testorff and his wife Trish.
Brady and Trish were at the orphanage when I was here in 2006, but they weren't with their church group. They were here on their own, finalizing an adoption of two children - Yessenia (13) and Paul (10), growing their family to seven. Here, two years later, they return. Yessenia was turning 15 and her desire was to have her Quinceanero at the orphanage with all of the children, workers and her new family. Quinceanero or 15th birthday party, is the most important birthday for a girl in the Peruvian culture. It was a first for the orphanage and was a wonderful celebration. The cafeteria was decorated with balloons, empanadas were shared and a beautiful cake was cut and served. We invited the officials from the family court system and those that knew Yessenia when she was at the orphanage. Brady spoke about the grace of God in Yessenia's life and he and Trish symbolically changed Yessenia's shoes to represent her beginning a new stage in her journey. It was an moving celebration and a wonderful testimony to the beauty of adoption.
Liz, orphanage director, gives Yessenia her bouquet
Brady shares a message with the help of a translator.
Joel and I shared a song
Robyn and Yessenia
They also decided to visit their biological mother while they were here. I went along to be a support and help translate. It was a nervous and quiet ride to the house. Tears were shed as they embraced their biological mother and other older siblings. Their mother thanked Brady and Trish for providing Yessenia and Paul with a home and a family that loved them and took care of them. One of their siblings had already died in a gang battle and another is very ill from drug use. The mother is now a christian and, with her fiance, is trying to stop drinking to end that cycle. It was an emotional visit and a shocking reality for Yessenia and Paul to see. They hadn't been in their mother's home for more than 6 years.Yessenia and Paul's return was challenging. They were face to face with their past - seeing the orphanage and their past through new eyes. Their memories of how things were didn't always match up to the reality. Two years in the United States had changed them. It was interesting to see them on the other side - they were helping and serving the orphanage instead of being on the receiving end. The children and workers at the orphanage loved seeing them and when it was time to say goodbye - their role had changed. We stood on opposite sides - the children/staff sang and the group stood across the grass and listened. We thanked them for coming and they thanked us for hosting them. However, in the end, we all shed tears and hugged - knowing we will all miss each other and be a part of each other's lives forever.
