Hola, yo soy Carlos. (Hi, I am Carlos*- name protected) Out of the 6 boys, Carlos stood out to me in a unique way. He was different than the rest of the boys. The only one not at the home due to substance abuse, Carlos was admitted by his parents because of behavioral issues. As I began to interact with him and watch, I realized how innocent and intelligent he is. Things started clicking in my head. He would most likely be diagnosed with having ADD, but I am pretty sure he is not. He is extremely hyper-active and the more I watched, I noticed his sensory challenges. Even though he is 15, Carlos greatly reminds me of my 8yr old nephew, Hayden, who was adopted. The little things he does that are full of energy and the way he patiently and tirelessly sanded and varnished a door for days are so similar to my nephew. It hit me. Carlos's parents put him in the program because they didn't know what to do with him. My nephew and his 3 siblings were sought out because they had a traumatic past and my sister and brother in law adopted them to help change their future.
Carlos loved learning English! One day he asked "Que es significa burro"? (Bolivians don't roll their "R"s but instead use the 'Z' sound. SO burro sounds more like buzzo) After we told him that the word in English for burro was donkey, he started going around saying "Yo soy Donkey". Thus began his new nick name of Donkey. 🙂 He also asked what Zorro(zozzo) was in English. When we told him it was Fox, he told one of the other girls "You are Foxa". The significance is because in Spanish there are masculine and feminine words so he thought that he should add an 'A'! Throughout the month, the boys each began to embed a special part in our hearts. Carlos was such a reminder to me of Hayden.
At the end of the month, I was looking through a box of braclets (manillas) that were made by the residents of the houses. I asked the Hermana who was selling them which one was Carlos's. She gave me the first one he had ever made. I bought it for Hayden because I hope it can be a reminder. A reminder to him that he has parents who flew to Africa to add him to their family and are daily working through his past with him. They aren't giving up like Carlos's parents. They are giving up their lives for him so that he can live a strong life for Jesus. They are my heroes. This month has been confirming more and more of my heart and desire to be an advocate for permenantly placing children. I don't know what that will look like, but the similarity between Carlos and Hayden was so strong that it confirmed one of my passions.
