Heavy Hearts

Yesterday, I found out that M has requested from the court a "voluntary departure." This means that after much paperwork and about eight weeks she and A will return to Guatemala. We cannot believe this. Her case manager and her attorney tried to talk her out of it, but M was resolute in court, though she cried the whole time.

Our question is "WHY?!" Why would she decide to go back to a dangerous situation? Why would she take A back to poverty and no education? The answers, which seem so clear to us, are more complicated and involve much more than just what logic would tell us.

As her case manager told me, M has many outside stresses that influenced her decision: she is under pressure from her family to work. She has a young child who tests her daily by tantrums and screaming and who has had some health issues on top of that. M feels like she and A are a burden to their current foster family and does not want to be a burden to any other foster family.

John and I are very sad that this has happened. In our eyes, we see the opportunities that she and A have here that probably they will never have in Guatemala. We worry a great deal about them and their future. But--it is her decision. The most we can do is entrust them to His care and protection.

M asked that if the departure does not happen in 30 days, that she and A be moved from their current home to a different foster home. She asked to live with us. This means a lot to us, and we will make the most of the remaining weeks we have with them.

The path that life takes people on always amazes me. Although our age range for placements is 0-6, we are very grateful to have met M and A and learn from them. I don't look forward to saying goodbye. Not at all.

Que Dios les bendiga.