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My close friend Marcelo was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He learned to speak English during his college years by watching Sesame Street. He is now a missionary in Guatemala along with his family and a few other families who make up the team. Kristina and I have hosted them when they visit the United States to pick up supplies and we travel there to help them in the work they do not only in Guatemala City but around the country.
It was on one of these trips that Kristina and I were able to visit one of the poorest government orphanages in the city. There were 50-60 kids there the day we visited and only two adults on staff. Because of the work Marcelo and his staff are doing in Guatemala, many of these children receive supplies they need and they are able to go to camp each year.
Early summer of 2003, Marcelo called me to talk about a possible trip to help him that fall. When Marcelo learned through our conversations that we were planning to adopt he immediately remembered that we had promised we would come to Guatemala to adopt when we were with him before. Marcelo and his wife had just taken in an 18 year old girl from an orphanage they served in Antigua. Through the process, Marcelo had made contacts with people throughout the system and encouraged us to come in November to help him but to also speak with those in “Bienstar Social” about the requirements for adopting from Guatemala.
This was a transitional moment for us because as Marcelo talked, he said he really felt that we should wait before going with an agency and at least talk with those people he knew. We agreed to do so but very cautiously as we had not a clue what we were getting into.
So what was it we needed to do next? The home study of course. Now that we were not going to use an agency at least for the time being, we were not sure what we should do. However, one outreach of the university where both Kristina and I worked was an adoption agency. We called and told them about our situation and they agreed to do the home study. It was then when the reality of the finances sunk in. Already we had $1500 staring us in the face. What to do… What to do…
The Mummau Series
1. Choosing To Adopt
2. Why International? Why Guatemala?
3. The Call From Guatemala
4. The Process Begins
5. A Prelude To Mia
6. How Can You “Choose” A Child – Leaving Others Behind?
7. Peer Into The Heart – Journal Entries
8. Meeting Maria – Finding Mia
9. Leaving Our Daughter…is that…no way!
10. Rivers of Waiting
11. Mistakes, Intentions, and Naivety – How Hope Began To Die
12. Alone in Guatemala and Waiting
13. Time Marches On – Goodbye Mia for Now
14. Joyful Gringos in Quetzaltenango
15. Mia Mia
16. Abuela Comes To The Rescue
17. Doctors, Couriers, and Delays
18. Even So, You Won’t Believe This
19. The Summer of Frustration Ends
20. Fall Approaches with Broken Hearts…Teeth
21. 1600 Miles from Tecpan (pt.1)
22. 1600 Miles from Tecpan (pt.2)
23. Kristina Comes Home
24. Mia’s First Steps
25. December’s Momentum
26. An Angel In The Embassy? I
27. An Angel in the Embassy? II
28. A Christmas to Remember…and Forget
29. Daddy’s 2nd Visit
30. Clash at The Embassy
31. We’re In The PGN! OK Let Us Out!
32. Accomodations
33. The Pencil – Never Give Up
34. Exiting the PGN…sort of
35. Exiting the PGN…yet again
36. Daddy Has Enough
37. The Countdown Begins
38. Easter Brings Hope
39. Sit With Me in San Cristobal
40. T-Minus a few things and counting
41. My New Favorite Color
42. Hope Becomes Reality-The Embassy Interview
43. Mia Mummau Goes Home
More blogs about Guatemala Adoption.
