A month age, just a few weeks after the girls turned 18, they quit school and left our home. Rosio returned to Colombia and is staying with a friend’s family, and last we heard she has no money and no job. Alejandra is in St. Paul, Minnesota working as a maid. Third-hand (mis)information suggests she might be hanging out with some unsavory people.
It is very disappointing that the story has gone this way, as my original goal was to help two kids get a good start on life. Yet they are exactly where they would have been had they aged out of an orphanage... no education, no job skills, no money, and no family (not really, as we will always be here for them). I’m hoping that this is not the end of the story. They might eventually grow up to realize the opportunity we gave them. They might come home to finish High School and go on to college or trade school when they realize their current path is not successful.
I know they understand that I love them as my daughters, yet their prior history prevents them from trusting the very people they should be trusting.
I’m asked if I regret adopting the girls... the answer is no. I had to try, otherwise these kids had no chance for a decent life. And I still hope this story isn’t over.
We need to keep trying. Even if only one child can be helped, it will have been worthwhile.
Also, I’m assisting three other kids through a small program in Gachancipa, Colombia.
