Adoption Update

Not much word from Nicaragua about the little girl we're hopefully going to adopt.

Her mother is still alive but is unable to care for her or her other children (two boys, I believe, both older). The director of the orphanage where we travel each summer is hoping that her mother will allow us to meet with her to discern if we would be able to provide her daughter with a better life--one that she could simply not provide her with in Nicaragua.

I have to say this whole situation breaks my heart continually. We (my wife and I) basically have to ask a woman if we could take her daughter away from her. She has already determined that she can't care for her but is desperately trying to do what's best for her while staying in minimal contact with her. It's obvious to me that she loves her daughter but is woefully unprepared for parenthood. This is all too often the case in third world countries like Nicaragua. The poor continually are caught in these situations.

Marion and I are open to a kind of "open adoption" where contact with Patricia's birth mother could continue. I feel bad for Marion too, because you know that the words "you're not my real mommy" are more apt to angrily come out towards her than they will towards me as the papa (the bio-papa's whereabouts are unknown).

We ask humbly for your prayers. We will have all of our answers in August when we head down for our trip. We have been asked to raise $3000 ($1500 each) for our trip to the orphanage so if anyone would like to make a donation please email me at mike@bustedhalo.com and I'll send you the address. All proceeds go directly to Mustard Seed Communities and are earmarked directly for our trip where we'll be helping to build a new structure for pregnant teens this year hopefully along with several smaller projects. I'll be one of the spiritual guides again this year hopefully with our new priest-pastor at St. Paul the Apostle.

Anyone interested in going on the trip? Let me know: mike@bustedhalo.com