Family

recently, my friend's three year battle to adopt four children from our tijuana orphanage ended in success. a few weeks back, the kids stepped foot on american soil. since then, they've traveled to florida to meet their grandma and the bahamas for some fun in the sun. in between their excursions, they've spent extensive time with an esl tutor preparing for their first day of school in september.

i had the incredible pleasure of seeing them for the first time since they arrived home tonight. i kept my composure and didn't freak them or their father out by tearing up but on the inside, my emotions were boiling over. i've watched these beautiful children grow so much over the past eight years. i've seen them captivate all of the volunteers who travel to mexico and stood aside as they supported one another because in many ways they are so much more than siblings. they are the only family they've ever had. until now.

i loved listening as they called to their "papa" and watching them scoot around with their backpacks strapped on wearing clothes that fit and sporting hair that's recently been trimmed, brushed and washed. they've always been loved by all of the volunteers, staff and other children at casa hogar sion but now, they truly have a family they can call their own.

this exact moment is why i commit my time, love and money to this cause. i've been asked, "why mexico?" or "why orphans?" and i've never had a better answer than simply "because it's my calling and i couldn't imagine being anywhere else right now." seeing the union between this new family has given me a better answer to those questions.

i truly believe that orphaned children can be loved as much as blood-related children. i advocate for all of the orphans in the world and do my piece to promote adoption and the widening of acceptance into our lives and our households. in the meantime, i fight to insure that as many orphans as i can reach have their basic needs met and ultimately, i dream of a day when we can break the cycle of prostitution, abuse and neglect.

for those who believed when i started my trips to mexico in 2002 that this would be nothing more than a "passing fancy," i think it's pretty obvious that i proved you wrong. but, it was never about you. it was about the children who have left a mark on my life and the family of like-minded, passionately motivated individuals who refuse to believe that a small group of people can do anything BUT change the world.

that's why i do what i do.

care to join me?

visit us at http://www.friendsofelfaro.com/ or join our cause on facebook at http://apps.facebook.com/causes/3328?m=618c3fb4.