Flor and her family
Flor is very special to us. She came to live with us when she was twelve years old. Flor is the youngest of seventeen kids. As a child she worked hard alongside her mother in the coffee fields trying to provide for the family. When her mother became ill and passed away, Flor had nowhere to go. She lived with several of her siblings and was mistreated and abused.
When Flor came to us she was hurt and very confused. We had never received a child as old as Flor but we trusted the Lord and put her in his hands. Many nights we stayed up with Flor listening and praying with her. She missed her mother and was terribly hurt and confused by the way people had treated her. Flor loved being the "biggest sister" in our house and helped out with all the other children.
It wasn't long before the social worker called us and said they needed a home for Flor's younger brother too. Flor was so excited to be reunited with him and we took him in our home as well. Flor had never had the opportunity to study so we began homeschooling her and she was very happy to be learning to read and write. She was making good progress. Although we had some very challenging times with Flor we loved her as our own and trusted the Lord with her life.
After living with us for three years the government office decided she should be moved to another home. It was devastating to her. They moved her and we no longer could have contact with her. We later heard that she had run away from the next two homes she'd been placed in and was nowhere to be found. We continued praying for her over the years and wondered if we would ever see her again.
To our surprise, one day, we received a letter from Flor thanking us for all we had done for her. She had been searching for us for awhile and wanted to reconnect. She still called us Mommy and Popi. She had four children now. We wanted to see her and planned a big reunion in our home. Our other children were excited to see her again too as they too loved and missed her dearly.
We met her and her children at the bus stop near our house. The first thing her little boy said was, "Are you my mommy's parents?" "Yes" we said, "then can I call you Abuela?" the little boy asked. "Why of course" we said..trying to hold back the tears. We have fallen in love with Flor's children and even though we were not expecting to be grandparents so soon...we are so excited to have them be part of our family.
Flor's oldest son is Daniel. He is nine years old and such a sweet boy. He loves his Grandpa Enrique and all his new Uncles. He really wants to be part of a family and is excited to be with us every chance he gets.
Flor has two girls Noami and Meiboll. Noami is seven and Meiboll is three. She also has a little boy named Keylor that is two years old.
Flor and her family live in very poor conditions. Flor never finished school. She has opened up with us and has shared recently all she has been through. It has not been easy and she admits she has made a lot of mistakes. She loves the Lord and faithfully goes to church. She is trying to get her life together but needs a lot of support and love. Flor lives in a very small humble country home about three hours from ours. We are excited to see the changes in her life and will continue to love and support her and her family.