First of all, if you've visited this site before and already enjoyed one of my favorite Sara Groves songs "Might Be Hope," you can stop the music by clicking on the pause button at the bottom of the page! As a newbie blogger, it took me FOREVER last night to figure out how to put music on my page, but now the same song plays over and over again, unless you pause it! Oh, well...At least it is a good song!
So, writing again so immediately makes me feel a little silly, as if I have some inflated sense of self-importance. Yet, I think this is the purpose of a blog- to write. Yes? So, bear with me as I try to sort out what's worth sharing. I had a thought today: Perhaps, I am just journaling in public! I've always loved to write and I’ve never really found an outlet for sharing my writing. So, I guess this is exciting in that sense, too. I received so many supportive comments and I am so encouraged by all of you. Thank you.
One more housekeeping note, there seems to be a few kinks in the site (it is free, after all). The submit button doesn't always work for comments and e-mail addresses. Jamie found that just hitting return after writing his e-mail address was sufficient. Let me know if you can't get it to work and I will figure out a way to add you in from my end.
About Colombia...
The program at Baker Victory Services (BVS) is really special. First of all, BVS continues the legacy of Father Baker, a Buffalo native, hero, and eventual saint. Many of you Buffalonians are probably well aware of Father Baker's history in Buffalo. As a Pennsylvanian, myself, I am still reading up and learning about Baker's legacy. I found the following link to be very informative and inspiring.
Father Nelson Baker- The Apostle of Charity Needless to say, Jamie and I are proud to be somehow affiliated with this man and all that he contributed to our city.
Colombian adoptions at BVS involve a partnership with an agency in Bogota, the capital of Colombia, named FANA (a Spanish acronym for Foundation for the Assistance of Abandoned Children). FANA has such a beautiful history, as well. The agency was founded by a couple who also struggled with infertility. After adopting a child from Canada, because Colombian adoptions were so confounded with legal red tape, Mercedes Rosario Pineda de Martinez and her husband Arturo began taking Bogota's abandoned children into their own home. With the help of friends and family, they found homes for these children and adopted another daughter of their own, this time a Colombian child. The couple decided to dedicate their lives to making adoption easier in their country, for both the children who desperately needed homes and the couples, like them, who were anxious to become parents.
After running out of room in their own home, they rented a home for the children, moved again to a bigger house, and finally grew into a building next door to the house. All the while, Mercedes worked on establishing connections with government authorities who could help facilitate the adoption process and recognize the work she and her family were doing. Over the years, hundreds of volunteers all over the world contributed to the cause, including a group of Western New Yorkers who call themselves "Families of FANA." WNY's Families of FANA
In 1995, thanks to fundraising efforts from all over the world, FANA was able to move out of their crowded inner-city location and into a brand new two million dollar modern facility on three acres of land in the suburb of Suba. The Families of FANA website says that the facility, thanks to the funding of so many volunteer organizations, is now "fully owned by the children of FANA."
Today's FANA houses a modern medical facility that provides prenatal and delivery services to mothers in need, as well as an intensive care facility for new borns. FANA employs full-time physicians and medical personnel, as well. Mercedes, the founder, still runs the program and is responsible for "choosing families" for her many children.
The WNY Families of FANA group is comprised of over 350 families in this area who have adopted their children from FANA. They support each other and hopeful parents who will be traveling to Colombia, fundraise for the maintenance of the FANA facility in Colombia, and work to bring Colombian culture into the lives of the families who have FANA children. They organize cultural events, Spanish programs, and even return trips to Colombia. The families also fundraise to help local charities and children in need in the Buffalo area. This group has been together for twenty-two years and has a very strong and personal connection with FANA in Colombia. In fact, Mercedes Rosario Pineda de Martinez has frequently visited the group at their annual golf tournament and visits with the adoptive families and their children. One of my co-workers, who adopted her daughter from FANA several years ago, speaks of Mercedes with reverence. She sounds like an amazing woman.
It has been told to me that when it is time for a couple to be matched with a child, Mercedes reads your file and walks the nursery, looking at each of the tiny miracles. When she comes to the baby that "feels right," the match is made! Apparently, she has quite the talent for this matchmaking and the families speak of it with their eyes wide and bright. It is the stuff of folklore...A fairy tale ending.
This is the kind of magic I think I can believe in.
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