Baby Sydney.....

Please pray for our Baby Sydney and all the children of Guatemala in this truly difficult time.

Our story is below.....my heart is broken into a milion pieces...but I have posted bits of the email, Claire, the director/owner from the US of the orphange Sydney was in while in Guatemala. It is going to be a tough couple of week to digest this information and learn to "Let go and Let God". Please pray for our family...as well as all the children in Guatemala, the staff and caregivers at the orphanage and others who are going through similar and even much worse cases right now.

Thanks!

Misty

Sydney's Nov. Picture. I didn't want to post her Dec. with Santa....she was scared!

Check out that hair.....about 3 mos old here!

I figured my brother would like this one making her look like a basketball star. Not sure how old but I am guess it was around 4 months old!

October Photos




Sydney in her Easter Dress (Lyza's first Easter dress) with her caregiver Juana!



2 month photo!

7 month photo!

I HATE Lyza's Easter Dress and Bow!!!

1 month old!

1.5 months old

5 days old

• I must honestly say right now my heart is ripped into a million pieces. As many of you may know, we have sponsored Baby Sydney since December of 2007. We could not get a Power of Attorney to Guatemala in time to start the adoption process before adoptions closed in Guatemala. So we have sponsored Sydney for 13 months, since she was just a few weeks old.....receiving monthly medical reports, photos on the first of each month and she has grown in our hearts as one of our own. I was supposed to go on a missions trip in April to the orphanage and would have held her for the first time at 16 months old. She was born on Dec. 5, so she just turned 1. We have sent many packages to her with clothing that Lyza had outgrown, formula, bottles, toys, etc. She will forever be in our hearts. I just received the email below from the director at Nido Del Aguila, the orphanage that she has been in since her mother relinquished her at birth. I had peace in my heart because I knew she was well taken care of, and had many disposable cameras returned to me with photos of her when different mission groups would go down. My heart sank and I was in just a state of shock when I received this from Claire today. Perhaps if I were still naive and didn't know how corrupt the government was in Guatemala, I might not have taken it so hard...however, I KNOW what goes on and I know what is happening to her and I know there is not one single thing I can do....aside from praying that she is safe. It is heart wrenching...I know it is hard for many of you to understand, but the ways are so corrupt there, I can only imagine the worst case scenarios. She is now government property......GOVERNMENT PROPERTY! Ok, STATE property..but there is no difference. It makes me sick, angry and sad.
  
  Please pray that she is just safe, that she may eventually be returned to Claire and her loving caregivers at the orphanage and find her forever home...even if it is not with us...I knew that it would be with someone who loved and cared for her deeply.

Below is portions of the email I received from Claire:

This last week your Sydney (Cindy) was taken from Nido Del Aguila. She was in the process of abandonment.Her mother signed releases for her to be in our home and to find a family for her, in which we did with you. Then the government changed the rules of adoption and our babies were then caught in the system. Larry and I prayed for families for these children and you have responded generously and faithfully.We are so sad to say that Cindy "Sydney", Jairo and Yolanda were taken on the day of their hearing. They were issued a transfer to a state orphanage, this orphanage is in the city. Our workers came home with tears telling of the transfer. And with word that this week the court would take 3 more children. Yesterday they took Jonathan, Irma "Candy" and Miguel.Our lawyer has entered an appeal to have them returned, but this all takes time. The court is trying to crack down on corruption they claim existed under the old system. The mothers have been interviewed and accused. The investigation process is normal, first they transfer the children therefore making sure the biological mother and people who have the children are not involved nor will benefit from their adoption. The next step will be to investigate the mother's family and look for relatives to take the children, next they will offer the babies to Guatemalan families for adoption, and lastly after many months of investigation, they might be returned to us or offered in international adoption. This is all unchartered waters for us and we are so saddened by this.

We have no control over these transfers.

These little ones have had lots of love and good care. Ana asked if we could have permission to visit and the judge declined to give an order to visit or give information on their whereabouts.
Please pray for our home and for our workers going through difficult times. Our workers have loved the children knowing that they would someday have new parents, and hopefully in the USA, but they are sad to think they are put in orphanages which have not had the same quality of care.