Our Adoption: A Special Tour of FANA for a FANA Child

Written by Alissa

It took some extra time for me to write this blog. I was speechless. Yes, my family members are all laughing now. I can hear my dad now, "Alissa? Speechless? Never." Well, this time I was speechless. There were no words to describe this breathtakingly wonderful day. This was a very special visit to FANA for Matt and I. First, we were going to learn about our son Benjamin. We were able to talk with Flor about Benjamin and his time at FANA. And the other special reason, I had waited 35 years to visit FANA! I didn't know what to expect. My parents said I would love FANA. They told me the tour of FANA would have an impact on me and would mean so much to Matt and I. This wasn't a typical visit to FANA for this FANA child. I was here with my husband for our son. It was a a kind of extraordinary bonus that I was able to visit the organization that helped to unite me with my family so I could be in this moment. This was a very memorable and personal visit for me. I saw the happy faces of children waiting for their mommies and daddies. I am a FANA child and have the world's most remarkable parents. Benjamin is a FANA child and now calls us his parents. Thank you, God.

We arrived at FANA at 10:00 am. We waited in the lobby area until we were told to go upstairs. FANA is beautiful! Matthew took a ton of pictures while we waited. FANA has a lot of land. FANA sits on about 5-6 acres of green grass - which is rare in the city. When I was adopted there was no grand building with a stained glass mural from Stockholm or a multitude of plaques from different countries where FANA children had been placed. Although this was not my building, it still was FANA. When FANA first started, they worked out of a small church basement. Each family is given a tour and then meets with a social worker at FANA to discuss their child. We had the privilege of meeting with Flor, the co-director of FANA. We will share this information only with Benjamin as he gets older since it means the most to him and to us. FANA aims to make this a very personal meeting between FANA, the parents, and the child.

As we waited for Flor I wondered... What would she talk about? Would she remember us? We were just there the week before - I hoped she would remember us. We watched as toddlers played outside in the courtyard run around in a grassy area and chased one another as their caretaker tried to line them up for the morning. They were adorable and so very happy! Then the receptionist told us to walk up stairs to meet with Flor. It was time. Flor was waiting for us in her office, which overlooked the courtyard. She welcomed us and hugged and kissed us. She remembered our names and asked how Benjamin was doing. I love how she says my name, "Aleessa". She told us we would have our tour first then meet with her.

We were given a tour of FANA from a young woman that worked at FANA. She didn't speak English so I had to put my recent Spanish studying to use - I still need mucho mucho practice. She showed us each room from sleeping rooms to eating and playing rooms for all ages. Every single hallway had enormous frames with hundreds of pictures of the FANA families. Each hallway had plaques from FANA families and dignitaries world wide, including the Pope. Although I didn't find my family pictures, they were there somewhere in those hallways with all the other FANA families. We were able to meet six infants that spent time with Benjamin. We spent the most time in their room watching them play, roll over, and crawl around. We walked through the Friends of FANA hallway or wing - of FANA. This means that this area of FANA was paid for by fundraising done by families living in Minnesota that had adopted from FANA. I remember those summer events! Every 5 years Mercedes and Flor would travel to Minnesota for 3 days of fundraising events including a dinner, a silent auction, and performances by the children (I played piano for one event) potluck picnic and golf tournament. FANA had wings from Australia, France, even Buffalo, New York. Minnesota meant the most to me. My parents were the first family to adopt from FANA in Minnesota!

Flor's office was lined with pictures of FANA families and awards dignitaries from countries all over the world. (And by the way... Flor would never tell you they were awards; she considers her children of FANA her awards and placing the children in families the rewards.) As we walked around her office she NAMED the NAMES of parents and children in her pictures. There were so many pictures!! She told me of families that had adopted 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 children from FANA! Believe me she knew each and every child. How does she do that? I don't mean a couple hundred children I mean 15,000 children! I had a hard enough time as a teacher keeping track of the students names that came back to visit me from the previous year. To put it into perspective, I was child number 2, or one of the first placed by FANA, and Benjamin was child number 13,103 placed by FANA! Flor had stories for each and every picture. She was fun to watch. She told stories of her attending college in Chicago and laughing about how she tried to teach her college roommate to dance. She said she had to study her English so she could complete her studies. We looked out the picture window in her office at the courtyard. She pointed out the statue given to them by a FANA family. She pointed out how Arturo, Mercedes husband, had rebuilt the yellow house in the center of the property. She told me how the land that FANA sits on was once a farm. I cried, ok I cried buckets of thankful tears. Flor knew, she understood. She gave me many tissues. Flor smiled and cried too. Even Matthew cried. Going back to FANA was something I have thought of many times before when I was little. My parents would show my brothers and I pictures and slide shows of Bogota, Colombia, at home but going back to FANA for Benjamin ... I can't even begin to tell you of the flood of emotions that completely overwhelmed me. I know my mom, dad, brothers and my sister understand how I feel. God had his hand on this since the beginning! I am so thankful to my parents for choosing to adopt. I am so very thankful to God that he placed me with my mom and dad so that I could be here with Matthew beginning our family with Benjamin. We talked from about 11:15 am until 3:00 pm! Flor invited us to lunch. She called to the cafeteria to make sure there was enough food. There was plenty! We had soup, fresh spinach salad with strawberries and apples and even fresh tuna! Delicious! We talked even more about FANA's mission at lunch. We left the doors of FANA at 4:00 pm. That was the longest time I had been away from Benjamin. We left him in the care of Carmen, the El Refugio manager, and he did just great! Before we left, we shared our blog with Flor. She loved it! She even asked Matthew to print off the poem he had written for Benjamin. She said she just loved the poem and wanted a copy to share with everyone.

I know what most of you might be thinking who don't know about how this adoption stuff works...were the children happy? Are they cared for? Yes and YES! Each and every child had a smile. The caregivers remember each and every child. FANA is open 24 hours a day 365 days of the year. Some of the children are waiting to be placed with families. Some of the children are waiting for their parents just as Benjamin waited for us since November 5, 2010. We waved to the children as we passed through their temporary home. They have a gorgeous play area with swings, slides, and playhouses. I have never been to a place where each and every person from the security guard to the doctor, and the director to the social workers you meet pour their hearts completely into their job - they share every single piece of their heart. You could feel the warmth and caring as Flor stopped to introduce us to everyone in the hallways. She would tell them we are the parents of Benjamin and I was adopted from FANA too - one of the first. She would smile and squeeze my hand. The children that pass through these doors are loved by all. FANA is a place where God's work is being done every minute of every day.