In March 2009, Michael and I went to Guatemala to visit the boys and to attend our first court hearing. We were thrilled to spend time with Gerson and Elviz, and hopeful that the judge would give us a favorable ruling that could get our adoption back on track. This trip was wonderful for the boys. Although we had a great time on the last trip, the boys made it very well known that they were thrilled to have the man in their lives back! They were literally leaping for joy when they saw their "Pop" :)
We had great fun and created many more happy memories. We went to court with hopeful hearts, but were disappointed to find that the judge would not issue a ruling without the attendance of the biological family. A new hearing date was set for May 2009.
In May, I returned and had a wonderful visit with the boys. We went to court, again with hopeful hearts, only to face a very stressful situation. The boys' family was in attendance, and they were very angry. Angry with me, angry with everyone. Gerson and Elviz were very frightened, and we spent the entire time at the court house with them clinging to me and us all crying our eyes out. The boys' mother had originally relinquished them for adoption, but now their grandmother and their aunt were in court strongly objecting. I found out later that they had been misled by the authorities to believe that adoption was a very dangerous situation and that I was a very bad person. Based on the family's objections, the judge did not rule on the case. He ordered some investigations and set a new hearing date for June 2009.
Not long after our hearing, an investigation was launched against this judge for a different case. Our hearing was cancelled, and our case was moved to a new court. Unfortunately, we ended up with a judge who was very much anti-adoption. Everyone that knew anything about our case warned us that this judge was bad news. In August 2009, we had a hearing in the new court. Our strategy was to lose the case, and file an appeal. We knew that we stood no chance with this judge, but since the mother still wanted the adoption, we expected that we could get a favorable ruling on appeal. I went to visit the boys and attend the hearing. Gerson, Elviz, and I had such a fun week together! Our bond continued to grow, and my love for these precious children continued to surprise even me. At the hearing, the judge ordered a new DNA test and set the next hearing date for November 2009.
One week after I returned from Guatemala, the hogar that Gerson and Elviz lived in was raided. All of the children were removed and placed in different hogars. For a few days, I did not even know where my sweet boys were. Even after we found out where they were living, we were not allowed any contact with them and were not given any updates on how they were doing. This drought of information was an incredibly difficult time for me. Worry does not even begin to describe how I felt - I was devastated with concern for my boys.
In November 2009, Michael and I went to Guatemala to attend the hearing in our case. We had not seen our boys or heard anything about them in over 3 months. When they walked into the court waiting area and saw us, it was the reunion of lifetime! They gleefully yelled, "Mami! Papi!", ran to us, and jumped into our arms. For a few short minutes, we held them and cried. It was not long until they were whisked away from us, and a person actually looked into my eyes and said, "It is not in the best interest of the children to continue a relationship with you." The hearing went horribly, and the judge would not even allow us or our legal representative in the room during the hearing. I refused to leave, so we waited outside. When the doors opened, I asked if I could please say goodbye to the boys. I was told that I could not. I pushed my way into the room anyway, and gave them both a very short and tearful goodbye. I held them, told them I loved them always, and then begged God to surround them with protection. There were no happy pictures from that trip. . . it is really too bad, because Gerson had lost his 2 front teeth, and Elviz had just started to lose his baby cheeks. They were both so incredibly handsome that day.
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