When
Tim and Judy Herrera, along with their two teenage
daughters, left for Pereira, Colombia, they were a
family of four. The Herreras, of Rosebud, Missouri,
returned home on March 4, a family of seven.
One month later,
11-year-old Hannah and her 9-year-old sister Emma, were
peering down the long concourse at Lambert Airport,
hoping to catch sight of their parents, Ed and Patty
Farley of Belleville, Illinois. The Farleys were
returning home from three weeks in Bogot-after adopting
three sisters.
The Herras and the
Farleys are part of the growing number of Children's
Hope families all over the United States adopting
siblings from Colombia.
"I love placing sibling
groups," said Julie Eagleson, the director of Children's
Hope Colombia Program. "It's chaos initially for the
families. But since the children already have a bond
with one another, they seem to bond easier with their
new parents."
Eagleson also said it is
satisfying for the agency to place children who are more
difficult to adopt.
Since 2001, around 150 of the
over 200
Colombian adoptions through Children's Hope were groups
of brothers and sisters. Children's Hope has placed five
sibling groups of three or more to families in the metro
Kansas City area alone. In 2004, one Kansas City,
Missouri couple adopted five siblings.
After a little over two
month in their new home, Daniel, 8, Angie, 7, and
Andres, 5, are ?doing great? as new members of the
Herrera family. Judy Herrera home-schooled Daniel and
Angie for a few weeks until they showed a desire to
attend the Owensville elementary school. Meanwhile
Rebekah, 17, and Lindsay Herrera, 15, have been adjusting
to sharing not just bedrooms but their parents.
Before families are
allowed to adopt sibling groups from any country CHI
serves, Children's Hope social workers educate the
parents on the huge adjustments for them and their new
children. Since adopting older children can create many
more challenges than adopting an infant, families are
advised to talk with other CHI families who have already
adopted a sibling group.
?We are realistic with
our families. It is going to be difficult at first,?
said Nichole Deal, CHI Director of Social Services and
Colombia Program Coordinator. ?Language differences
bring out a lot of that frustration.?
Deal
adds that the support of the extended family and friends
is important in any adoption but especially for a
multiple sibling adoptions.
Paula Farley agrees, and
said, ?Everyone was so supportive of our decision. We
know we have a lot of issues to adjust to.?
As Emma Farley and her
new 4-year-old sister, Lucia, held hands on the way down
to the baggage check-out, the first issue to tackle, was
how to fit all their luggage and seven family members
into their mini-van.
To find our how you
can adopt from our Colombia adoption program
