I went to Jamaica for a mission trip in July of 2015 by myself as a sophomore in high school. I left for my trip not knowing the life-changing plans God had for me. I expected to travel to a third-world county and change the lives of many, but I quickly found that I would be the one whose life would change. I met two boys, ages 10 and 12, in a orphanage for the abused and neglected. Over the course of two weeks, I fell in love with these brothers. On the day that I left them, they handed me a folded piece of paper. Inside was a letter to my parents, saying how much they wish to be adopted by people as loving as I. It brought me to tears. I came home to my parents who immediately fell in love with the boys through pictures and phone calls, and I brought my mother to meet them in July of 2016. Immediately after that trip, my family sent in their application to adopt, and it has been a difficult journey since. My parents have spent more money than I can fathom on paperwork, plane tickets, hotels, and transportation. After almost two years, our adoption is in the last few steps of completion. We have received approval to pick the boys up from Jamaica in January of 2018, but unfortunately airfare and hotels are extremely expensive during the holidays, and we aren't able to get there that quickly. I want nothing more than to bring my little brothers into my home and to melt into their hugs. I want to watch my parents bring home their fourth and fifth children. I want my family to finally feel whole, and I want no more goodbyes.
