From Abandoned to Chosen – At Last!
After experiencing abandonment multiple times, Daniel never thought God would bless him with a beautiful new family. Yet, thanks to the support of people like you, he was able to embrace one as his own… Chosen – at last!
“Uncle, where are you?” (Screaming, crying)
Daniel screamed as he searched the shack he and his brothers lived in. “¿Adonde esta?” – “Where is he?” (Shouting, weeping)
No esta aqui!” – “He is not here!” (Crying)
The realization of abandonment pierced Daniel like a knife. “We’ve been abandoned.” At ages seven, eight, nine, and ten years old, being four orphaned children in the slums of Guatemala meant street begging, malnutrition, and possibly death.
In 1980, there were 250 million orphans worldwide, and Daniel and his brothers were four of them. How were they going to survive? How would they be able to live meaningful lives?
This is Daniel Reed’s early childhood story. Today, Daniel is a successful family and business man. Daniel is so resilient, he is able to reach back into his past and share his story with us.
Heartbroken and Alone
“My mother and brothers and I lived in extreme poverty in Guatemala,” said Daniel. “Then, my father got involved in illicit activity and eventually abandoned my family. My mother worked hard to try to support her children, but the fireworks company she worked at killed her. The powder she worked with got into her lungs and she died at 29 years old. My siblings and I were sent to live with a relative where we stayed until we discovered that we were unwanted.”
“I need to get my clothes together. Where can I put it?” (Here, in this plastic bag.)
“¿Niño, qué estás haciendo?” – “What are you doing?” (Frustrated.)
“I am collecting my clothes so that I can leave. I don’t think you want me here, do you?” (Crying)
“Niño, do what you need to do.” (With that she left.)
That was all she said. Heartbroken, Daniel picked up his bag and walked to his uncle’s house where his siblings were already. But there was no loving welcome there, either.
That night, the same terrible reality replayed itself to Daniel and his brothers. Their uncle decided to go to a prayer meeting… except that he didn’t go to the prayer meeting. He went to rent a truck, came back, and took out all of his belongings from the shack where they lived. Their uncle moved out and abandoned them.
“Oh Dios – Oh, God, help us! What do we do?”
Only One Orphan Home Responded: Chosen by International Children’s Care
Not knowing what else to do, Daniel and his brothers sought help from friends. Their friends had no place for them to stay, so they took them to the government courthouse. The officials called three orphanages for help. Only one showed up: International Children’s Care. An ICC worker talked with the official and with the children, and decided to bring Daniel and his brothers to ICC’s children’s village.
“¿Adonde vamos? – Where are we going?”
“We are taking you to Los Pinos Children’s Home. There are 70 other children there who call this loving place their home. I’m sure you will love it there.”
After hours of driving, through the dust from the road, Daniel saw a gate that said “Los Pinos.” This was to be their new home for a time. As Daniel and his brothers settled into Los Pinos, they began to bond with their new local and global family. But that was not the end of Daniel’s story. Something more astounding and more beautiful was about to happen.
Chosen – At Last!
David and Janet Reed, from South Haven, MI, had been praying for months about adoption. They began to process their wishes with ICC (which handled adoptions back in the 80’s). As a result, ICC told them about the plight of Daniel and his siblings. After sufficient prayer and thought, David and Janet headed down to Guatemala to finalize the adoption and joyfully take their new children home.
With the passing years and ongoing family experiences, Daniel Reed now experiences great love from his family, friends, employees, and church. His story is one of success – one that you can claim as your success as you help children in need. Daniel is one of many children that people like you have helped release from family brokenness into freedom to be all they can be through Christ. Thank you again for loving, caring and giving to God’s beautiful children!
