We are giving the following testimony with all the love in our heart. Having celebrated out 9th anniversary happily and with a plan from the beginning to create a happy family, one which cannot be fulfilled without children which we can love with all our hearts, and raise them well so that when they grow up they would be amazing people. It made us very anxious to see that the years were passing by and we were still waiting for a child to come along. At no point did we try to avoid having babies, in fact quite the opposite, my only dream was to have children. We tried everything we were told to and even went to half a dozen doctors, but God had something wonderful in store for us. God works in mysterious ways, one does not understand him until the mircale begins, and that for us was not being able to have biological children.

One day we met a wonderful couple who had an adorable baby. We saw how the parents and the baby had the most tender relationship. When we told out friends of the wonderful impression the couple had left on Federico and I they told us that the baby was adopted! We were speechless and turned to look at each other, each one looking in the others eye in approval at the thought of adoption. It was a Sunday afternoon in an airplane modelling field. We hurried back home to call as many people as we could think of  so that we could find out more about the adoption process, and on our way home we were set on adopting a child. And from this moment on, we only ask God to guide us and enlighten us in the task of becoming parents, but not just any parents, the best parents.

May God bless Maria Lopez Escobar, a year after we received her call; she had for us the most wonderful baby in the whole world. It was a long wait with much anticipation which we decided to calm by busying ourselves with the preparations  for the baby’s arrival. Everything was white, we didn’t know if it would be a boy or a girl. Anyway, we had a spiritual preganancy, without the pain and risk involved in a real pregnancy, it was a miracle of the lord made true by La Casa de la madre y el Niño. Maria, with her fine bearing and her beautiful smile, was personally handed over to us.  It is a day I will never forget.  Our families surrounded us with all the love in the world. And on this same day, with Alejandro in our arms I found the courage to say to Maria that this tender baby could not be alone and that I wanted 4 children, and was officially asking for my little boy to have a sister. Federico went bright red and got very agitated, but he immediately supported my idea. Maria laughed and said to us, “everything is possible, but for now you have one of the biggest responsibilities: Being parents.”

Alejandro has provided us with the most beautiful and pleasant moments of our lives, he was vivacious and smiley. They were two wonderful years and they got even better when Maria called us to say she had another baby for us.

The three of us came to pick her up. We couldn’t believe it! We had a second miracle: Silvia was an adorable girl and the four of us have shared everything from this moment on, we are the best of friends.

Silvia and Alejandro have always known the story we have just told, we have never told them lies, nor have we ever tried to hide the truth. We are proud to be adoptive parents and our children are proud to be adoptive children and, above all, are proud to be our children.  They have given us so many joys that we would never be able to count them all. We are proud of their performances in all fields.

Our grandchildren Federico and Catalina Abello speak about adoption with ease, as they have seen how we love and respect not only our children but each other as well.  We would like to say to Barbara in great detail how she has followed in her mothers footsteps, and that she has the same tenderness and same wonderful smile as her mother. Alejandro and Silvia have suggested to many of their friends who live in the sadness and grief of a home without children to go to La Casa de la Madre y el Niño, and that they speak to Barbara and her wonderful colleagues.

Alejandro and Silvia Dever Fonnegra graduated from New Granada School. Silvia studied jewellery design in the Gemological Institute of Amereica in California U.S.A. and is currently doing a masters in Bilingual Education. Alejandro has a degree in anthropology from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogota and a degree in archaeology from the University of Pittsburgh en Pennsylvania U.S.A..  Silvia is married to Dr. Sergio Abello De Castro, a doctor graduated from the Universidad del Bosque in Bogota with a specialist degree in Orthopedics. They have two children; Catalina aged 8 and Federico aged 13. Alejandro married Abigail Tubio Whittaker,  a dentist graduated from the University of Pittsburgh.  Silvia is our right hand man and sales manager for our company Bon Pate ltd.  and Alejandro works for the University of Florida.

Federico Dever Uribe
Elsa Fonnegra de Dever