Colbert First Baptist youth pastor Blake Wilson and his wife, Shae, love their two adopted girls — Lauren, 2, and Lily Kate, 1.
Now, they’re about to welcome three more children into their lives, a trio of brothers from an orphanage in Peru, ages 3, 5 and 6.
Wilson met his future sons on Father’s Day, 2011.
“I didn’t realize that (it was Father’s Day) until I got home,” he said. “It was on a Sunday, our second day in Peru and our first day at the children’s home.”
Wilson was on a mission trip with about 20 members from Colbert Baptist in Peru. The crew split into three groups and basically held Vacation Bible School at various schools in the South American country. There were puppet shows, sporting events, craftwork.
Wilson said the brothers arrived at the orphanage two years ago this November, but he does not know the details of how they arrived. He said he met the two older brothers as soon as he arrived at the children’s home.
“They just happened to be the first little boys that came up to me,” said Wilson. “And we were just playing games and talking. And throughout that day, they were just kind of attached to me.”
After the second day he realized the two siblings had a younger brother, who was 2 at the time and in the nursery.
Wilson said he called his wife a couple of days after he met them and told her that the brothers stood out.
“There was just a connection there that we had,” he said. “And I said, ‘What would you think about adopting them?’”
Wilson said his wife welcomed the idea. The two Commerce High School graduates said they have always wanted to adopt children from outside the U.S.
“Even before we got married, adoption is something we’ve always wanted to do,” said Wilson. “And we’ve always wanted a diverse family. We were both born and raised in the Commerce/Madison County area. Both of our families are just typical Southern, American families. And we’ve both always loved the idea of adoption and adding diversity to the family. It’s something we’ve always had a heart to do. And now’s the time.”
Wilson said the adoption includes approval from the U.S. and Peruvian governments.
“We’ve been approved by the U.S.” said Wilson “It’s a two-part process. Now, we’re sending those documents to Peru. So, we’re kind of waiting right now because we’ve done as much paperwork as we can do.”
The Wilsons aren’t alone in their quest bring the brothers to the U.S. They are being assisted by Colbert First Baptist church members, who are working to raise funds to offset some of the $30,000 to $40,000 adoption costs.
A “Help a Brother Out” or “H.B.O.” motorcycle ride will be held at Colbert Baptist Church Saturday, April 21, with registration starting at 10:30 a.m. and kickstands up at 12:30 p.m. The cost is $20 per bike. All donations can be made payable to Colbert First Baptist RFC.
Organizers say that they want to help the Wilsons help the children.
“This is a very rewarding, but costly endeavor,” organizers said. “Help us make these children’s dream of having a family come true by taking part in our ‘H.B.O.’ activities!”
There will be music, food and door prizes.
For more information, call Dwayne Patton at 706-540-6228 or David Patton at 706-296-4598.
