Gavin was just four years old when he started asking questions about his birth mother. His adoptive mother, Alissa Perez, didn’t quite know how to answer them, but she knew she was ready to tell the stories of Gavin’s and her daughter, Annabella’s adoptions. One night while reading a book together, the little boy looked up and asked “what’s her name?”
“Laci,” Alissa answered. The floodgates were opened and Gavin asked all about his birth mother, the day he came home with his new family and whether or not he had toys in his crib as an infant.
The problem, however, was that unlike Annabella’s adoption through Inheritance Adoptions, which was an open adoption, Gavin was placed through Child Protective Services. Alissa did not know who Gavin’s birth mother was.
“I told him that I hoped someday soon he would get to meet her,” Alissa said, vowing to pray for a way for a relationship to open up.
That day would come sooner than the Perez family thought.
Two weeks later, Alissa received a call from Leslie Howard, executive director of Inheritance Adoptions. Leslie had some important news and asked Alissa if she was sitting down.
“Do you have a direct line to God?” Leslie said. “Because guess who just walked in my office?”
Alissa barely processed what she heard next: Laci had come to Inheritance Adoptions to place her baby girl for adoption. She told Leslie that she had previously placed a son named Gavin with CPS and did not know where he ended up. After Laci shared her story, Leslie realized the connection. It was verified when she checked Gavin’s birth date.
“I think I know where your son is,” Leslie told Laci, showing her a photo of Gavin. “I felt like I could see Jesus sitting in the seat next to me.”
Laci broke down in tears. She wasn’t ready to meet with Gavin right away. A few months later, though, Laci felt it was time. A meeting was set up with Laci, her own two children, Laci’s mother, the daughter she placed for adoption, the Perezes and, of course, Gavin.
“I prepared Gavin with some photos he could show her of his life and I wrote a letter to Laci,” Alissa said.
When he walked in, there were a lot of tears and smiles.
Alissa remembers what she said: “Gavin, remember when you asked about your birth mom? Well, this is her.”
He proudly shared his photos with Laci and he was reunited with his siblings.
“We are forever grateful for the Lord’s hand in all of this,” Alissa said.
The Perezes have not met with Laci again since that day.
“I assume it has been too hard for her to see him again, but we continue to pray that with time, he will get to see her again,” Alissa said. “As he gets older, there will be questions and stories only she will be able to share with him. We will continue to pass along photos of Gavin through Inheritance for when she is ready to see them.”