By Sandra Coopersmith

 Time is relative. For a child yearning to belong, time can seem endless, something of which Kidsave, a nonprofit in Culver City, is acutely aware. 

  Eight Colombian children hoping to find permanent families visited Southern California in July, staying with host families during Kidsave's five-week Summer Miracles program.

  The children shared their impressions with Erika, the chaperone and translator who traveled with them from Colombia.

  For Yazmin, "This was the best and most wonderful vacation I have had in my life. What I liked most was my host family, because they are really good people. They taught me a lot and took me to see lots of new places. They showed me the rules of their home and this was good because it made it easier to understand how their home works."  She recalled being in a pool with slides. "All the family was together and we were swimming, laughing and having a really fun time. I will miss them a lot."

  Bersabe described her host family as "really special, fun, affectionate people," and related an incident involving much laughter – a pillow fight before bedtime. "Gary was so funny. He said with a sleepy voice, 'Hmmm, you are really soft pillows,' and we seemed like flattened pillows when he leaned his head on us!"

  Yamile even learned some karate moves, saying it was "kind of like an action movie in slow motion." She said she enjoyed a game of hide-and-seek, which ended in a tickle fight. "It was definitely more than wonderful and we would like to live here forever," she said.

  For Karen, it was a dream come true. "What I liked most is all the love and care I received from my host family. They are very good and special people and they made me feel at home. One of the special moments was when Diane and Kobe taught me to play a song on the piano; and to have a little doggy, at least for a few days, was amazing. I would like to live here when I grow up but if I can do that now, with a family that loves me, that would be more than incredible."

  What Cristian liked most were hosts Mike and Celeste and the dogs, Mac and Sadie. "All the activities we shared were special – cooking the meals, making art with Celeste, watching movies as a family, playing soccer with Mike and playing with Mac in the backyard. Also, Mike and Celeste took us to a horse camp and that was amazing."

  Something Fabian said he will remember with lots of love was dinner at Disneyland with Mike, Celeste, brothers Jonathan and Brayan, and Disney character Pluto, who accompanied the family.

  Jonathan said he enjoyed and will remember the dinners. "Nicole cooks very well and we always ate together at the table. That was special."

  "Why don't we take another flight and come back to Los Angeles?" Brayan asked Erika. "I'm sure they are missing us already. We can just come back and have more fun with them forever, don't you think?  Please?"

  The four brothers got their miracles.

  Mark and Michelle Waldo will be welcoming Jonathan and Brayan into their family.

  "Prior to meeting the boys we hadn't really considered adoption," said Waldo, whose wife's sister and brother-in-law hosted Jonathan and Brayan. "We spent time and got to know the boys throughout the summer, as our families are close. Besides seeing how respectful and well-behaved the boys were, we saw how close they were with each other and their two brothers, Fabian and Cristian.

  "This family bond means a lot to us. We also observed how much they got along with our daughters, Lily and Emma, who really want them to be their brothers and become part of our family. From the moment that we met them we felt a closeness and connection. We feel we have a lot of love in our family and we want to share that with the boys. 

  "We want to keep them together and close to their siblings, who are in the process of being adopted by another family. We have met the other family, we live close and we would make sure that all the boys stay in constant communication and grow with each other because a family bond should not be broken."

  Celeste Goff and her husband, Michael Veerkamp, are the "other family," who hosted Fabian and Cristian. Goff learned about Summer Miracles through her hairdresser, who hosted and adopted a sibling set of boys a few years ago. "No other program gives prospective families a chance to spend time with wonderful children, they wouldn't otherwise have met," she said. "From the moment they got off the plane, we knew [they] were meant to be our sons."

  When Goff came home from the airport and gave the boys a tour of the house they were excited to see their room. "After a few minutes, one of the boys threw his arms around my waist and held so tightly, simply saying 'thank you.' It was priceless."

  Danielle Yacono of Kidsave reported "to date over 1,600 children have participated in the Summer Miracles program and over 85% of kids who have visited have found permanent families." With decisions still being made, she has just learned that two more children from the Southern California group have been slated for adoption. 

  Kidsave also has a family visit program called Weekend Miracles, which helps older children in foster care find mentors and adoptive parents. Those interested in laying the groundwork for future miracles are encouraged to visit Kidsave.org or call Danielle Yacono at (310) 642-7283.