Elizabeth was pregnant. She had told her boyfriend, and she expected him to propose. That day, as they were traveling on the familiar road into the city of Santiago, Chile, she daydreamed about their future together. They would have a son, she was sure.
But then Elizabeth realized that the area around her had begun to seem unfamiliar. Curious, she watched as her boyfriend pulled into the parking lot of what looked like a small hospital. Reality set in. They were in the parking lot of an abortion clinic. Disgusted, she turned to study the father of her child.
She refused to go through with his plan. Her decision meant living with her strict and often cruel mother. Unable to persuade Elizabeth to get an abortion, she locked her daughter in a bedroom for the duration of the pregnancy. Three times Elizabeth’s mother took her out of confinement to visit the abortion clinic again. Though a young woman in Chile at that time had little right to make her own decisions, each time, by the grace of God, the doctors were merciful and acquiesced to Elizabeth’s pleas to keep her unborn baby.
At last, Elizabeth’s prayers were answered and she gave birth to a son. She held him for one brief hour; she cradled him, smelled his hair, and memorized the way he looked and felt. Knowing that she could not care for her son the way he deserved, she breathed in his scent one last time before giving him up. She signed an irrevocable document that released her baby to a local adoption agency. Her heart broke.
Mark Twain once said, “Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the acting in spite of it.” Elizabeth Villegas showed true courage. Not only did she choose to carry a child she could not raise, she also did so despite physical imprisonment, the loss of her lover, and the shame her family heaped upon her.
A blessed beginning
Little Daniel grew up blessed. He had a family who loved him, a support system of strong Christians around him, musical talent, and a joy for life that came from a steadfast belief in Jesus.
When his parents told him he was adopted, he felt special. He was a gift, a joy that came into the lives of two Salvation Army officers, Majors Hugo and Ardena Faundez, who had yearned to experience parenthood.
“I never struggled with issues of identity or experienced a strong sense of loss over my birth parents,” says Dan. Only on his birthday did his mind wander to the people who brought him into the world. What would they think of him today? Would they be remembering him on the day of his birth?
Until age 16, Dan lived in Chile, where his parents served. Dan loved his years in South America and began to feel a stirring for ministry of his own. The opportunity came in 1990 when his family moved to the United States. He began attending the Des Plaines, Ill., Salvation Army church (called a corps) and working for the Army at its Central Territory Headquarters. But one important piece of the puzzle was missing.
Little–boy prayer answered
Even as a small child, Dan had known the kind of person he wanted to marry. When he was 7, he prayed to God for someone with blond hair, musical talent, and a pleasant disposition. In his new homeland, he met Wendy Romin. They started dating and were engaged nine months later. Dan’s earnest little–boy prayer had been answered, in every detail.
“Wendy is blond, plays the piano, and is the happiest person I know,” says Dan of his wife.
As a young married couple, Dan and Wendy felt called into ministry together. They were accepted as cadets (officers–in–training) at the College for Officer Training in Chicago in 2003. Dan, Wendy, and their new son, Marcos, packed up and headed to training.
Each year, around the world, all Salvation Army cadets have one session name. Dan and Wendy became, like John the Baptist, Preparers of the Way, and their two–year experience at the school had a significant impact on their lives and relationship with the Lord. During this intense time of training, their second son, Jonathan, was born. A third son, Joshua, came four years later.
Finding their way
The captains’ first appointment was at the Waukesha, Wis., Corps, where God immediately put their talent, desire, and education to work.
Penny Ernstin is one of many people influenced by the Faundezes in Waukesha. Penny describes her pre–Christian self as someone who didn’t think she needed anyone’s help. She drank, smoked, and rarely went to church. But one day she visited the Waukesha Corps, and the music “blew her away.” She became a Christian, and Dan encouraged her to join a class to learn about The Salvation Army; Penny knew from that point that her life was going to change. Thanks to Captains Dan and Wendy, Penny says, she not only grew in her faith but also committed herself to a godly lifestyle by enrolling as a soldier (member) in The Salvation Army.
“If it weren’t for the influence of Captains Faundez in my life,” Penny said, “I would not be the person I am today.”
Dan and Wendy also had a strong influence on Janelle Cleaveland. She was going through a difficult time when the Lord led her to visit the Waukesha Corps during her sophomore year at the University of Wisconsin. She started to volunteer and discovered that she had a passion for Hispanic ministries. After counseling and support from Dan and Wendy, Janelle decided to dedicate her own life to ministry. She is now a cadet at the College for Officer Training.
“My life today would not be the same without the Faundez family,” said Janelle. “I am thankful to God for placing them in my life.”
As often happens with Salvation Army officers, Dan and Wendy were transferred in January 2009 to be the corps officers (pastors) of the Kansas City Westport Temple Corps. Although they haven’t been there long, they’re already making a difference. Major Nancy Emmans, an officer who is a member of the corps, says, “Captains Faundez are pastors at heart. I can see the deep love they have for the Lord, their family, and the corps.”
Dan and Wendy don’t take all the credit for what’s happened in their still–young life in full–time ministry.
“Wendy and I are just two people with some gifts from God,” Dan says. “We lack in some places but entrust that to God. God has fulfilled His work through us in everything from setting budgets to running programs to transforming people’s lives.”
Full circle
Dan’s ministry as a Salvation Army officer was one important piece found in his life puzzle, just as his wife, Wendy, had been. But a missing piece was still out there for Dan. Who had given him life?
One evening, Dan and Wendy received an unexpected phone call from Dan’s sister, Beverly. She told them that the National Chilean Adoption Agency was making an effort to connect grown children overseas with their birth parents. All Dan had to do was to send in his paperwork. But he hesitated. He was content. He had incredible parents who had raised him well, served the Lord, and loved him unconditionally. What more could he ask?
But after prayer and consideration, he developed curiosity, then yearning, and he turned in his application. Within a week, he received a phone call from a caseworker. “We found your file and located your birth mother, Dan,” she said. “We know where she lives, and she wants to know you. Do you want to make contact? The decision is yours.”
Reunion
“Hello, is Elizabeth there?” Dan asked in his native Spanish. Timidly, his birth mother replied, “This is Elizabeth.”
“This is your son, Daniel. How are you?”
Elizabeth was speechless. It had been 33 years since she had last seen her baby boy. But the weight of unanswered questions, regret, and grief began to lift from her shoulders. Her son was all right; he was happy. And he supported the decision she had made to give him up.
Within weeks of the phone call, Dan and Wendy, along with their two boys (baby Joshua had not yet been born) boarded a flight to Chile.
When they arrived, Dan’s half–brother and half–sister came to pick them up.
“It was amazing to hug them for the first time,” said Dan. When they got to his mom’s home, it was dark outside, but he could see her—a beautiful, 54–year–old woman—standing on the top step. He says it is a moment he’ll never forget.
When they finally embraced, Elizabeth couldn’t let go. She apologized for giving him up, but Dan assured her it was OK.
Elizabeth reveled in her first evening spent with her son and his family. Dan says there was a wonderful sense of intimacy, a bond transcending culture and time. For 10 days, Dan was her baby again. Her suffering and sacrifice had paid off—in profound, wonderful ways. The baby she had given up had become a husband for Wendy Romin, father to two beautiful boys, and a man who spread the Word about God’s Kingdom.
Elizabeth had chosen life—and the Lord had given it back with abundance.
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