Updated August 19, 2020: Messiah and Mijal are still hoping to be adopted after seven years in foster care. The story below is from our interview with the brothers last year.
Six years in foster care is way too long.
Yet, there are so many children who have spent this time in the system, including the two brothers you are about to meet.
But they haven't had to do it alone — and they are grateful for this.
Messiah and Mijal are this week's Wednesday's Child.
They've got skills on the basketball court and an unquestionable thirst to be great in everything they do.
"So, like, we can make the world a better place," 10-year-old Mijal said.
He wants to use his intelligence and athletic skills to one day be a police officer, while his 12-year-old older brother Messiah wants to understand humanity by digging up artifacts from the past.
"What I want to do in the future is become an archeologist. I like finding new things and learning new things, and I also like history," he said.
There's a reason these brothers are so driven.
"I care a lot about my brother because he's the only thing I got and the only thing that helps me through life," Messiah said.
That's right.
Mijal and Messiah have each other.
"We don't have the rest of our families and we're the only two that we got," Mijal said.
It's what strengthens them. It's what has made six years in foster care bearable.
And it's what comforts them when they think about the sadness from the past.
"We had to leave our home," said Messiah.
Despite the ugliness of being removed from their biological home, there is beauty in how Mijal and Messiah are together in a system where siblings sometimes get separated.
And just look at the results. They are doing well.
"We meet new people, meet new friends, go to school and get to learn and have a good education," said Messiah.
Messiah and Mijal want to be adopted. They need parents who will do what parents do: love, protect and guide them into what promises to be a very bright future.
All they want is a chance.
"To have a good life," Mijal said.
You must be licensed to foster or adopt in the state of Texas.
If you're already licensed, contact LaQueena Warren with CPS and she will forward your information to Messiah and Mijal's caseworker.
If you are not licensed, contact LaQueena and she'll help you get the process started. You can email her at Laqueena.warren@dfps.state.tx.us or call 817-304-1272.