My Adoption Story

This is my adoption story. We all have one.

2012 Family Photo

            I have an older brother, Zac, and when I was four years old, my little sister, Beau, was born. My parents (yes, they are my biological parents) had three children and by most people’s standards (including their own at the time) they were done. My parents had been pastors since before I was born and my entire life, they have been “adopting” people into their lives. We have always had teen agers or college students living with my family and we still do currently. However, God had an even bigger plan for my family.

            I remember growing up constantly joking with my parents that they needed to adopt more kids, my dad did after all, want six. It may have been a joke but I was serious. My little sister was great but I desperately wanted a little brother and I do not remember a time

My mom, my sister Beau & Myself on the way to Colombia
in 2008

when I was not praying to God that my parents would adopt a little boy. At the time, I did not know where this heart for adoption came from. I prayed for years, and my parents knew I was praying too.  Most of the time when I told my mom she needed to adopt a little brother she would usually joke back that she had bought me a dog. My parents usually laughed off my comments or jokes or complaints or requests but God listened to my prayers.
    In 2006, I was a freshman in high school, my brother was away at college and my sister was in 5^th grade. My parents were actually getting semi-close to the finish line of parenting. We had a nice house, we all went to private schools and we were doing well. However, God began to stir my mother’s heart and eventually my fathers. I will never forget the day when my mom picked us from school and told us that my parents had applied to adopt internationally through Children’s Hope International. I instantly started crying, I couldn’t believe my prayers that I had prayed for so long were finally going to be answered. I was getting my little brother. 

Our 1st Meeting in 2008
Beau, Mayerly, Mom, Jhon, Dad, Erika and Myself

            Over the next two years, my parents filled out mountains of paper work, had home studies, finger prints, psychiatric tests, and a whole gamete of other things. For two years, we all prayed and waited as a family for the wonderful children that would soon be our own. For two years, we waited for the phone call saying we had been matched. For two years, I rejoiced and

prayed and waited for my prayers to finally be answered.

            Originally, my parents were only going to adopt one. However, being the 14-year old that I was, I told them that they would adopt three. In 2008, my parents received an email with a picture of three beautiful children from Colombia. They were gorgeous and they were waiting for us, just as much as we were waiting for them. In a whirlwind of events, my parents agreed and in November, we, my parents and my sister and I, hoped on a plane to head to Colombia.

            Looking back, we were not at all prepared for what was going to happen to us next. Sure, we had painted butterflies on their bedroom

My baby

walls and read books and done all of the paperwork but none of us were prepared for the heart changing first encounter. None of us were prepared for how much this moment would change our lives forever. None of us were prepared for the realization of God’s love that came with this adoption. None of us were prepared to have out hearts broken and our priorities change so drastically. We landed in Bogota and two days later, we met our family.

            We were sitting in an unair-conditioned room with a large round table surrounded by lawyers, judges and social workers, all dripping with sweat, talking about why we had decided to adopt these children. The whole room was in tears by the end of the

In Colombia, Erika and Mom

discussion as my dad shared his heart for his children and how much he valued being a father. And then, after what seemed like a ridiculously long time, three scared little Colombian children walked through the door. I will never, ever forget that moment.

            We cried a lot of tears that day and gave a lot of hugs. Erika, Mayerly and Jhon were finally home. Its hard to explain all of the emotions that happened. I just remember crying a lot, lots of hugs, lots of smiles, playing with dolls and cars. We spent a little over a month in Colombia, living in a hotel, while the adoption became finalized.

            The youngest of these children was a little five-year-old boy, named Jhon Jader. Here was my long awaited for little brother and we instantly became best friends. The month in Colombia was a crazy, fast, slow, overwhelming and exciting time. The city from which our kids came was not the safest place, especially for those from the United States so the sooner we could get out of that city, the safer it would be for us. On Thanksgiving Day, we got our flights so we shoved everything into our suitecases in about 20 minutes and went to the airport.

           

Maylee and Beau in Colombia

We landed in the United States and spent a few days with my oldest brother, Zac and sister-in-law, Mandy. We returned to our home in Alaska (talk about shock for these Colombian babies) in December. They had never seen snow before, they had never Christmas before and they had never received presents.

            There are so many things I have learned from this adoption. To say it changed my heart is an understatement. The reality is, we all have an adoption story, we just may not know it yet. We may have grown up with our biological parents, like I did, but something I have discovered is that God adopted us. I realize that this is something the Bible talks abot and preachers talk about but I don’t think I have ever understood it, really, until now. When we landed in the United States and were trying to go through customs, all hell broke loose! Mayerly (Maylee as we call her) ran away and started pushing buttons on some security door, Jhon sat on the floor and refused to move. While my dad tried to get Maylee, I attempted to pick up Jhon only to have him grab my hair at the roots with both hands and pull as hard as he could. When I finally got him picked up and through customs, he sunk his teet

In Colombia 2008

h into my shoulder. My mom had Maylee who after trying to punch her in the face, had calmed down enough. My dad took Jhon who flipped us all off. Erika and Beau just sat on the ground and cried. By the time we go to the car outside, we were all crying.

            After hearing this last paragraph, you might think that my siblings were crazy or not well behaved but that wasn’t the case at all. Look at it from their perspective, only a month ago, they were living in foster care in Colombia and now they were here with their new family who did not speak the same language as them (I knew Spanish but translating was still a major stretch for my 16-year-old self) and they had just flown for hours, they were in a crazy crowded airport, they were tired, they were hungry and they were scared. As crazy as that moment was for all of us, we never had the thought of “Oh my goodness, what have we gotten ourselves into”, there was never the idea that we had not d

In Alaska

one the right thing. They were our family and Jhon was my little brother even if he had pulled my hair and flipped me off.

            Our ability to love these children unconditionally was not because any of us are awesome people but rather because of the love of God that He has showed us. I love my siblings to pieces and even when they did crazy things or when there was not as much money to go around or we started wearing more hand-me-downs, I never once regretted or resented it. And if I, myself, can love someone that much, how much more must God really, really love me.

Erika, Maylee and Jhon with Zac

You see, I was adopted into His family. And when He adopted me, I was a mess, I didn’t have it all together, I didn’t speak His language, I was hungry, I was tired and I was scared. And yet, God, in His infinite mercy, love and grace has never decided that I was bad idea or regretted His choice to die on the cross for me. You see, He doesn’t see me any differently. He loves me, He knows me and He sees me for who I am, not for my dysfunction.

           

Jhon and Mandy

 It would be impossible to explain everything that has happened since we adopted them in 2008 but as we are coming on our five years as a family, I am so grateful for all that God has brought into our lives through this adoption, even the challenges and the struggles because there have been plenty. But changed my life when He adopted me and He changed my life again, when my parents adopted my siblings. They have our family so much more than we ever could have given them.

            So here we are, five years later. Zac and Mandy have two beautiful girls, I’m in college, Beau is 17, Erika is 13, Maylee is 12 and Jhon is 10, plus my parents have “adopted” one more, Blake, 19. The kids still speak Spanish, we still have to explain English, Gotcha Day is a huge celebration, we still all cry at Christmas and Jhon is still my best friend.

Beach Fun

 

Ice Cream on the Bayou

Fourth of July 

Forever my Best Friend

Houston Zoo

Parade in Downtown Flagstaff