Post #5 From Miracles to Emmanuel – Our Time in Colombia
We spent over five weeks in Colombia finalizing Emmanuel’s adoption, a little longer than we were expecting. In addition to the numerous appointments and proceedings that all Colombian adoptions entail, we also experienced quite a few unexpected events.
On August 10th, the day of Emmanuel’s medical appointments, Emmanuel and I had already gone to breakfast and had come back upstairs to wait until our driver would arrive. I got an alert on my phone that said “Earthquake at 7:34 AM.” It said initial estimates were that a 5.7 earthquake had hit 154 miles away. I opened my mouth to tell Brandon about the alert and that’s when we felt it. Our building began swaying and shaking. The twins came rushing down from their 8th floor room, and we all huddled under the doorframes of an area where a bathroom and two bedrooms all met. As a child I spent 5 years in California and had been through quite a few earthquakes, so I was glad I knew the basics. However, I had never been on the 7th floor of a hotel during an earthquake. We were surprised at how long it shook. I had enough time to google search what to do when you’re high up during an earthquake. When the shaking finally stopped, the kids grabbed their shoes and jackets, and we descended down the seven flights of stairs and joined the crowd of people congregating outside the hotel. There was a blaring siren and people were scattered around. Some were holding kids still in pajamas. Some were making phone calls and looking worried. The hotel employees looked serious as they handled and directed the guests during this unexpected event. As we waited, our driver for the medical appointments arrived, and Emmanuel and I climbed into the vehicle leaving Brandon and the other kids still standing outside with the other hotel guests. I later learned that they had gone to the park right beside the hotel to wait out any aftershocks. As for me and Emmanuel, his medical appointments had longer wait times due to the earthquake throwing things off. Emmanuel was difficult for the medical staff as he resisted everything from standing on a scale to having his blood drawn. Over three hours later, we returned exhausted to the hotel. During the ride our driver had been playing news reports on the screen upfront showing damage from the earthquake. It had hit a town called Pereira the hardest and there was damage that spanned out all over western Colombia. The earthquake ended up being much stronger than initially thought and was measured at a 7.4. Three hundred thirty five people were confirmed dead, thousands were injured, and many structures and homes had crumbled. That night as a family we talked with the kids and prayed over the people affected.
Another unexpected event happened while we were in La Mesa, Colombia. The legal proceedings of the adoption take place in the courts of this rural town which is outside Bogota. We spent a week and a half in the town and loved it. There were small restaurants and stores all along the street and many ice cream shops. We made friends with a lovely lady named Natalia who owned the ice cream shop right outside our housing area. She had flavors of lulo, frutos rojos, and chicle. She made homemade desserts of chocolate, maracuya, and blueberry. On our last day there, we took a picture of her and our family, and she piled the kids’ cones with as much ice cream as she possibly could. None of us wanted to leave La Mesa. The night before we were to leave, all the kids were begging to stay. The Airbnb had been so awesome, and it was much quieter than Bogota. The mountain views were breathtaking, and we still had places we wanted to explore.
However, the evening before we were to leave, a scary and unfortunate event made it easier to say goodbye. While some of the kids and Brandon were still at the pool, Allen came upstairs to take a shower. The shower system in La Mesa was very different from what we were used to. Hot water was heated directly at the shower head, with an electrical plug and wiring with electrical tape right beside it. We had been concerned about the combination of electricity and water, but after researching, we learned this type of system is common in many Latin American countries. Since this Airbnb had been recommended by our adoption agency, we assumed it was safe. There was a knob on the showerhead to adjust the water temperature, but the water usually wasn’t very hot even on the highest setting. I had tried adjusting it a couple of times while the water was running, and each time there had been a startling green flash and sound. It worried me a little as I looked at the plug and electrical tape right beside the streaming water I was standing under.
That evening, Allen asked if he could adjust the temperature setting. Remembering my experience, I told him to adjust it before turning the water on. He did as I told him and began showering. A few minutes had passed and suddenly sparks began flying, there was a repeated loud popping sound, and smoke filled the bathroom. Terrified, Allen jumped out and opened the door as quickly as he could with slippery, soapy hands. I was on the nearby patio and heard him yelling. I ran to him asking what happened. He was too scared to explain but pointed for me to look inside the bathroom. As I shifted my gaze, I saw the bathroom was smoky with the shower still running, black marks on the tiles, and ashes floating in the air. There was a distinct electrical burning smell. I turned back to Allen asking if he had been electrocuted. He told me he hadn’t been hurt, but I could see he was still noticeably shaken. I called for Brandon as I told Allen to sit on the bed and calm down.
I explained the situation to Brandon, and we agreed neither of us should enter the shower to turn off the water. Brandon found one of the onsite workers, who immediately shut off the power. Because the worker only spoke Spanish, communication was limited. But with enough animation and emphasis, I made it very clear that I wanted no electricidad and agua together. I must have been convincing because right then he brought a step ladder and tools and proceeded to cut and remove the electrical line to the shower. He explained there would be no hot water. I told him that was fine. We heated pots of water to bathe that evening. While it normally would have been grounds for mumbling and complaining, in this instance we were just grateful that Allen hadn’t been hurt. Thank you, Lord, for your protection.
In addition to these two pretty significant events, we had a few smaller incidents. Colombia had a change in presidency that caused our agency to tell us to stay close to our hotel the day he was inaugurated. There was talk of riots and upset, especially with some of the cartels and guerrilla groups. Thankfully, the inauguration was peaceful, and we had no issues. Additionally we had some hotel reservation issues that caused us to have to rush to pack up one afternoon and move from room to room. You may wonder why I would even mention this when it seems so minor of an event but with a family of seven and as much luggage as we had, it deserves an honorary mention. There were also unexpected delays in our appointments. One afternoon we received an unexpected group call from several people from our agency who explained that because of the change in presidency and the earthquake, there was currently no one in Colombia able to sign a document we needed to move forward in our adoption. In that same call, we were told that all United States embassy appointments had been suddenly canceled worldwide because of an immediate need for training. Our agency team was unable to give us any time frame for when those two roadblocks might resolve. There were quite a few days we felt stranded in Colombia as we waited.
But despite the hardships, through it all, there was that same resounding peace we had when we first said yes to God’s call to adopt Emmanuel. As sirens were blaring and we felt our seventh floor hotel room swaying and shaking, somehow we didn’t panic. Through the smoke as we saw the black streaked wall behind the running shower, there was still this undergirding of resolve that held us. Jesus didn’t promise that following Him would be easy. But He did promise that He will never leave us or forsake us. This we felt through every hardship. Our building didn’t come down though it swayed. Allen stood outside the bathroom, wet and scared, but not electrocuted. Through what could have been panic and trauma, God kept reminding us: He is Emmanuel. His presence never leaves us.
And after spending over 5 weeks in Colombia and now a few weeks back home, we are overwhelmed by God’s goodness as we watch Emmanuel grow, communicate, and become part of our family. When we said yes to a child living in a medical institution with so many unknowns, I never imagined he would come out running, laughing, learning, and thriving. For sure, he does have medical and developmental needs. As such, we’ve already gotten many appointments on the calendar, and we will learn more as those unfold.
When we said yes, we had no idea what our future would look like. But God did. We didn’t say yes because of the outcome – we honestly didn’t know how this story would turn out. The truth is that we said yes because we knew who was calling us. We knew God was good and trusted Him enough to say yes. Emmanuel is just one more example of His goodness. As we now hold him in our arms, the child we had prayed over and waited for without knowing all the details, He is just another example of why we trust God. It’s scary to surrender our own plans in exchange for whatever God wants. But we are here to encourage you to do it. You will never regret saying yes to God.
In my next post, I’ll talk about what it takes to adopt.
