At the age of 19, I volunteered in Ecuador and was unexpectedly chosen to care for a sick baby, which felt scary and overwhelming.
I found a tiny baby wrapped in a pink blanket when I arrived. She had a tuft of unruly black hair. She looked much smaller than her almost one year but instead looked the size of an average 3 or 4-month-old. She sat silently in her crib because was used to being all alone.
I sat begrudgingly at the bedside of this little girl for hours on end. I barely looked at her but instead stared out the window or counted the cockroaches that ran across the floor. After some hours had passed, the little girl began to softly cry. I watched her for a time and then reluctantly picked her up and rocked her. Soon, she was fast asleep in my arms.
Caring for a sick baby in Ecuador taught me love and formed a bond I will never forget.
At the end of our 3 months in Quito, my fellow volunteers and I spent a week in the Jungles of Ecuador as a bit of a retreat before we headed back to the United States. Upon our arrival back in Quito, we had one day before we flew home the next morning. We all headed back to the orphanage to say goodbye to our ‘babies.’
I rushed in, having missed my sweet girl so much, only to find she was not there. During our time in the Jungle, my little one had been moved to an entirely new orphanage. Because of her special needs, it was a better fit for her. Still, I was devastated, thinking I would never again know where she was or how she was doing.
The time in Ecuador taught me love, and years later my husband helped me start the adoption of little baby girl who had stolen my heart.
Ecuador’s adoption laws are extremely difficult, and the process took us 18 months, but through what can only be described as a series of many miracles, we finally travelled in in December 2011, I finally bring home the baby who had stolen my heart years earlier.
Seeing her again for the first time after 6 years was one of the highlights of my life. I expected her to run right to me and into my arms, but instead, she bypassed me and went straight for my husband. The two have had an incredible bond since day one.
Our daughter Flor joined our family before her 7th birthday, and adjusting to life together in Ecuador wasn’t always easy.
It was hard work on the part of each of us. Flor had been in numerous homes and despite having wonderful caregivers over the years, she still carries the scars of being institutionalized. We worked hard together as a family to form deep attachments and these processes took time. The efforts were and continue to be 100% worth it for Flor to be a part of our family.
Our beautiful daughter, Flor, just turned 16 years old. She has a condition called 1P36 Deletion Syndrome, which causes severe intellectual and physical disabilities. Flor has an incredibly sweet, happy, and loving spirit. She is the joy of our lives, and I am forever reminded of how blessed I am to have her in my life.
There are no coincidences in this story, including I was the one chosen to spend that first night with her in the hospital. God is in the details and mountains were moved for Flor to be a part of our family. Since Flor’s adoption, we have also added another beautiful daughter from Ecuador in 2015, our daughter Mishell, and another biological daughter, Lizzie, who is now 4.
Adopting an older child brings joy and challenges, so educate yourself and get support to help them thrive.
