Estefani & Our Heart Adoption

If you’ve known me for any length of time, you’ve probably heard me talk about Estefani.  I've removed and edited several of my older posts for her privacy; but I wanted to share a short version of what God has done over the years with this sweet girl and what a gift she is.  Truly, these words barely scratch the surface of all we’ve been through together.  Still, I hope they are enough to introduce you to my daughter and how deeply she is loved.

Estefani started as my sponsored child in 2014 when she was 7 years old.  Child sponsorship usually means providing financial support towards education and offering offering discipleship/mentorship through letters for a child who already has a family and just needs the extra support.  

Photo from our first visit

When I learned during a visit that both of Estefani’s parents were deceased and her kinship home was not stable, some friends and I enlisted professionals to try to support them.  When those efforts were seeming unsuccessful, I looked into adoption.  This was a long and complicated journey which lasted several years and provided very few options.  Still, during this time, we shared many visits and precious moments together, including Christmas and birthday celebrations.

Estefani’s 9th Birthday, 2015

Christmas 2015

Christmas 2015 with my childhood doll

Estefani’s 11th birthday, 2017

Christmas 2019

Christmas 2019

   Estefani’s quinceañera (15th birthday) at the Hilton Princess, 2021

Estefani’s quinceañera, 2021

Adoption didn't end up happening, for many reasons including legal restrictions and changes within Estefani’s biological family.  Thankfully, her relatives who she stayed with were thrilled to allow me to come alongside the family and continue to support her.  By the time this was decided, I was already several years into parenting as much as possible from a distance.  That was a commitment I wasn’t willing to break.  For this reason, in my heart, Estefani will always be my daughter.  I’m so thankful she was able to grow up in her culture with her relatives, while knowing I will ALWAYS love her as my own.  

This year in 2024, Estefani turned 18 years old.  Shortly before her 18th birthday, I was shocked to receive a message telling me she had moved here to the US to stay with one of her relatives!  10 years after I originally tried to bring her here, Estefani and I were living in the same country!  It’s the best of both worlds, where she can be near both me and her biological family.  Now she can visit all the places I’ve written to her about, meet our family and friends, and share even more milestone moments together.  This very well may be my last formal blog post about Estefani, because this is now less of a story to tell and more just our daily life.  But for any of you who know me personally, I’m sure you’ll continue to see her on my private social media from time to time.  

Adiany and Emely

At the start of the 2020 pandemic while we were all completely quarantined, some friends and I were looking through the photos of newly registered children in the sponsorship program.  We decided to do something meaningful during such a weird time and each chose a new child to sponsor.  I was captivated by Adiany's sweet smile, and I quickly chose her.  

Adiany’s original profile photo

It honestly felt more impulsive than holy at the time.  Not because of Adiany of course, but simply because I hadn’t put much thought and prayer into it ahead of time.  Still, I prayed for God to use it; and I soon learned just how perfect of a match we really were.

From Adiany's very first letter, I knew she was a remarkable little girl with so much depth and so many things to say.  At just 11 years old, she was already inviting me to come to her 15th birthday party.   When she shared a bible verse with me and I responded telling her that the verse helped me during a difficult time, she responded wanting to know details of why it was difficult.  She used letters as a place to pour out her heart about trouble with friends, how she copes through music, how she was excelling in school, and how much she loves her little nephew.  Much like me in my teen years, she clearly found comfort in fixating on her favorite celebrities and confiding in older mentors.  From the start of our relationship, I understood Adiany better than I understand most people.

With the first backpack I sent her

In November 2022, I was finally able to meet Adiany in person, along with her younger sister Emely.  We had a great day playing with the program director’s pets, visiting the botanical gardens and cafe, and going out for lunch.  

With Adiany and Emely (right) & 2 of my other girls (left)

In person, Adiany was very quiet and reserved.  Also much like me, I learned that she expresses herself easier through writing when she has time to think about what to say.  I wrote her a letter shortly after our visit and assured her that I am this way too.

Soon after our visit, her younger sister Emely who had been on our visit lost her sponsor.  Knowing how close these girls are, I knew I had to sponsor her too.

In December 2023, I was able to return to visit Adiany and Emely again.  Completely different than the year before, this time the girls had warmed up to me and were extremely outgoing.  It was so fun to watch them sing and joke together, mimic their favorite cartoons, ask me to take selfies with them, and drag me (and our whole group) around town to show me their favorite places such as a library, soccer field, and historical fortress.

I never get tired of the ways God writes our stories and weaves us into each other’s lives so seamlessly.  Adiany and Emely fit so perfectly, and I can’t wait to see how our bonds continue to strengthen in the future.