To read part 1 of "The Gift of Adoption," click here.
To read part 2 of "The Gift of Adoption," click here.
To read part 3 of "The Gift of Adoption," click here.
Luisa and Jarrett began to pray fervently for their Easter miracle - that they would be matched with their baby during the 50 days of the Easter season. Luisa found some candles they had in a drawer, and started to light them as they prayed. These candles were given to them during a conference they attended when Luisa was pregnant with Joseph and Matthew.
One of the candles had Saint Peter Claver on it while the other had Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. Luisa didn’t know a lot about these saints but just as they asked friends to pray for their miracle, she thought it would be appropriate to ask these saints for their prayers as well. During this time, she started learning about these two saints. She was amazed to discover that Saint Peter Claver was a Spanish priest in Colombia who served the African slaves who were sick and dying as they were being unloaded off their boats. St. Peter Claver baptized 3,000 people in the course of his life. Saint Elizabeth of Hungary loved the poor and the orphans, and she is the patron saint of the Archdiocese of Bogotá, Colombia! Bogotá is where Luisa’s family lives, and where Luisa was born.
On Friday, May 10, the 3rd week of the Easter Season and two days before Mother’s Day, Luisa came home to an early Mother’s Day gift. Jarrett surprised her with two balloons and two roses. Mother’s Day is always a difficult day for Luisa. She was touched and thanked Jarrett. Jarrett responded, “There’s more. We were matched today!”
“I was crying and thanking God,” said Luisa.
Then Jarrett said, “There’s more. We’ve been matched with TWINS!”
“Jarrett thought I would be dancing around just as I did every time we received a donation or completed another step in the adoption process,” said Luisa. “Instead, I melted into tears while he held me.”
Interestingly, they found out the babies were born in Bogotá, the same city where Saint Elizabeth of Hungary is patron saint. They also found out their twin babies were a boy and a girl. They couldn’t think of better names for their babies- Peter and Elizabeth.
They also learned the babies were born February 15, 2019. February 2019 was the month when Chiara was supposed to be born. Joseph and Matthew had a February due date. In addition, it is the month of Luisa’s birthday.
They got to travel to Colombia in June to meet their babies and they were officially adopted on July 4. The whole process starting with the application was a few days shy of 9 months.
“I think about our journey of adoption as a beautiful pregnancy, with the uniqueness that in our ‘adoption pregnancy’ both Jarrett and I got to endure labor pains. Labor pains experienced by the many unknowns, the waiting, the incredible amount of paperwork and high levels of stress, the moments of great expectation, the moments of frustration and worry...but just like in labor, after the pain is endured, we received the most beautiful gifts of life! What a beautiful blessing it is to meet God's dreams for us,” said Luisa.
“The babies are so sweet. This whole journey, I can’t believe it!” The babies are just like us. Elizabeth is hilarious. She has hundreds of facial expressions and she’s so loud. She’s just like me,” laughed Luisa. “Peter is very observant and so strong. His favorite word is Dada and Papa. He loves Jarrett and they have such a beautiful bond. We were meant to be a family.”
As in all things, Luisa and Jarrett are especially grateful to God, the babies’ birth mother and to the many, many people who showered them with love, prayers and support during their journey.
“When we were pregnant with Joseph and Matthew, we were still new to our community and our jobs. When we lost the twins, we felt so much love and support from our community. We were blown away! They circled around us and have continued to support us. There have been so many prayers. We are so incredibly thankful!”
To read part 1 of "The Gift of Adoption," click here.
To read part 2 of "The Gift of Adoption," click here.
To read part 3 of "The Gift of Adoption," click here.