For as long as we can remember, we – Megan and Joseph – have always wanted to be parents. For 8 years we worked on starting our family. Years of failed fertility treatments, multiple rounds of IVF, even surrogacy, brought on a season of grief and loss for us. We were feeling defeated, our hope challenged, and we found ourselves questioning whether or not we were ever going to be parents. We spent a lot of time in prayer, talking to our friends, loved ones, and each other about what to do next and what God was calling us into.
We decided to explore adoption. HFS had presented at our church a few months prior, so we reached out to schedule an orientation to learn more about the agency and the process of adoption. The moment we connected with HFS, we were welcomed by the most incredible, compassionate, and knowledgeable staff. They immediately rekindled our dream of being parents and helped us to re-imagine how that would come to be.
We were both at work when we received the call that brought Francisco into our lives. We will never forget that call! It was a late night at work, and Megan saw a call come through from Lisa, our social worker. Megan didn’t think much of it; Lisa called periodically, mostly to share information about birth parents who were considering adoption and to gauge whether or not we thought it could be a good fit. One hundred percent of those leads ended with us saying “yes we are interested,” but each time, the birth mother chose not to pursue adoption. So when Megan saw Lisa’s name on her phone that night, she assumed that it would be the same type of conversation. She answered as usual, ready to tell Lisa that no matter what the situation was, “yes, we are interested.” Lisa started the conversation the same way she did every time she called: “We have a birth parent situation.” But this time, she followed with something that she had never said before. “There was a baby boy born this afternoon, and the birth parents have chosen you.”
We met Francisco, his teenage birth parents, and his birth grandmother the next day. It was a surreal experience, walking into that hospital room, where his birth grandmother immediately placed him in our arms. It was nothing short of terrifying and beautiful. Were we making a good impression? How could we already be filled with so much love for a tiny human being that we didn’t even know existed 24 hours ago? What was the birth family feeling and what did we need to do or say to bring them comfort during what, for them, was a very difficult experience? Why did they pick us? Our social worker, Lisa, and the birth parents’ social worker, Leticia, helped to navigate the meeting beautifully, sensitive to the very different experiences we all were having all at the same time.
We brought Francisco home the next day. That weekend, we introduced him to his grandparents, tias, tios, and cousins. For the next six months, we looked forward to our monthly visits with Lisa, who asked us how he was doing and what new milestones he was reaching. Then, on March 15th of this year, we finalized his adoption. It was an incredible day, and we feel so grateful to Lisa for attending and celebrating with us.
In the three years that we have been with HFS, they have truly become like family to us. We are beyond blessed and will forever be grateful to HFS for accompanying us on this journey to grow our family.
