Eliana Rosa-Novem Rogers:
God’s Answer to My Prayers
As I write this my most precious blessing is asleep
in her room. Just a little while earlier she was hugging me, kissing
me and calling me “Momma”. It seems I waited my whole
life for this gift. But she was definitely worth the wait. I always
thought I would marry and have a house full of children. I began
to I realize that this dream might never happen for me. I was okay
with never marrying. But I believed that I would be a mother and
prayed that God would grant me the desires of my heart or take
the desire away.
As I was nearing the age of 40, I knew I needed to
explore my options and prayed for God’s direction. But then,
as it usually does, life got in the way…long story. It wasn’t
until 2001 that God began to push me. First, He sent the gentle
nudges of continually surrounding me with “adoption”.
I would meet many people who had adopted. I would open up a magazine
or turn on the TV to yet another adoption story. Then there were
traumatic events that caused me to reevaluate my life and push
me forward. Several sudden deaths in my family including a friend
killed in an accident. But the real shove came with 9/11. I decided
to start researching adoption to see if it truly was an option
for me, all the while praying that if this was not God’s
desire He would stop me. I enlisted prayer partners to help me
realize and follow God’s plan.
God never stopped me. In fact at every turn things
fell into place. When I would contemplate a choice of country He
would shut that door until I decided on Guatemala. The bulk of
the funding came from an inheritance I didn’t know about.
After looking into many agencies, He led me to CWA in June 2002.
From that first info video and then the seminar I knew that they
were His choice to help me become a Mom.
After getting sidelined during the paper chase with
the health crisis of my Mother, I finally sent my dossier to Guatemala
in mid-October 2002, almost one year after starting the research
into adoption. Just before Thanksgiving my Mother came home with
Hospice care. We spent a few weeks saying our goodbyes and talking
about the grand-daughter she would never meet. She told me that
if God would let her she would watch over her from Heaven until
I could bring her home.
It was estimated there would be a 4-5 month wait
for a referral so when Nancy called me on January 31, 2003 I had
no idea this was “The Call”. When I pulled the image
of this baby girl up on the computer screen, I knew she meant to
be my daughter. I decided to name her Eliana, which means “God
has answered my prayers”; Rosa, taken from her birth name;
and Novem, after my mother. I would call her Ellie.
The first few months passed as expected. I was busy
getting Ellie’s room ready. The case was proceeding in Guatemala.
I would receive new pictures of my princess that showed a happy,
healthy, growing girl. Then the whole Hague mess put an end to
my bliss. I will not get in to all that transpired. What it meant
for those of us caught in it, was months of waiting and wondering
if our children would ever come home. Surprisingly for a nurse
and worrywart, I was never concerned about Ellie’s care while
in Guatemala. I had heard great things about her foster mother
and had confidence in the people CWA associate with. I also had
faith that God and my Mom were watching over her. I believed that
CWA was doing everything within their power to bring Ellie home.
The CWA-Guatemala list proved to be invaluable during
the long difficult wait to bring Ellie home. I met so many wonderful
people online. There were other families who were waiting also.
We could share our disappointments and good news with. There were
many who had been “waiters” at one time and could offer
encouragement and prayers when needed. I met a family whose baby
girl was in the same foster home as my Ellie and we shared a comfort
knowing our girls were together. The anniversary of my Mother’s
death, Eliana’s first birthday and Christmas passed as I
waited to be able to bring her home.
Finally, on January 19, 2004 (Ellie’s 13 month
birthday) I got the call from Nancy that the case was out of PGN
and I should be able to go bring her home in a few weeks. It was
such a blessing to be at my Dad’s house when I got the news.
February 9, 2004 is “Gotcha Day”. It is impossible
to describe the feelings of seeing and holding your child those
first moments. It felt like a dream. I could hardly believe she
was finally in my arms. We arrived home on February 12. My Dad
was at the airport to pick us up. At home family and friends had
put up balloons and signs up all over the house to welcome her
home…FINALLY!
She has adjusted better than I imagined. I enjoy
every minute of being Ellie’s “Momma”. She is
growing and learning new things every day. She is becoming quite
the southern girl, loving fried okra and homegrown tomatoes. She
especially loves her “Papaw”. It is such a sight to
see my 83 year old Dad down on the floor chasing my giggling little
girl. She has been a blessing to our whole extended family.
When I think back over the long wait I can’t
say the pain is gone. I will never forget the ache in my heart
for a child to love and then to bring her home. It just doesn’t
matter anymore. I would go thru that same pain and more to have
my precious Ellie with me. She is more of a joy than I ever have
imagined. I was very blessed to have gone through the journey of
adoption.
Kathy Rogers
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