 The two newest members of the Hollis family, adopted in Colombia, South America, last year, hang out with their older siblings at their Whitewater Township home. From left: Jessica Hollis, 8, Nathan Hollis, 11, Emilee Hollis, 12 and Joaquin Hollis, 6. Photo by Tina Emmick/Harrison Press Two of the children are fair-skinned American redheads and the other two are dark-haired Colombians. But after a year of living together, the four have bonded as a family.
Eric and Beth Hollis, Whitewater Township, and the couple’s two biological children, Emilee, 12 and Nathan, 11, began the long, involved process in late 2006 that culminated with the adoption of Jessica, 8, and Joaquin, 6, from Bogota, Colombia, in May 2008.
In 2006, the Hollises asked their older children if they would mind expanding their family and received an enthusiastic “yes.” Although they are close, Emilee and Nathan each longed for a sibling of the same gender, said Beth.
“I’ve always wanted a sister,” said Emilee.
They chose to adopt from Colombia because it is one of the few countries who keep siblings united and do not allow them to be adopted by separate families, said Beth. They decided to ask for two children age 7 or younger.
“We requested siblings - I feel like we were keeping a family together,” said Eric.
The Hollises received an application in March 2007 from the Children’s Hope International adoption agency. It took six months to complete the application which was submitted in September, said Beth. The adoption agency then translated the documents into Spanish for submission to the Colombian government for approval, she said.
The extensive application required information included a family financial statement, an FBI background check, a home evaluation, psychological reports on Eric and Beth and the state of their marriage as determined by a therapist, a safety audit of the Hollis home, veterinarian check of their animals, employment verification and five personal references.
Meanwhile, the Hollises waited to hear from the adoption agency and prepared for the arrival of their South American family members by brushing up on their Spanish and learning about Colombia. They were required to take a parenting class on adopting older children, said Beth.
While Emilee and Nathan were attending Hooven Elementary School, the school embraced the project, learning about the country and waiting anxiously along with the Hollises for word about the adoption, said Beth.
Beth established a blog on a Web site and posted updates on the adoption and included facts about Colombia. She continues to chronicle the children’s progress online as they assimilate into the American culture. The Web site address is www.hollis-colombiablogspot.com.
While they waited, the family collected items such as toys, personal hygiene items and clothing to distribute to other children at the orphanage who were waiting to be adopted.
“It was a family event all the way through. We thought it would be a good experience for the kids and turned it into a community service project,” said Eric.
In March 2008, the Hollises received word that there were two children available - a girl, 7, and a boy, 4, who were siblings.
The family received information about the children that included psychological profiles, medical records, general background and photographs. The Hollises had two months to decide if they wanted to adopt the pair but made their decision moments after seeing the photos of Jessica and Joaquin.
“I saw the photos and said “Oh my gosh, there’s our kids,’,” said Beth. “We showed the photos to Emilee and Nathan and they said ‘yeah!’.”
Jessica and Joaquin’s biological father had been killed by guerillas and their mother had been in and out of jail and was unable to care for them. An uncle had taken them in but used them to beg for handouts on the streets and didn’t take proper care of the children, then aged 4 years and 18 months old.
They were taken away from him and placed in the La Maria orphanage where they lived for more than three years while waiting to be adopted.
“They were in such bad shape when they arrived at the orphanage that they couldn’t get out of bed for two weeks,” said Beth. “They were treated for everything from lice to bronchitis.”
After agreeing to adopt Jessica and Joaquin, the Hollises began a whirlwind month of preparation to travel to Colombia to meet the newest members of their family.
Last-minute preparations included sending a payment of about $18,000 to cover expenses, said Eric. Eric and Beth were trying to figure out how to come up with the money when it arrived from an unexpected source.
During a business meeting with a man from Northern Kentucky, Eric mentioned that he and Beth were getting ready to travel to South America to adopt two children. The man became emotional and told Eric he felt compelled by God to pay for the adoption. The Hollises later learned that the man had adopted twins from a different country.
“He was a friend of a friend I met with to discuss a business deal,” said Eric. “When I told him what we were doing, he stopped in his tracks and got teary. He said ‘It’s been impressed upon my heart that I need to pay for your adoption. This is one of the reasons God has blessed me with success’.”
The man, who asked to remain anonymous, has given the Hollises about $35,000 which covered the cost of the adoption and a few unanticipated expenses, said Eric. The man does not expect to be repaid but asked Eric and Beth to help another family in the future if they can.
A friend who works for an airline was able to get airline tickets at a greatly-reduced price so the whole family and Beth’s sister, Jeanie White, could travel to Colombia.
The family was told to plan on spending at least three weeks while the adoption was finalized. But the process took five weeks because the children were born in different cities and because of delays caused by holidays observed in South America, said Eric.
The family arrived in Colombia on April 10, 2008, and were introduced to Jessica and Joaquin in a government office on April 14, said Beth.
Everyone was nervous and excited when the children were ushered into the room.
“Emilee was shaking from excitement and nerves,” said Beth. “We didn’t know how they were going to react.”
The Hollises had brought backpacks for Jessica and Joaquin filled with toys and candy and unpacking them helped break the ice, said Beth.
After about 10 minutes, the family went to a bed-and-breakfast where they were staying with three families from other countries who were also adopting children. The Hollises were the only family from America, said Eric.
“It was weird and fast but not impersonal,” said Eric. “The staff is used to helping with the process. We had a driver, an international lawyer and a representative from the adoption agency working with us.”
Neither Jessica or Joaquin spoke any English and the family began the process of getting to know each other.
Joaquin refused to give up his backpack and slept with it at night because he was afraid someone would take it back, said Beth. The children were afraid they would be returned to the orphanage and the Hollises would go away and leave them.
Eric had to leave after three weeks to return to work and Beth’s sister took Emilee and Nathan back to the states so they wouldn’t miss too much school. Beth stayed on in Colombia until the paperwork was complete.
The adoption was made official in a Colombian courtroom, an act that was later repeated in an Ohio court, said Eric.
When the family was finally reunited at the airport on May 14, a group of about 20 family members and friends were on hand for the homecoming, said Eric.
“I was surprised at how accepting Jessica and Joaquin were,” said Beth. “They were so loving, affectionate and welcoming of everyone.”
The children were familiar with their new extended family thanks to a Web camera, e-mail and a picture book Beth made, he said.
“If I had to give any advice, I would strongly urge people adopting to get a Webcam,” said Eric. “It made things so much easier because they already felt like they knew everyone in the family.”
The children have adjusted to their new lives and speak English fluently. Both are at the top of their reading groups in school, said Beth.
They quickly became attached to their new parents and, until recently, Joaquin could not let Beth out of his sight without becoming anxious, she said.
Jessica had a hard time adjusting to the family dynamics because she had been serving as Joaquin’s surrogate mother, said Beth. When Beth took over, it took Jessica awhile to find her place in the family.
“Jessica had to push the limits a little at first but got it out of her system in about three weeks. After that, it was smooth sailing,” said Beth. “Kids in an orphanage don’t understand family dynamics. Every woman was called Mom.”
Joaquin had no trouble adjusting and is a bit of a clown. He loves to make people laugh, said Beth.
Emilee and Nathan have adjusted to sharing their home and parents with their new siblings. Now that they are part of a family with four children, they have had to give up some of their activities but said it has been worth the sacrifice.
Emilee said she loves her little sister, even though she is not quite what she expected.
“I had a preconceived idea of what she would be like,” said Emilee. “But, when we had our first fight, that’s when I knew we were sisters.”
For the first few months, Jessica grieved for her friends at the orphanage and asked to visit them but was told they were waiting for their own “forever families” and might not be there if she went back, said Beth. The family intends to return to Colombia someday and does not want the children to lose the culture of their birth country, said Beth.
“The adoption agency told us the children would lose their Spanish completely,” said Beth. “We won’t let that happen.”
The family has made friends with other Spanish-speaking people through their church, Church on Fire, and the El Mariachi Mexican restaurant in Harrison and encourage Jessica and Joaquin to remain bilingual, said Beth.
Eric and Beth said they are not sure if their family is complete and if they will adopt more children.
“We’re not finished helping kids,” said Eric. “There’s more children in our life, we just don’t know in what capacity.” |
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