The story of Marco entering our lives goes back much farther than his little life. Sitting in La Mesa, halfway through our journey, I want to reflect far back in order to tell the stories of today. Here is my view:
When Erin and I were in pre-marital counseling, we discovered we both were interested in international adoption. My interest was shallow, as I at times also threatened to not want children. As you might expect, hers was developed and full of conviction.
A year and a half into our marriage, we went on a trip to her parent’s farm with our friends, Kevin, Matt, and Leslie (along with a brand new little Wade). It was the middle of winter in Indiana. Erin’s dad was beginning to convert an old cattle barn into what some of you know is the world’s most impressive woodworking shop. The slab was poured and the electrical was run, so it was time to insulate the walls. That day, Erin informed me she thought she might be pregnant…which was not our plan. I spent that day in a freezing barn, pumping insulation into 1’’ holes in the plywood walls. Eight hours of loud white noise and monotony. It was an ideal situation to process our impending change. I thought all day about what life with a child would be like and I realized, yes, I was ready to be a dad…not maturity-wise, priority-wise.
It turned out Erin was not pregnant, but this is when adoption talks began. We researched many agencies and narrowed it down to two. We began exploring the programs of each agency and learned that we qualified for almost no international adoptions. Either we had not been married long enough or our income was too low.
Then we found God’s plan for our life: we would adopt a child before having any biological children…a “Plan A” adoption. Our country would be Ethiopia and our agency would be Gladney. We knew God’s plan. You can read our interpretations of those years here. Two biological children, six years, and what has amounted to the closure of adoptions in Ethiopia, here we are with Marco in Colombia.
It was really six and a half years and they were not easy. We applied with Gladney in March of 2010. These years were full of joy, but also anguish. The process slowed, but we watched others move ahead thinking we would too. Silas was born, then we re-entered the process. It slowed some more, then Lucy was born and we re-entered the process. The early excitement of paperwork, fundraisers, prayer meetings, was replaced by yearly medical updates, speculative calculations for our “new wait times,” and periodic news that things were getting more difficult. We watched families in our church start their paperwork, finish it, submit it, travel, adopt, and live life with their child. About two years ago we wrestled with whether we should switch programs to a different country. We prayed hard and felt like God led us to stick with Ethiopia, so we did! Weeks later, we were told the program was ending and we could switch or withdraw. It was confusing.
As an aside, we could not be more pleased with Gladney. Their staff has been unbelievably transparent, ethical, professional, compassionate, and empathetic. Not a moment in these six years did we doubt them. In fact, their careful communication, sober sharing of news, and professionalism only made us trust them more. Our experience has been matched by their reputation here. The people working on adoptions in Colombia clearly have some cynical attitudes toward some agencies and they have made it very clear Gladney is a solid rock of an organization in a field full of fluidity and potential for mistakes or abuse.
At the end of July I was driving away from our house when a phone number I did not recognize appeared on my car’s display. Erin never answers these calls, I always answer them for the adventure. So I answered, “Hello?”
“Austin, this is Beth, from Gladney.”
I immediately knew why Beth was calling. I had just received an email, one of many I had received over six years, informing me my medical information was out of date. Once again, I would have to go see Dr. Larry Hollar, make his staff pull out the type-writer to fill-in the pre-printed form, get blood drawn, while knowing it was a futile visit because it would go out of date next year…as we wait more.
Beth responds, “and Erin, you’re there?”
I cut in, “no Erin is not here, I am in the car.”
Beth corrects me, “no we are on a three-way call, Erin?”
I have obviously misjudged the situation. This is THE call and I begin to tear-up. Beth responds with exuberance, “you’re having a baby!” That day we knew Marco was to be adopted into our family. A few days later, we all signed to accept the referral.
austin pfeiffer 
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