Lakewood couple completes family with adopted son

LAKEWOOD RANCH — If 32 hours of international travel with a 1-year-old can’t prepare you for parenthood, then nothing will.

By the time Summerfield residents Gerrid and Jessica Smith returned from Ethiopia with their adopted son, Elijah, they already had been through enough trials to make any parent cringe.

From Ethiopia, the Smiths landed in Frankfurt, Germany, for a connector flight.

“Only that next flight never showed up,” Gerrid says, grinning.

Finally, after about 12 hours in the airport, the Smiths caught a flight to New York and finally to Tampa.

“We definitely jumped head-first into the deep end,” Jessica says. “But, we always knew there was light at the end of the tunnel.”

MEANT TO BE
Today, Elijah sits patiently on Gerrid’s lap as the family relaxes in its Lakewood Ranch home. He snuggles up to his daddy as Jessica hands him an empty bottle — his “bah bah.”

“It’s like a pacifier for him,” she says.

Elijah seems to be taking it easy on his parents. He already sleeps well, enjoys trips to the grocery store and took to the beach immediately. He’s also picking up sign language quickly, which helps him communicate.

The family functions so naturally together that it’s hard to believe that just a few months ago, all the Smiths had of their son was one tiny photograph.

But in that image, Gerrid and Jessica knew they were looking into the eyes of their son. His parents, his home, was here. But Elijah was a world away.

The Smiths’ path to adoption began even before their marriage. Following a mission to Swaziland, Africa, the Smiths launched in 2008 the Moju Project. For every T-shirt purchased, the organization was able to feed an orphan one hot meal each day for a month.

After the couple married March 29, 2009, Gerrid and Jessica broached the subject of parenthood. They submitted an application to their adoption agency Aug. 21, 2010, and soon learned that with 5 million orphans, Ethiopia was in the greatest need.

Gerrid and Jessica waited, prayed and waited longer. They prayed more. Waited more.
And then, Elijah’s photo arrived.

MEETING ELIJAH
On May 20, 2011, the Smiths began a 24-hour journey to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to begin the court process — and meet Elijah. It was the first of two trips the couple would make to Africa.

Three days later, Jessica’s heart thumped with anticipation as she knocked on the door of the orphanage. In just a few seconds, she would be holding her son for the first time.

“We were directed to the infant room, and as soon as we walked in, one of the nannies was holding Elijah and placed him in my arms,” Jessica says.

During the next three days, the Smiths spent as much time as they could with Elijah. And on their court date, the Smiths sat before a judge and answered seven questions. At the end, the judge declared, “Congratulations, you are now officially a family.”

However, although the decision meant Elijah was now the Smiths’ son, the family had one last hurdle — the U.S. Embassy. That meant the Smiths would have to leave Africa without their son.

RETURN TO AFRICA
Four weeks and two days later, the Smiths boarded another plane for Africa — this time to complete the interview process for the embassy. The trip also coincided with Elijah’s first birthday, which the Smiths celebrated with cookies, bubbles, toys and more.

But nothing could match the moment the Smiths met Mihret, Elijah’s birth mother.

“She pulled me in close and kept hugging me, pulling me in,” Jessica says. “We made eye contact, and where words fell short, we both knew what the other was trying to communicate, and it was understood.

“It was like we started out as strangers and parted as family,” she says.

One week later, the Smiths passed their embassy date.

PURPOSE
“I can’t imagine life before (Elijah),” Jessica says. “He is — in every way, shape and form — our son.”
Since coming home, the Smiths have worked to establish a routine for Elijah. The environment is so different than what he had known, so the Smiths have tried to keep Elijah close to home as much as possible to instill stability.

And aside from a few health concerns early on, Elijah seems to have adapted quickly.

“He wakes up ready to embrace the day,” Gerrid says.

As he grows, the Smiths say they will teach him about his heritage. Most importantly, they say they want Elijah simply to be himself.

“We believe he has purpose,” Jessica says. “And we want to equip him to be ready to do all God created him to do. Wherever that takes him — that’s what we want.”

Contact Michael Eng at [email protected].