Did you know that, if your niece or nephew is orphaned, and they live in a different country, you have to complete the international adoption process to bring them to the United States? Each year, Hope International works with many families who are adopting relatives from other countries. These children have been orphaned, yet they have to wait years to go through the immigration process in order to be with their relatives in the United States. Here’s a story we shared in 2023 about a family who went through that experience.
“It’s like seeing my sister every day.”
Wisdom’s Aunt
Patricia has known her nephew, Wisdom, all his life. When her sister passed away in 2019, Patricia was the logical choice to care for her nephew. She knew him well, and she had the capacity and desire to become his legal guardian. Patricia entered the international adoption process to legally adopt her nephew and bring him to the United States.
It took Patricia four years to bring Wisdom to the United States. They arrived home together over the summer, and it has been a joy to see them settling into their lives together. When asked what the best part about adopting Wisdom had been, Patricia shared two things. She said, “It’s like seeing my sister every day.” She also said the best parts were seeing Wisdom in her home, seeing him succeed in school, and knowing that he now has a “future and a life, by the grace of God.” Wisdom agreed that he was happy to be living with his aunt. His favorite part about being here has been sharing his home with his aunt. “I was alone in Nigeria, and now there’s someone to teach me and be around.”
Patricia spoke about the way Hope International helped her through the process. At times over the four year wait, she was about to lose hope that Wisdom would ever get home. She found support through Hope’s staff, whom she said “encouraged me to keep going.” Patricia added, “I am thankful for their help. They made this happen!”