Junior Annabelle Gentling was adopted from the Amani Baby Cottage in Jinja, Uganda. She said her mom and her would find each other in every universe. Photos by Gabriella Anzelc
Abandonment: an action of leaving and never returning. The desertion of an entity. A forced state of being no human should ever have to endure.
In the midst of that state, there may be a place for hope to prevail.
There may mean brokenness. A relationship abandoned may mean heartbreak. A dream abandoned may mean to surrender. To leave may mean to lose.
Yet there may also be an odd beauty in what is left behind — in the empty and quiet spaces.
That is where true revival can begin.
Not the charming kind, but the quieter beauty that emerges after the noise has left. A deserted room where the wind has become the only tenant. An empty hallway, yet the clocks on the walls continue keeping time for no one.
And sometimes, in that seemingly empty place, the hand of fate intercedes into the story of two souls destined to meet.
“There’s not a universe where we wouldn’t find each other,” junior Annabelle Gentling said. “There were so many steps of my adoption process that had to align exactly that I’ve never doubted whether it was fate or not.”
Serendipity
Serendipity didn’t intercept the life of Annabelle and her mother, Stacy Gentling, in a coincidental way. Annabelle Gentling said it was a cosmic hand of fate that guided them toward each other.
With a free summer before she started her master’s degree, Stacy Gentling set out to do something she’d always wanted to do before being tied down to a desk for the rest of her life.
With her adventurous and courageous spirit behind her, she was about to unknowingly make a Google search that would change her life.
She started her computer and searched “Service Opportunities in African Orphanages,” to which she clicked on the first link that accepted American volunteers and found Amani Baby Cottage in Jinja, Uganda.
Eight weeks later, Stacy Gentling found herself serving in the orphanage and falling in love with Uganda, while simultaneously falling even more in love with a seven-month-old girl named Annabelle.
“It really was love at first sight,” Stacy Gentling said. “I really felt like God was calling me to adopt her.”
Although Stacy Gentling was only 25 years old, she was about to embark on the journey of becoming a single mother. She felt the hand of fate pulling her to adopt this little girl, so she went back to America to go through the U.S. adoption system and finish her master’s degree.
Nine months later, Stacy moved back to Jinja.
“Some of the hardest times were honestly in Uganda because I was never really sure until the door on the plane closed that I was going to be allowed to leave the country with her,” Stacy Gentling said.
After two more years living in Jinja and getting visas and adoption paperwork approved, Annabelle and Stacy Gentling were officially named mother and daughter.
Junior Annabelle Gentling soaks in the sun on a car ride in Malibu, Calif. Gentling said her parents helped keep her educated on her roots while raising her in the United States.
Beyond Adoption: The Need for Belonging
Revival from a place of abandonment unfolds in many ways — transforming brokenness into healing and restoring hope where it seemed lost — but it takes intercession, complete support and understanding.
Gala Merhi has worked as a counselor at the Marshall Academy of the Arts for the past eight years, taking a special interest in working with young people from all different backgrounds and circumstances.
The aim for Merhi has always been to be an aid for children who need support and guidance.
“Every young person just wants to feel connected and loved and to have a consistent and supportive environment,” Merhi said.
Yet, what if by the cruel odds of chance those needs aren’t met? Although Stacy and Annabelle Gentling said they are very grateful for the story they have, Stacy Gentling said it was never the absolute ideal situation.
“I don’t think that adoption is ever God’s plan A,” Stacy Gentling said. “God’s plan A is for everyone to have the resources they need to care for the people that are in their lives.”
Merhi said a feeling of abandonment can reflect in children who have been adopted into families that may not fully understand the cultural or racial background of the child.
Being the only African American in the Gentling family, Annabelle Gentling had to navigate this phenomena. She said her parents have always supported her and taught her about her background.
“I think a lot of adopted kids feel like ‘others’ in their adopted families, but I’ve never felt that way,” Annabelle Gentling said. “My parents were always there when I had questions about where I’m from.”
Annabelle Gentling and Stacy Gentling pose for a photo together. The pair said they found revival through the adoption process together. Photo courtesy of Annabelle Gentling
The Different Faces of Revival
Where there is loss, there is light. There are quiet ways that love restores what abandonment has left behind.
Annabelle Gentling said she believes abandonment is temporary — there will always be people or experiences that fill the gap abandonment left in one’s heart. And sometimes it’s even greater than one could imagine. That is the true meaning of revival.
Now that Annabelle Gentling is nearing the age her mother was when she took a leap of faith and adopted her, she has gained a newfound appreciation for her mother’s courage.
“I have a very special bond with my mom just because it was us two for so long and she really is my best friend,” Annabelle Gentling said. “The courage she had at such a young age inspires me every day.”
Not only is their story one of revival for Annabelle, but it is also one for Stacy, who knew she always wanted to become a better parent than she had growing up — and Annabelle gave her the opportunity to do that.
“My mother was not a good mother,” Stacy Gentling said. “And Annabelle made me want to be the mother I never had.”
Perhaps revival simply looks like having someone to sit with in the darkness.
“I love being a supportive figure for young people,” Merhi said. “And I would stress the importance to everyone of therapy and having people to sit with you in the hard times.”
This story was copy edited by Lila Rendel.
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Contact Haylie Ross via email: haylie.ross@pepperdine.edu