Pulling Together

A chat with singer/songwriter Fernando Ortega and his wife, Margee

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Singer/songwriter Fernando Ortega's music and ministry have inspired Christians world-wide, and his recent album, "Fernando Ortega," is no exception. Much of the power behind the songs arises from his willingness to dig deep, sharing from his personal life—both the joys of his 12-year marriage to wife, Margee, and heartbreaks, such as their failed attempt to adopt a child. Here's what they had to share about marriage and God's faithfulness.

What's One Of The Most Difficult Things You've Faced In Your Marriage?

Margee: We had a failed adoption eight years ago.

Fernando: A friend of ours was working in a crisis pregnancy center. She was counseling a young girl who hoped to find a bi-racial couple to adopt her child. Our friend immediately thought of us.

Margee: We had the baby girl for about 10 days. But there was a cutoff time for the mother to relinquish her rights.

Fernando: She changed her mind the night before the cutoff, and came for the baby the next morning.

That Must Have Been Devastating.

Fernando: It was extremely traumatic. We wondered why God would allow us to be invited into the situation in the first place and then tear our hearts so completely.

How Was Your Faith During That Time?

Margee: I realized I had to put my trust in God. There's no way he did that to punish us. We didn't do anything wrong or right to cause it. We just know he protected us through it. Even now, I have to feel that God was there for a reason, even for that baby girl.

Fernando: You end up explaining things in your mind: I guess God wanted us to feel this, or I guess God wanted us to experience that. One positive thing for me was being able to see my wife as a mother, pouring herself into that baby's life.

How Did You Support Each Other?

Margee: It was a mixture of holding and listening to each other.

I think many couples get into trouble by blaming each other, but I had such a deep respect for the way Fernando handled the whole situation.

I have a kind, sensitive husband, and I saw those qualities drawn out during that time, more so than I would have imagined.

Fernando: We held each other a lot, and spent many hours talking through the whole experience. The situation held such surprises for us, brought out aspects of each other's character we hadn't seen yet.

I believe God himself gave us those recognitions. And I know he kept us together through it all.

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Originally published in: Marriage Partnership, 2005, Winter, Page 8

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