Brothers from Africa light up soccer field

A remarkable goal by freshman Elijah Aultman last Thursday pretty much cemented the soccer player's standing on a new team in a country he's called home for less than a year.

Elijah and his brother, Jordan, came to Carlton County from Sierra Leone last year, after being adopted by John and Jackie Aultman of Esko. They went from a place that is tropical all year to Minnesota in winter, and from a country that is ranked as one of the poorest in the world to one of the wealthiest.

The constants in both places are soccer and each other.

Jordan, a sophomore midfielder, has six goals and three assists as of last Friday. Elijah, a forward, has nine goals and three assists, including the game winner versus Duluth East last week to give CEC its first victory over East in boys soccer and keep the 'Jacks undefeated. (See Page 7.)

The journey to bring the boys to Esko was a long and winding road. In May 2013, John and Jackie traveled to Sierra Leone and stayed in the capital city of Freetown. Sierra Leone is on the western coast of Africa, along the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the top 10 most impoverished nations and least developed countries in the world.

The Aultmans - with help from their church (Arise Church in Cloquet) along with friends who had also adopted - had sponsored Elijah, who was being raised in an orphanage called The Center. When they first met Elijah he was seven. That's when they found out he had an older brother named Jordan who was 10. They were initially told that neither boy was adoptable. They went back to Esko and continued to Skype with Elijah monthly.

This routine went on for two years until September 2015, when they were notified both boys were adoptable. John and Jackie filled out the paperwork and waited. And waited some more. During this time Jackie gave birth to a son, Jaran, after previous struggles to carry a baby to term.

In 2017 they were finally approved for a home study and continued to wait for a final decision.

In February 2019, the adoption papers were being processed in Sierra Leone and the Aultmans were notified they had been approved. But there was more waiting as the boys had to be granted visas and one more baby, Ruth, to be born in Esko.

Finally in October 2019, John and Jackie were told they could come to Africa and take Elijah and Jordan back to the United States.

The plane ride from Freetown to Paris to Minneapolis took 36 hours. It was the first flight ever for either boy. They landed in Minneapolis on November 1 and it was 10 degrees below zero. Welcome to Minnesota!

Elijah and Jordan acclimated well to their new family, culture and community.

Jackie homeschooled them for the rest of the school year - her first foray into homeschooling - and had tutors to help them with English, history and math. Both boys speak English but it is not their first language. Krio is their primary language and is a combination of French and a tribal language spoken in Freetown.

"We definitely felt like we wanted to get to know them better and establish our core family before just sending them to school," Jackie said, adding that the arrival of Covid-19 didn't change much in their habits since they were already home. "Homeschooling allowed them to adjust to family life and life here (in the U.S.) before just throwing in tons of peers and schools."

Part of getting used to family life was also getting used to having two much younger siblings. Some days, Jaran is "an annoying little brother" and others he is regarded as hilarious, mom said. "The more active they are, the better they are able to engage with younger kids," she added.

Ruth, who will turn 2 in November, is mostly doted upon by her two oldest brothers.

"They really connect with Ruth, she's a sweetheart," Jackie said. "And she took to both of them immediately."

They spent much of the winter and spring meeting family: John is one of eight kids and Jackie is one of five, so there were lots of people to meet. Both sets of grandparents live in Grand Rapids, so there were many trips to the lake there to visit relatives. "They love spending time with cousins and swimming in the lake," Jackie said. Figuring out where the boys were academically was another task they tackled in the months after their arrival.

What did the boys think of winter?

"They thought it was pretty cool," Jackie said. "The loved sledding; they had a blast. The love going to the lake, walking on the ice."

They miss their friends from The Center a lot, Jackie said. The orphanage has been on lockdown because of the pandemic for eight months, so it's difficult to get through to talk to people there.

But they aren't entirely cut off from home. The Aultmans know a group of three other families from church who adopted kids from Sierra Leone: one family adopted three kids, two families adopted two kids each, not quite enough for a soccer team but getting there.

A new life

After successfully navigating through a northern Minnesota winter, Jordan and Elijah are also adapting to all the different food choices. Both boys said the meal they miss most from their upbringing in Freetown is Cassava leaves over rice. They have had their favorite meal once since arriving in Esko when John found some in an African grocery store in St. Paul. Otherwise Jackie's chicken and rice covered with a sweet and spicy Asian sauce is now a close second. And of course, what teenage boy doesn't like McDonald's?

The two athletic teenagers love sports as well.

Last winter boys played for the Esko basketball C team last winter and they were going to be sprinters on the track team until the spring sports were cancelled due to Covid-19.

Now the boys are open enrolled at Cloquet High School and enjoying the first three weeks of classes. Both list physical education as their favorite subject. Jackie said the kids feel very welcome in school at Cloquet and they love being on the soccer team.

"They love soccer anyways, but all of the kids have been super welcoming, so has Coach Bergan," she said, "People are very excited to have them here."

So while many things are new and different, soccer is familiar. Both boys played at the orphanage with their friends. Most of the time it was in bare feet and fields that were either concrete or cobblestone. Maybe that is why second year CEC head coach Dave Bergen describes the players as having "soft feet" and says they both have "incredible" foot skills. Jordan adds on to that by stating he is a "sprinter in track and the fastest soccer player on the team." He credits his speed with being a good dribbler.

Jordan also gave a scouting report of his younger brother: "He is really confident with the ball and is a great passer and scorer," he said.

Duluth East and then Grand Rapids learned that the hard way, as Elijah scored the only goal against East - a ball he pushed into the goal with the top of his head from the ground - and the first goal against a tough Grand Rapids team two days later. Jordan would score the second goal Saturday.