The Beginning of our Journey to Ethiopia

We are so very blessed! Gerald and I always knew we wanted a large family. Within three years God blessed us with three beautiful birth children – Emma (now 8), Joshua (6) and Jacob (5). We had always desired to have four children but, having had complications during pregnancy and having had to undergo a hysterectomy, we both felt led to turn towards adoption.

As we prayed and began the journey we felt God leading us towards adopting from China. A year and a half later we were delighted to receive Hannah into our family. Hannah was 14 months old and was such a gem! It was love at first sight for us and Hannah has continued to absolutely delight us – she continues to bring great joy into our lives. In China, people would look and point at her and say “Lucky Baby!” but oh how we feel that we are the ‘lucky’ and blessed ones!

Shortly after adopting Hannah, we both began to feel drawn to adopting again. In March, 2005 I found myself struggling with a mild form of depression. Feeling sun deprived we headed to Florida for some warmth and family time. Having made the decision on the spur of the moment we failed to realize the difficulty we would have to even find not a hotel room but even a nice campsite. A day and a half later, having called a Christian KOA site, a state campground was recommended. We called and made our way to the most beautiful campsite! Magnificent trees acted as canopies – it was lovely. Who would have thought God would have been guiding us.

Shortly after arriving we took the children to the playground. I was sitting on a park bench soaking in the sun with Hannah sleeping in my arms. A woman, noticing Hannah’s ethnicity, slowly made her way over. She sat down next to me, introduced herself and began to share her story…a deeply devout Christian she described how she and her husband had felt led to adopt six children from all over the world. As I shared of our desire to adopt more children I also shared how we felt stifled by the enormous cost of adopting internationally. This gentle woman began sharing her story of adopting, she then shared of her own battle with depression and also challenged both Gerald and I to allow others to help us meet the financial commitments associated with adopting, to allow others to bless us and in turn, be blessed themselves. After our time together we said our goodbyes…but minutes later her children returned to the playground, and, as they were there camping with their church family, invited us to their campsite for lunch. Later, this dear lady totally surprised us by inviting Dawn, a complete stranger and yet a sister in Christ, to accompany her to their home so that Dawn could the laundry. What a blessing and what a profound way for God to gain our attention and reaffirm our calling to adopt again.

Our desire to adopt again was constantly being confirmed by God in quiet and reassuring ways. Travelling in the car to and from work, Gerald would often reach and turn on the radio just to hear some program discussing international adoptions. I’d turn on the television or receive a phone call from someone telling me about a program focusing on adoption. We’d go to MacDonald’s and run into another family that had adopted…it would seem everywhere we turned God was gently but firmly reassuring us that He indeed wanted us to adopt again.

One significant confirmation occurred when, a dear friend told us of a dream she had had of two little black children on a shelf, waiting to be picked up. She had previously been unaware of our desire to adopt again and of our plan to adopt from Ethiopia.

Later that year, on the way to church, Gerald literally blew me out of the water when he asked me to looking into adopting not one child but two! Incredulous, I looked over at him and asked if he was trying to get me to change my mind about adopting altogether!

As we continued to pray for God’s guidance, I did as Gerald asked and began to research where we might be able to adopt two children. Since China was out of the question (they have a five child per family limit), we turned our attention to Vietnam and Haiti but received recommendations to look elsewhere as they also frowned on large families.

We will never forget a warm, summer night camping in PEI. The children were all sleeping and I was lying in the trailer waiting for Gerald to return from a shower. I decided to unzip the window (I’d never done this before) and enjoy the night sky. Minutes after doing this what should I see but a shooting star…no, not one, but TWO shooting stars! Just another sign confirming what we felt in our spirits – that God was blessing this desire to adopt again.

Who knew that we would need so many signs from God…God knew!! After searching the internet and discussing with our social worker, we decided to apply to adopt from Ethiopia. Having completed our home study, we hired CAFAC – the only agency then licensed to assist with Ethiopian adoptions. Our dossier arrived in Ethiopia in January 2006 – we had decided to ask for two children, a boy and a girl, under 24 months of age. Eleven months later, December, 2006, we were so very blessed to receive referrals for Kaleb Lamesgan Burke, 6 months old and his sister Kayleigh Kalkidan Burke, just turning two.

And now our journey really begins. We have been so blessed by people’s generosity in helping to unite our family…people are generously donating money and Airmiles as well as supporting us in our fundraising campaigns. We have no doubt that the monies will come, that we will be blessed, because we have no doubt that we are in the midst of God’s will!