A Tale of Two Families

I'm adopted.  I was born to Donna Jean Hornak on April 28, 1968.  She made a very unselfish, difficult decision.  She understood that she could not be able to care for me in the proper way, so she contacted an agency, and I was placed with another family.

Madlyn and Stanley Kechisen wanted to be parents.  They wanted the opportunity to share their lives and love with a little child.  Try as they may, they could not have children.  No amount of time at a fertility clinic or on their knees in prayer would allow them to conceive.  But God had a different idea.  He knew they would be the perfect couple to love and care for this baby girl.  This is the story they told me:

"Mommy and Daddy couldn't have a baby, so they filed papers with an agency that helps childless parents adopt a baby.  We waited seven years.  We went through many, many interviews, had to write letters about why we deserved a baby.  We had to have other people write letters of recommendation to prove we would be good parents.  One day the phone rang and a lady told me they had a little baby girl available.  We could come to see her on Friday to make sure she was the one we wanted, or we could pick her up on Monday.  Madlyn told the lady they did not need to see this baby, they already knew they loved her.  They spent a very busy weekend getting everything they needed to have the house prepared for my arrival.  Madlyn even had three different dresses she took with her so she could dress me in something she and my dad picked out.  They became a family that Monday.

My parents were wonderful, loving, caring, and supportive people.  The loved God and taught me about Him.  I always knew, because they told me, that God picked me out special just for them. 

Not long after my dad died in 1995, my mom called me and asked me to find my birth family.  This is something I had never thought about doing because I was content with where God placed me.  But she wanted me to do while she was alive.  So I started my search.  It took me less than a year to find Donna.  Once I had her name, and knew she was divorced I could look up the divorce decree.  That is when I found out I had two older, half brothers.  In March of 1996 Donna and I would meet for lunch, get acquainted and share photographs. 

She told me she always thought about me, but that only her mom knew about the pregnancy, birth, and adoption.  My birth father was a married man, her first love.  Although she got pregnant during her affair with him, she did not regret having me.  She was glad I had searched her out.  Eventually she would tell her mom and my brothers about me.  She told her brother and also a few good friends.  The Sunday after Easter that year I would meet them all.  The amazing part was that she wanted to meet my mom as well.

The first words these women exchanged was "Thank You".  They thanked each other for doing for the others what they could not do.  My birth family embraced me and my mom, now I had an extended family. 

My birth family were not Christians.  They were not atheists either.  They believed in Jesus, they had just not accepted Him as their Lord and Savior.  Over the next few years they would attend Compassion to see me and my family perform.  They would attend my son's baptism three two years later.  They joined us for Christmas, Easter, and birthdays.  I am not sure if it was our faith and belief in Jesus, our prayer for their salvation, or exposing them to His majesty, but it allowed them to be open to Him, and through other people my oldest brother, wife and daughter came to the Lord.  It would be a few more years for Donna to accept Christ.  Just this past November my other brother came to Christ.  Prayers have been answered.

I would like to think that God brought me together with my birth family so I could share the gospel message with them.  But everything is in His time and for His purpose.  Both of my adoptive parents have gone to be with the Lord.  Of that I am sure.  I still have my birth family, and have remained close with them since 1995.  I cannot imagine my life without them.  I feel very blessed to have them in my life and in my children's lives.  I believe it was orchestrated by God, because in this life there are no coincidences, only Godincidences.  I been able to watch them change, their relationships change, their attitudes change since they have become believers.  It helps to remind me of what is important.