KIN Culture values family. We are privileged to be connected to many volunteers, families and churches. We believe that family is the fabric of a healthy community, by which we are woven together. For this very reason adoption is at the top of our list.

Willem, Melissa, Mia, Lisa and Lukas are a family from the northern suburbs of Cape Town and have connected with KIN Culture as volunteers. We find their adoption story inspiring and hope that many others will follow suit as we do our bit in building a safe South Africa for our children.

Not many things in this world compares to a mother’s heart and Melissa’s version is an apt reflection. You can come back in a bit for dad’s version ?

I have wanted to adopt from a young age. I love being practical about my faith and so adoption, with my natural love for kids, has just always seemed an obvious way to react to the social issues in our country and the call God places on us to take care of the orphans in our community. I am also an idealist so when I heard the stats that said, should each individual who call themselves Christian, adopt one child we would eradicate the need for orphanages. It was this beautiful idea that finalised my decision that I would adopt some day.

This said, I then met Willem, a man after God’s own heart, but when talking about the possibility of adoption I realized that it was something he had not thought about at all. Rather than badger him about the topic before we got married I felt I should trust God to place the desire to adopt in his heart.

We had been married for two years when we visited my mom’s church one Sunday morning. The pastor made an altar-call for those standing in faith for family members and as a family we all went forward for a family situation we were going through at the time. When we drove home, Willem told me that while he was in front of the church he felt God asking him if he would adopt a child. Willem committed that day to the Lord that he would. Thankfully I married an honourable man whose yes is his yes.

When we started our family planning, we decided that we would like to have two biological children before adopting. The excitement grew as the years went by.

It was with great excitement that we contacted ProCare in Wellington towards the end of 2015. We wanted the gap between our second and third child to be about two years.The process took us just short of 9 months before we got our call that our baby would be waiting for us on our return of a June Holiday in 2016. I felt as if we had waited an eternity.

On the 12^th of June, we went to pick up Lukas Willem Sibusiso (the names we gave him). Our dream came true. Not only for us but for his two sisters. They simply adore their baby brother.

I had been praying for Lukas for many years by now, but I believe that God showed me that we are primarily spiritual beings before we are soul and body. I therefore regularly prayed that his spirit, which isn’t bound by time or space, would never have experienced being orphaned. He has always been wanted, dreamt of and hoped for. He has always been our son.

Lukas was smiling the day we picked him up and hasn’t stopped, except when we are late with his food. A typical boy.

That first night home I remember cuddling him, all sorts of ‘what if’ questions popped up into my mind, I entrusted all those fears to the Lord that night and without exception have experienced Him completely dispelling all my anxious thoughts.

I can truly say that the adoption process is so similar to having biological children. The waves of emotion, the elation and the fears, how tired you get at times, the pride and the unconditional extravagant love is all the same.

We have an amazing family and community around us who have been as excited to make Lukas part of their lives and as with our older children, which has made this part of our life story an even greater joy.

I have also learnt to enjoy the connection Lukas and I have with the outside world. At first it made me uneasy and protective that people would look in our direction when we were in the public. I quickly realised that people are curious. It would be a waste of my emotional energy if I chose to be offended at every glance. My more relaxed approach to lingering stares has led to the most wonderful chats with perfect strangers. I love seeing how our baby boy’s smile disarms the most fervent critic. He is changing the world already and he is only 10 months old.