Hi everyone, and thank you for taking a moment to read our story.

We are Rachel and Rebekah—twin sisters who were adopted from Ethiopia when we were one year old. For as long as we can remember, we’ve known we had a biological family somewhere in Ethiopia, but we never knew who they were, how many siblings we had, or whether our father was still alive. We always grew up wondering about the people and the place we came from.

This past year, everything changed. Through an unexpected connection, we found our older siblings—and learned that our father is alive. We were able to FaceTime our sister for the very first time and hear her voice. We also learned we have two brothers and a father who have been hoping and praying to reconnect with us.

We now finally have the chance to return to Ethiopia and meet our family. We are excited to learn more about our culture and roots. We are fundraising to make this journey possible, and we’re incredibly grateful for every person who has encouraged us, prayed with us and supported us along the way. If you feel led to help, thank you. If not, thank you for simply reading and sharing our story.

Our adoption story

We were adopted from Ethiopia when we were a year old and came to the United States in 2002. Our birth mother passed away shortly after having us; carrying twins took a heavy toll on her body, especially after already having three children. Her passing left our dad with newborn twins he simply couldn’t feed or care for. After talking with a friend, they decided the best chance for us to survive was to get us to the nearest orphanage.

Two men, Girbe and Lema, carried us from our village of Kiremu to a place called Gida. It took them two full days of walking to get there. By the time we arrived, we were very sick. We had been fed goat milk along the way to keep us alive, which was rough on our stomachs as babies.

At the orphanage, Diane, a missionary, helped nurse us back to health. She cared for us practically from birth until we left for the United States in November 2002. When she returned to Michigan to renew her visa, she attended a church where she met our parents, Bonnie Bolin and Greg McNerney, who had already adopted our older sister, Amber.

At first, they were hesitant—international adoption is very expensive. But with help from the church community, enough money was raised to bring us to the States.

Finding our family

Growing up, we always knew we had a biological family in Ethiopia, but we never knew how many siblings we had—if we had any at all. We also didn’t know whether our father was alive. Finding out who our siblings were, and whether we still had a father, was something we prayed about for years.

Fast forward to my senior year at Milligan University, when Rebekah met a fellow student, Ezra, who had grown up in Ethiopia where his parents were missionaries. I asked him for help tracking down some documents I needed to verify my citizenship so I could receive financial aid. Ezra reached out to his parents, who still live in Ethiopia, to see if they could help. He mentioned to them that I was a twin who had been adopted to the United States at a very young age. After asking a few questions, Ezra’s parents spoke with several people in the village, including a guard who had worked for Diane—the missionary who cared for us during our first two years in Ethiopia. Word traveled quickly, and it eventually led them to Bayush, our 31-year-old sister who had been searching for us for 11 years.

We were able to FaceTime Bayush a couple weeks later, and even though she speaks only a little English, she writes it very well. Through her, we learned that we have two brothers, Wurku and Temesgen, who live in a rural part of Ethiopia along with our father, Mekonen Kasa Kelkay, who is remarried.

We have always known that someday we would return to Ethiopia—to learn about our culture, our roots, and the place we come from. We’re incredibly grateful for everyone who has encouraged us, helped us search, and supported us along the way.

We know how fortunate we are to live in a first-world country, something that’s easy to take for granted. And now, more than ever, we understand the importance of meeting family and reconnecting with the people and the history that shaped you.

As we prepare for this journey back to Ethiopia, we’re inviting those who feel led to support us—whether that’s through encouragement, prayer, or financial help—to be part of this next chapter with us.

Financial expectations

-We expect to pay about $1,500 each for round-trip flights to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.

-We estimate $550–$700 total for two weeks of safe, reliable housing while we’re in Addis.

-We expect to spend about $200 to help our father and brothers travel from their rural village (about six hours from Addis) to meet us in the capital.

-To help us communicate with our siblings and father, we plan to hire a translator. We estimate this will cost around $200 for the time we need.

-We will need two Ethiopian E-visas, around $62 each.