Adoption has never been just part of my story. It has been the thread woven through nearly every chapter of my life. It has shaped the way I see myself, the way I understand family, the way I process loss, and the way I think about identity and belonging.
I was born in Ethiopia, and before I reached the age of two, both of my birth parents, Belete and Martha, passed away. My earliest years began in loss and uncertainty, and I spent about a year of my childhood in an orphanage. A place where every individual living there knew they had lost something. Even though I was very young, those beginnings became the starting point of a story I would spend much of my life trying to understand.
In 2010, when I was about five years old, I was adopted by a family who lived in the United States. That moment changed everything. I went from an orphanage in Ethiopia to a new home, a new language, and a completely different culture. That moment was so overwhelming. My adoptive parents, David and Tera Melber, gave me stability, love, and opportunities I never would have had otherwise. They adored me even though I was not their biological son. These two people showed me love that I had not felt since being in the orphanage. They were wonderful, but the greatest truth they taught me was how I could have faith in Jesus. They taught me what I call big God theology, that God is sovereign, that He is good, and that He loves me. I grew up deeply loved and grounded in those truths, but I also grew up with questions. As I grew up, I learned that it is okay to ask questions.
There were moments I wondered about where I came from, what my early life looked like, and who my birth parents were beyond the fragments I was told. My parents invited those conversations as they wanted to help me understand my story. I did not always know how to express those questions, but they were there. Even in a loving home, there is something that stirs inside when part of your story feels unknown. That is just human nature.
As I got older, I began to understand how deeply adoption had shaped me. It was not just a part of my story but was a key way God showed me who He truly was. At the end of the day, the adoption story brought me closer to Jesus Christ. I personally believe that this has helped me have the aspiration to be a pastor. This story that God gave me has led me to want to shepherd God's Church for His glory. Faith in Jesus helped me understand my story and believe that my story, although sad at the beginning, has a greater purpose.
For a long time, I tried to hold those feelings together without fully understanding them. I was grateful for my adoptive family and the life I had been given, but I also carried a longing to know more about my beginnings. I slowly learned that both emotions could exist at the same time without canceling each other out.
In 2023, that tension met reality when I returned to Ethiopia for the first time since my adoption.
What I found there was more than a place. I found pieces of my story that I had only imagined. I met my sister, cousins, nieces, nephews, and the aunt and uncle who helped care for me after my parents died. For the first time, I heard stories of my birth parents from people who knew them, and I began to see my early life through a different lens. My uncle shared with me that I was short like my mom and had the same nose as my dad. That moment was amazing!
I also visited the graves of my birth parents. Standing there brought a weight I had never felt before. It reminded me that adoption always begins with loss, even when it leads to love. It also reminded me that my story did not begin in the United States, and it did not end when I left Ethiopia. Internally, I sang the song, It is Well with My Soul. Tears came down and I was finally at peace, not because I got to have this experience but because I had peace that God is good.
That trip did not answer every question I carried. In some ways, it created new ones. But it gave me something I had been missing for years. It gave me a connection. Connection to my history, my family, and the beginning of my life.
Today, I am a college student, author of Twice Delivered: A Story of Two Families, Two Worlds, and One Redeeming Love, speaker, aspiring pastor, and adoption advocate. I share my story because I know what it is like to live between gratitude and grief, between love and unanswered questions.
Adoption has taught me that identity is not built in a single moment or place. It is shaped across time, across families, and across experiences of both loss and love.
Looking back, I can see that my story has never been simple, but it has been meaningful. A boy who began life in Ethiopia would one day return, meet family he once thought he might never see again, and begin to understand that even the saddest beginnings can still carry a story of redemption.
To learn more about Isaac’s work and upcoming projects, visit his website and follow along.
