Not being able to have children, Pastors Dawn and Andrew Burnett adopted a baby girl from China who has brought joy into their lives and the knowledge that this was God’s answer to their prayers.
By Veronica Stoneall, Living Stones Writer

Pastors Dawn and Andrew Burnett of Prairie Hills Covenant Church in Sioux Falls , S.D. were happy with their lives. However, dealing with infertility and not being able to have children was difficult for them. Their decision to adopt a child from China has been a blessing to them and little Althea has filled that empty spot in their lives.

Growing up in Wallde Lake , Mich. , Dawn and Andrew have known each other since junior high. They dated after high school. Andrew told Dawn that he was interested in her, but that she was not a Christian. Over a period of two days, Andrew explained his faith to Dawn and then led her to Christ.

Pastors Dawn and Andrew Burnett of Prairie Hills Covenant Church in Sioux Falls, S.D. delight in Althea, their adopted daughter from China, -- a gift from a loving God who answers prayer.

“God got through to me.” Dawn said.

They were married in 1990.

Dawn and Andrew attended Wheaten College where they studied Bible and English. They went on to Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton , N.J. where they received their master’s of divinity degrees in l994.

As Andrew was getting his doctorate of philosophy in bio ethics from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis , Minn. , the Burnetts attended Salem Covenant Church . Dawn worked at the church and became involved with equipping adults in ministry.

In 1999, Burnetts felt called to pastor Prairie Hills Covenant Church in Sioux Falls .

“God was moving very quickly,” Andrew said. “We were happy in Minneapolis , but God wanted us here in Sioux Falls .”

Everything was going well for Dawn and Andrew, but God had not given them the gift of children.

“We assumed we would have children,” Andrew said. “We wanted children, but it was not happening. We went to doctors, but they never found anything wrong.”

“That was very hard,” Dawn said. “Sixty per cent of those tested never get any answers. Infertility is something most people don’t want to talk about or to talk to you about it.”

“It is a very uncomfortable subject,” Andrew added. “When you are a Christian and you read the Bible, it is especially tough because of the verses in the Bible that say, ‘children are a gift from God.’ You read the examples of Sarah and Hannah, and you see all the times in the Bible when God says, ‘I am in charge. This is in my hands.’ Then when it is not coming through for you, it is hard to understand.”.

“You start to wonder what am I doing wrong? What am I not doing? Do I need to ask one more person to pray? We asked for prayer. We had a lot of people praying, but it didn’t happen and now we know why. But then we didn’t,” Dawn said.

We continually trust God. God is in control. This is the right child for us.   –  Pastor Dawn Burnett

“We believe in prayer. We totally do. We knew God could do it. We know families where they have prayed and been given a new baby,” Andrew said.

Dawn prayed with a prayer partner and her spiritual director to try to cope with not getting pregnant. Andrew was pretty much isolated and alone. He found it difficult to talk, as most of his friends were dads already. He tried to “tough it out” rather than opening up to someone to tell how he really felt. He thought he could have saved himself some loneliness if he had talked more. Christmas was a hard time of the year as it was all about a baby and a miracle.

“It was amazing that what felt like a dead end started to open up for me again,” Andrew said. “I could see that there was another way forward. We had talked about adoption before, but we were just not ready. Something new started to happen in our hearts a couple years ago. It got to the point that maybe I could mention to Dawn, “How about a little girl from China .”

“I will pray about it.” Dawn said.

That is when the adoption began. They visited people who had gone through the process. There are many obstacles and a lot of unknowns. Then Dawn and Andrew realized that this was what God called them to do. The mountains looked much smaller, and they could take it one day at a time.

“It freed up our hearts so much to have a specific dream again,” Andrew said.

In October 2004, Burnetts started the adoption process. They worked through the Holt International Adoption Agency. Once the decision was made, they were given an estimate of six or seven months before they would receive a child; however, many babies were being placed so it took 21 months.

“Holt knows what they are doing,” Dawn said. “They have had so much experience. They give back to the countries to help the many children who do not get adopted. The hardest part of adopting was the wait. The best part was having hope again. Looking up at the hospital billboard of a new baby, I thought, ‘You don’t scare me anymore. I am going to be a Mom!’”

The day the social worker called (Dawn had set a special ring on the phone so she would know when they called), Dawn and Andrew could hardly believe it. They were told they had a daughter named Jin Xiang which means golden incense. Dawn and Andrew chose the name Althea which means healing.

Much prayer and consultations with others who had gone to China before made the preparation go smoothly. The Burnetts packed and repacked. Dawn started the Web page: www.burnettfamilyorama.blogspot.com on Sept. 5, 2005, which turned out to be Althea’s birthday. (Readers can visit the Web site and find all about their journey to China .)

Many prayers by family, friends and neighbors protected Dawn and Andrew in China . In spite of minor colds and lack of sleep, everything went well. Andrew and Dawn learned a couple of songs in the Mandarin language and heard them being sung while in China .

“We were very emotional the day we actually went to pick her up,” Andrew said. “There were eight families getting little girls, and we were very anxious to meet them. The babies were brought into a big room. The families were on one side and the babies on the other. We had a couple minutes to spot our little girl. It was amazing to see her! What a beautiful little girl! We spent most of our time getting to know each other the next few days.

“It was a long flight home. We had to wait in the immigration line because Althea needed her passport stamped. It was a very long wait, but it opened my mind differently for the refugees and the wonderful gift of freedom we have here in America .”

“We continually trust God,” Dawn said. “God is in control. This is the right child for us.”

“Everything He has He will make available for us because we are His kids. God gives us His whole heart!” Andrew said.

Praise God for Dawn and Andrew and their daughter, Althea Jin Xiang Burnett.