A Daughter To Many: My Journey to Find Family and Forgiveness

Andrea June was given up by her family for adoption before she was two years old. Andrea was introduced to a family that already had two boys, one of them being severely disabled. Despite Andrea’s poor health, this young family adopted her, and changed her name to Kari Ellen.Growing up was very difficult for Kari. She wasn’t exactly the daughter her new mom hoped to have. Her father sexually abused her. By the time she was thirteen, her parents sent her away.Peniel Christian School, a non-profit ministry, accepted troubled children from across the country and from every walk of life, ranging from criminal gang members to others simply with ADHD. This was Kari’s home for the next five years.Living on a seventy-seven acre farm in rural Wisconsin with forty other children promised many adventures. It was at Peniel that Kari accepted Jesus as her Savior, and saw her need to forgive her dad.Years later, Kari met her husband Drew in Nashville, Tennessee. Since they wanted to have children, researching her family history became a priority. The startling information they uncovered changed her life forever.God’s hand was surely at work . . . He had plans for her future.