On April 14, 2019, local residents, Tyler and Kelsey Burke officially tied the knot and began their forever life together with excitement and anticipation. Little did they know, their wedding vows would be tested in such a short amount of time preceding their wedding. Tyler and Kelsey yearned to be parents, but their desires were met with extreme disappointment. After seeking the counsel of several doctors, Kelsey was diagnosed with an “unexplained infertility.” This news was devastating. Kelsey even took a year off of social media due to the pain of seeing other people having babies, except her. After three months of trying a medicated cycle and no success, Kelsey decided to stop all treatments. Tyler, being adopted himself, suggested adopting a child, but the idea was immediately shut down by Kelsey. He respected her opinion, bur prayed that the Lord would change her heart if adopting was his will for them. The thought of not having a child of their own was incredibly painful and something very hard to let go of especially for Kelsey. Tyler and Kelsey went through stages of grieving their longing for children, knowing that was no longer a reality. In the Spring of this year, while sitting in the food court of Opry Mills Mall, Kelsey told Tyler she was ready to begin the adoption process. They both quit their day time jobs to run Kelsey’s family business, National Storm Shelters, which put them in the perfect situation to focus on the adoption and becoming parents. After settling on an adoption agency called Adoption Assistance and getting their home study approved and finalized, Tyler and Kelsey began the journey of fundraising, which is definitely the most frightening part of the entire process. Unlike other adopting parents, the Burkes’ have raised money in a beautiful and unique way with a corporation called Both Hands. Following the Bible verse, James 1:27, Both Hands allows for the catering of widows and orphans, while raising money for adopting families. Families raise sponsorship for the widow assigned to them through sending letters and sharing their fundraising web site. Thanks to Both Hands, the Burkes’ have had the pleasure to serve several widows and create many new relationships. Another avenue of funds that was utilized was garage sales. Personal belongings, along with items donated were sold, raising thousands of dollars in support of their adoption. There were also individuals who didn’t buy anything from the yard sale, but blessed Tyler and Kelsey with funds to support their cause. In fact, a local couple, who were strangers to the Burkes’ wrote them a check for $1,000 after visiting the garage sale and hearing their story. As well, a social media post about the garage sale was reposted over 150 times and attracted people from other cities like Antioch. Raising over five thousand dollars from a simple yard sale was immeasurably more than they ever could have imagined to raise. This miraculous event was a perfect representation of Tyler and Kelsey’s chosen Bible verse for their adoption journey, Ephesians 3:20: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” God’s hand has been so evident throughout the entire process, which confirmed that adoption was a step in the right direction for the Burkes’ as a family. Kelsey described it as, “It was like God used these people’s hands and feet to bless us and it was the most incredible thing ever.”
Tyler and Kelsey’s experience with Both Hands visit bothhands.org/burke/793. Follow the Burkes’ journey on Instagram or Facebook at @kelseytburke or visit bringingbabybhome.com.