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Two year-old Benjamin learned to take care of his one year-old sister Gabrielle while they lived in an orphanage in Ethiopia.

During snack time in his newly adopted home, he made sure Gabrielle got her slices of apple before he began eating his share.

'My husband, Lamar, and I wanted to have more children,' said new mother, the Rev. Angela Martin, pastor of the Churchville Charge in Bel Air. 'We decided to adopt children from Africa. Benjamin's and Gabrielle's family were very happy and grateful that we were adopting both of them because they wanted a better life for them.'

The children's lives are easier as they play with their toys in their Bel Air home, have an abundance of food and live in a comfortable atmosphere ? so different from a world they once knew in rural Ethiopia, where running water, electricity and food were scarce.

While attending seminary a few years ago, Martin visited an orphanage. The images there made an indelible impression upon her.

She sensed something holy was happening and cried uncontrollably when she saw children whose parents were dying of AIDS and others who lived in extreme poverty because of social conditions. 'Many families who are poor only earn $150 a year,' she said.

In 2005, Martin said, she felt a nudge from God to adopt a child from Africa. 

She went to the subsidiary of the Children's Home Society and Family Services in Silver Spring and started the application process for adoption, which included an intensive home study by a social worker. 'We had to provide a mound of paperwork including birth and marriage certificates, tax information, recommendation letters, and we had to put up with a lot of red tape,' Martin said.

The dossier was finally sent to the Ministry of Women's Affairs in Ethiopia for review. After six months the Martin family received the good news that siblings were available for adoption.

Two months later, Martin,  her husband, Lamar, and their 12-year-old daughter, Vanessa, traveled 17 hours to Addis Ababa with anticipation to meet Benjamin and Gabrielle.
Months before the family arrived, the nannies at the orphanage showed Benjamin and Gabrielle pictures of their new mom, dad and sister to help them get familiar with their new family.

On Aug. 14, the two children met and embraced the Martin family with open arms and bonded with them instantly, their mother said.

Martin, ordained an Elder this year, recently returned to work as pastor of Clark's Chapel and John Wesley UMCs on the Churchville Charge, after a maternity leave.

Amidst the unopened boxes in her new home in Bel Air, Martin is excited and proud to take care of her young children and spend time with them as they laugh and play with their dog Lucky.

Benjamin and Gabrielle are healthy with healthy appetites and sleep patterns. They have adjusted well to their family, home and country,' said Martin. 'God worked it all out for us.'