They had already picked out a name – Ezra – and set aside a box of baby clothes.

Their older daughters were excited that they would have a new sibling sometime this summer.

But for Abbotsford couple Koenraad and Christine Beugelink, the wait to adopt another child has been painfully put on hold.

The couple are among 80 families in B.C. and 400 across Canada who are victims of the bankruptcy of Kids Link International Adoption Agency in Cambridge, Ont.

The agency is the subject of a fraud investigation by Waterloo Regional Police after three board members alleged that two senior staff mishandled clients’ money.

The Beugelinks have lost $20,000 in adoption fees, but the financial burden pales in comparison to their emotional strain.

“We’re concerned about the money, sure, but what we’re more concerned about is bringing our son home,” said Koenraad, a youth pastor at New Life Church in Abbotsford.

Kids Link, which operated under the name Imagine Adoption, facilitated adoptions of children in Ecuador, Ghana and Ethiopia to Canadian families.

The agency announced that it had filed for bankruptcy on July 14, shocking people who were in the process of expanding their families. Several had already been matched with a child and were awaiting visa approval.

The Beugelinks had not yet been matched, but were waiting for a son from Ethiopia. They expected the process, which they began in February 2008, to be completed this summer.

This is not their first experience with adoption. Their two oldest daughters – Tianna, 4, and Yelissa, 7 – were adopted through an agency in the U.S., which has since become closed to international adoptions.

Their youngest – Kiara, 1 – was a direct placement through the biological mother in B.C.

Christine, an on-call French teacher, said the pair didn’t feel like their family was complete – they had always wanted four children – and were interested in adopting from Africa.

There are only two agencies in Canada that handle adoptions from that part of the world.

The Beugelinks had heard good things from friends about Imagine Adoption, and opted to go that route.

They were required to pay the approximate $20,000 in fees as a lump sum payment to Imagine.

About $5,000 of that was designated for a home study update done in Abbotsford.

The paperwork was forwarded to Ethiopia and was approved in May 2008.

The next steps were for the couple to be matched with a child and for the child’s visa to be processed.

The Beugelinks were crushed when they first heard the bankruptcy news.

“You feel isolated and betrayed,” Christine said.

They have now connected with other affected families, including some of the 25 or so in the Fraser Valley, who are fighting to see their adoptions fulfilled. The Beugelinks have also contacted provincial and federal politicians for support.

They heard some positive news last week. Bankruptcy trustee BDO Dunwoody is working with creditors to pull Imagine Adoption out of bankruptcy and restructure the agency to complete the adoptions that were underway.

The Beugelinks said they are cautiously optimistic. They hope the Ethiopian government is still interested in working with Canadian adoptions, particularly when there are so many children in need of a home.

They hope one of those children is a boy they can call Ezra.

Support group

Families affected by the Imagine Adoption bankruptcy have created a Facebook page, which currently has 767 members.

Anyone wanting information is encouraged to visit the “Imagine Adoption Program – Support Group” for the latest information.

A help line has also been set up by the federal Ministry of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism at 416-326-6510 to respond to inquiries.

Families are also encouraged to continue checking the BDO Dunwoody website at bdo.ca/imagineadoption.

-By Vikki Hopes, Black Press