Until August 2006, Adam was raised by "Ma" Feeta Naimen in Gbarnga, Liberia, with about 85 other children. He was one of the many children who were forced to hide during Liberia's brutal civil war. Liberia's civil crisis killed a quarter of the population and displaced hundreds of thousands of survivors.

Ma Feeta, who had no children of her own, acted as a foster mother for each of the children, when a soldier asked her to take the children and hide them from oncoming rebels.

Over the years, several organizations helped Ma Feeta turn her act of courage and charity into an proper orphanage, building a dormitory and other facilities, which they call Rainbow Town. One of these organizations was Samaritan's Purse.

It was through Samaritan's Purse that the Selmons learned about Ma Feeta, and eventually about Adam.

Lauren Selmon began working with Samaritan's Purse, an international non-profit children's organization, during college. Through a Yahoo group, Lauren kept her family updated on her activities, sharing with them the stories of the people she encountered.

After graduating, Lauren spent a year in Liberia working full-time with Samaritan's Purse, working with Ma Feeta and falling in love with the children the Liberian gave her life to.

"We didn't know anything about Liberia until Lauren went there," Shannon said. "That was our first introduction to Liberia."

In 2004 the Selmon family adopted 6-year-old Christiana from Ma Feeta's orphanage. Even though the young girl had faced hunger, homelessness, loss and fear, she still had unwavering faith in God. Ma Feeta taught the children not only how to survive, but how to thrive with joy and thankfulness.

"Lauren and her just bonded and she called home and talked to our parents and said, 'We got to help this little girl,'" Shannon said.

Christiana, who is now 10, had hope that God would restore her ravaged nation and the valor and devotion that Christiana had, as well as the other children at Ma Feeta's orphanage, touched the Selmon family immensely.

It was the perseverance, patience, peace and thanksgiving which Ma Feeta shows and teaches her children that inspired Zac and Shannon Selmon were inspired to form the Shine Foundation.

And these same values, as well as hope for Liberia's future, is what inspired Adam to play his drum.

The Shine Foundation

With Zac acting as president, Shannon as director and Lauren as the field staff coordinator, the family began working toward aiding Liberia.

With the help of their parents, Kathryn and Dewey, and sister Megan, who sit on the foundation's board of directors, they were able to take a team of 14 to Gbargna, Liberia, where Rainbow Town is located in late May 2006.