sojourning His path

I have been thinking more and more about the girls lately. What will it be like as they are brought to our hotel room to meet us for the first time…Will they cry? Will they ignore us, hoping if they do, we will simply go away? Will they surprise us all by being one of those almost-unheard-of-but secretly-hoped-for cases of “love at first sight”? I don’t know how they will react, but one thing I do know is that they are getting ready to experience another traumatic event in their life, no matter how they respond outwardly. And my heart breaks for them anew.

I try to put myself in their shoes. I imagine in my mind what it would be like to be happily playing in a sunny, friendly place, where I am loved deeply and my every care seems to be met. A place where I have friends that I play with and I know the layout, the smells, the faces, like the back of my hand. A place where I am the favorite of my group or where I am affectionately referred to by my nickname, a name only those closest to me call me. But then one day, a man comes and takes me away from all of that. I drive for a long while and suddenly find myself thrust into the arms of two new faces. Only these faces don’t look mine. As a matter of fact, these faces don’t look like any I’ve ever seen before and I am frightened by all that is unfamiliar. These people don’t smell like me, they don’t talk like me, and what’s worse, they are taking me behind this door and I am trapped in this small room with them. I can’t get out. I’m trapped in a world I don’t recognize, I don’t understand. I was just playing…happy and content in my world, and then everything suddenly changed.

That’s how I envision Gotcha Day. I know it will be a happy day for Rick and me. A day we have been diligently striving toward since October 5, 2012. And I can’t wait. I truly can’t. But I do think often of what our poor girls will go through in order for us to “get to them”. And while my heart will be full and bursting with love and adoration for these two precious little girls, I’m also preparing my heart for the grief that will inevitably burst forth from their hearts. After all, they’ve lost so much already. And now, they are going to lose more. I pray that this is the last of their losses for a long, long time. I pray that they will know a life of happiness and joy and salvation that only God can grant. I wish them all that a parent hopes and dreams for each new life entrusted.

Please do pray for us and our girls in the days ahead.

We covet your prayers for:

Safety while traveling
Our children and their caregivers
Positive attachment for the girls

Thank you!! 🙂

January 14, 2014 + Uncategorized

ALMOST THERE!

by April Kelley

We are coming to the end of our adoption journey and wanted to update everyone on where we are in the process. Today was a wonderful day…we received Travel Approval!!! China has officially invited us to come and adopt two of their precious daughters. By the end of the week, we should be given a Consulate Appointment and that will determine exactly when we are permitted to travel. We were given two options by our agency…the first was to depart on February 5th. The other option was to leave February 12th. We, of course, are hoping and praying for the 5th…the sooner we can get to our girls, the better!

We recently received an update on Faith. Although in an orphanage, she appears to be thriving. She no longer likes to take a bottle, but instead, prefers three meals a day of “real food”. She especially loves bananas and apples. She is a very happy, friendly little girl, who loves to help the nannies with the smaller children. They report that she is particularly obedient with putting her shoes in the right place! Maybe she can teach the rest of her brothers and sisters who are not so adept at that practice!

Some prayer requests for Faith:

That she would attach to us quickly in China and that we would be able to meet her needs with the aid of our heavenly Father, who knows her frame perfectly!
That once home, we will be able to meet her physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. She has been diagnosed with poor brain development and we will not know the full scope of all that that diagnosis entails until we can get her home and seen by a pediatric neurologist. We also expect that she will grieve the loss of all that is familiar to her. Please pray that God will help us to comfort her with His peace that transcends all understanding.

We have not received an update on Hope in a couple of months. She is in a foster home and therefore, we do not receive as many updates of her. We do know that she generally has a sweet disposition, but when frustrated, will pull angrily at her foster mother’s clothes! When her foster mother gives her a disapproving look, however, Hope is quick to stop that behavior. I, for one, am hoping she leaves that behavior in China! She seems to have a hearty appetite (she is eating a cookie in every picture we have of her!) and is much-loved by her foster family.

Some prayer requests for Hope:

That she too will attach quickly to us in China. Because she’s been in the same foster home for so long, we are expecting her transition to not go as smoothly as with Faith, who is more accustomed to nannies and playmates “disappearing” from her life. We expect Hope’s grief to be great.
Hope has been diagnosed with Spina bifida. Please pray that we will be able to meet the extent of her medical needs after they are more fully known. The Lord has granted her the ability to walk well and we are grateful to Him for that mercy!

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us throughout this lengthy process. The Lord has been abundantly kind to us, and to me especially, in sustaining my health and in bringing to pass a desire that has been on my heart since I was eight years old. Never stop persistently asking the Lord for that “good thing” which may be on your heart! In His perfect timing, that holy wrestling may result in Him granting you the desire of your heart. May all the glory be given to God alone, for He is worthy of such praise. So it shall always be that, “I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.” Thank you Lord for these good gifts, these daughters of our faith and hope.

September 6, 2013 + adoption, CCAI, China adoption, Orphan Care Alliance, special needs adoption

Please prayerfully consider…

by April Kelley

Dear Friends,

We have received great news! We recently learned that Orphan Care Alliance based here in Louisville, KY has awarded us a $3,500 matching grant toward our adoption. 🙂 OCA is very active in foster and orphan care initiatives around our city. There are three letters at the bottom of this blogpost. The first is an adoption support letter that we have written for your prayerful consideration. The second is a letter written by LifeSong for Orphans verifying their willingness to partner with us and confirming that all donations are tax deductible. The third is a letter that explains how to donate, if the Lord leads you to do so.

We really appreciate your continued interest and prayers as we labor to bring our girls home.

Much love to all,
Rick & April

Support Letter

Church Fund Support letter

Make a Donation Update

June 22, 2013 + Uncategorized

Meet Hope

by April Kelley

When Rick and I began our adoption journey (again…) back in October of 2012, we prayed fervently to our God that He would grant us a child. Specifically, a little girl in China. We possessed great faith that He would bring this to pass. And He did! We were granted the desire of our hearts in December 2012, with the referral of Dang Qi Qi, whom we would later name Faith. Her name comes from the faith that we held onto during those prayerful times of asking and persistence.

Since 2010, China has permitted a seeking family to adopt two unrelated children at one time, but only if one or both children are labeled Special Focus, meaning they have more significant special needs. At the time that we were filling out our Medical Checklist form, we had checked the box that indicated we would be willing to consider the adoption of two Special Focus children. But we really felt at the time that we would be greatly blessed of the Lord if He would just grant to us ONE child from China, let alone TWO! We had also checked that we had no gender preference on the second child, and our agency had said that if we checked no preference, the second child would most likely be a boy. We were fine with that…we know boys well (since we have six of them!) and Rick really wanted another son anyway. So, we anticipated that if the Lord gave us a second Chinese child, it would be a boy.

We received a call sometime in February, asking that we consider a little boy who was 13 months old. His name was Dang He Duo, and we laughed at the irony that he would indeed be our second referred child as his name indicated. We looked over his referral information and were thrilled that he was only 13 months old. That’s pretty young to be referred a Special Focus child! His special needs were prematurity and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, meaning he had gone an unknown length of time without oxygen at birth. We dutifully sent Duo’s information to our pediatrician, who again spent several days looking it over. I actually got to speak to him face to face because we already had an appointment made for one of our other children. We had begun the paper-chase for Faith, and the children’s doctor’s appointments were one of the things we were working on. Our pediatrician’s advice was not good, however. He recommended passing on the referral, citing that there just wasn’t enough encouraging, affirmative information for him to foresee a positive outcome. It broke my heart because I had already begun to envision this child as my son, and because I have a heart that wants to take any and every orphaned child into my home. I have a hard time balancing what feels right and what is wise. With eight children already, one being a special needs child, the pediatrician’s counsel was to pass this child’s file on to another family that might be more prepared to parent a child with unknown future needs. Rick and I prayed about it and decided it would be best for everyone involved to not accept the referral of this little boy. I still pray for him and hope he has an identified family working toward bringing him home.

A couple of months passed, and we began to wonder if God had a second child out there for us. On April 4th, 2013, I received another call from our agency. She asked if we would again be willing to consider another file. And that of a little GIRL! I was so surprised when I heard that! She told me that this little girl had just turned two years old and had been born with spina bifida, but was meeting all developmental milestones and could walk, though unsteadily. When she mentioned the spina bifida, my heart sank into my feet. I knew spina bifida was not something Rick was really comfortable with. We had checked “maybe” to it on our Medical Checklist form, only because we were comfortable with the most mild form of spina bifida. I thought that with this child being a Special Focus child, it was not likely that she had the mildest form of spina bifida. My immediate thought was that this was probably another referral that we would have to reject. I sent the information to my pediatrician anyway. It took him several days to review the file, as he was in and out of the office a lot at that time. When he did call me back however, he was very enthusiastic and encouraged about what he read. It seemed that this child’s spina bifida was a very mild form and he thought she was an excellent candidate for international adoption! I was so excited! Rick was not as sure though. He’s the cautious one in our relationship. He wanted to see for himself that she could walk. We requested that China send us a video of her walking so that we could make a more informed decision. China honored our request and sent a 3 1/2 minute video of her toddling around the room. She can walk just as well as any other toddler I know of! She is cute as a button. We applied for her pre-approval and received permission to adopt her in less than 24 hours! THAT’S REALLY QUICK! We see that as God affirming for us the decision to move ahead with adopting this precious little girl.

And so, because we “hoped” for a second child…..

Meet HOPE YIHANA KELLEY….

Hope was born in the Leihe City Yancheng District People’s Hospital, in the Henan province of China. She was born with a walnut sized sac on her lower back and was therefore abandoned in the hospital in which she was born. She underwent the corrective surgery for her spina bifida just shortly after her abandonment and it was very successful. She spent a month recuperating in the hospital and was then sent to the Luohe City SWI where she stayed for several months. On October 13, 2011, she was moved to a foster home where she currently still resides. Her foster mother and father love her very much. Because of their excellent care and devotion, we know our little girl will grieve much once she is placed in our care. We are praying that God gives us the words to speak and affection to give during those hard times. Her birth name is Dang Yi Han, but her foster father calls her YiHana in her video, so we plan to leave that as her middle name. It’s such a beautiful name! Hope is a shy, quiet little girl, who loves to smile, is fond of singing, and gets along well with others. She is a deep sleeper, does not like to be tickled, and loves to eat noodles, rice, and milk-based formula. We can’t wait to welcome our little girl into our family! Below is video taken by Hope’s foster dad.

Please pray with us as we move into the last phase of adopting these two little girls….our “children of FAITH and HOPE”.

We sow in FAITH-

We plow in HOPE-

We labor to the end

That we may reap

Eternal Rewards

Through Christ Jesus, Our Lord

June 3, 2013 + Uncategorized

Meet Faith

by April Kelley

For many years now, I have dreamed of adopting a little girl. I had no preconceived notions of what she would look like. Only that she was out there somewhere, and that she had my heart…wherever she was. It was on December 10th, 2012 that we learned she was in China. A country that I thought was closed to us. We in no way met their qualifications…we made less income than the $10,000 per person in the family (including the adopted child/ren) that they required. We had more than 4 children already. Rick had been diagnosed with Petit Mal Epilepsy as a child, which raises health issues for China. The only two things we felt we had going for us were that we were over the age of 30 and we were open to a child with special needs.

When the call came on that fateful Monday in December, I was shocked to hear the voice on the other end of the phone say to me that they had a child’s file that they wanted us to take a look at. It was a little girl and her name meant “fine jade”. The voice went on to tell me that this little girl had been diagnosed with an umbilical hernia and poor brain development, but that she had recently been tested, and was meeting all of her developmental milestones. He also mentioned that she loved to smile. Would I be interested in taking a further look at her as a possible match for our family? Would I? Of course I would! I called Rick to tell him the good news and he was cautiously excited about looking over her information. We were anxious to look at her picture and there was even a very short video of her that we watched over and over again. Rick was, as I said before, cautious. I, on the other hand, remember feeling like I was floating somewhere outside and up above my body, and that I just couldn’t quit smiling to save my life!

We sent all of her information to our family Pediatrician. He has been practicing for many decades and we value his wise opinion immensely. I have, over the years, sent him several files of children that we have looked at adopting and he had never before given me the thumbs up on adopting any of them. He knows our family well…how many children we have, the busyness of our family schedule, the personal health of each of our children, etc. After reviewing the information for a couple of days, he called me to give me his assessment. His first words were, “Mrs. Kelley, I think this little girl is an excellent candidate for adoption.” I couldn’t believe it! And yet, I was so happy and relieved to hear him say that! For the first time since CCAI called us about her, I began to allow myself to envision that she might really be our daughter! I went back to the table at McAlisters, where all of the ones that I loved most in the world sat eating, and shared with them the good news about this precious little one. It was one happy dinner.

CCAI initiated the process of “locking” our little girl’s file, and we began to gather the necessary paperwork to apply for Preapproval. We had been told that it could be several weeks before we would hear back from the CCCWA, the governing adoption authority in China. We received our Preapproval in five days, two of which were a weekend. We sense God’s smile and favor on us as we proceed with the adoption of this little girl from the Henan province of China.

Now, a little bit about our new daughter. Meet FAITH KAYTLEE-JADE KELLEY…

Faith is currently 21 months old and resides in the city of Kaifeng. She lives at the Social Welfare Institute (aka orphanage) in that city. She wakes up every morning at 7 a.m., naps for an hour around noon, and goes to bed at 8 p.m. each night. She can walk and talk and is meeting all of the expected developmental milestones for her age. This, in and of itself, is quite miraculous, as children that are institutionalized are typically one month behind for every three months that they have spent in the orphanage. That means that Faith should really be presenting as a 14 month old, but she is only a couple of months behind in her development. We again see God’s protective and sovereign hand moving in the midst of these circumstances.

Faith’s favorite foods are rice-based formula, soft bread, little steamed buns, noodles, and mashed vegetables. I can’t wait to introduce her to other foods and expand her very limited diet! Her reports say that she is extroverted, lively and active, and that she especially loves to smile. Her skin is fair, but her hair is very sparse and light. This is probably due somewhat to the fact that she had brain surgery as an infant, and can probably be attributed also to a lack of nutrition in her diet. She does not like to sit very much, and in fact, the only video we have of her, is of the nanny sitting her down and her having a fit about it! We don’t think she has to worry too much about that once we get her home…there will be tons of ready and willing arms anxious to carry her around!

We anticipate traveling to receive our daughter some time at the end of this year. Most likely December, but we are already praying that we will not be gone over Christmas. Our daughter would be such a nice Christmas present to be sure, but we would really hate to not be able to celebrate Christmas with our children. So please pray with us that God’s merciful timing would not fall over the Christmas holiday! 🙂

We are excited about bringing Faith home to join our family. We recognize what a precious gift we’ve been given and give all the glory to the One who gave it. Soli Deo Gloria.

May 27, 2013 + adoption, China adoption

“So what’s happening with the adoption?”

by April Kelley

April writes: I get this question a lot lately and I’m always happy to give an answer. Lots of good things are happening with the adoption these days. We are inching closer and closer to submitting our dossier to China. We actually have a due date of July 1st for getting our dossier sent and received. We are hopeful of making this date.

The last few months we have been busy finishing up our homestudy, which took a Herculean effort and 5 long months. Most homestudies take approximately 2 months to complete, but with my health scare, we had our mind and energies focused on other things. Once we learned that my inability to breathe was primarily due to cold-induced, adult-onset asthma, we have felt more confident and been able to move more quickly and efficiently on the adoption front. Warmer weather and the sometimes use of an inhaler has brought me back to (almost) full health. And boy, am I thankful! That was a rough five months!

Since the end of April, we have received the final, approved copies of our homestudy, filed for our I800A (which gives us permission from the US government to bring our daughters into the United States), and notarized/certified our dossier documents. Those documents are currently making their way to the State Department and Chinese Embassy in Washington DC for authentication. Once we receive them back, they will be ready to send to our adoption agency for a thorough review. After that, it is on to China to receive a log in date. Once we receive that official date from China, we will be able to begin to count the days until we travel to receive our daughters! Families typically travel anywhere from 4-7 months after receiving their log in date. Exciting stuff, right?!

There are a few things for which we would covet your prayers. First, that our girls would remain healthy and safe while they are in the care of those with whom God has placed them. Second, that we would continue to find favor in the eyes of the Chinese officials as we grow closer to our dossier being reviewed and logged in in China. And third, that God might bless our efforts to raise the money for this adoption process. It is very expensive, and we acknowledge we are a large family with small means. But we serve a mighty God, Who is faithful. We continue to believe His Word that He does indeed “set the solitary in families”. Thank you all for your love and support!

January 2, 2013 + Uncategorized

As cold water to a weary soul…

by April Kelley

“As cold water to a weary soul,

So is good news from a far country.”

~Proverbs 25:25

We have received good news indeed! News that we have been waiting for for a very long time. It seems as though I have been waiting my whole life for this moment.

I first knew that I wanted to adopt when I was 8 years old. I had happened upon a taping of Wednesday’s Child in a pet store. The sad little boy with the big brown eyes was enjoying looking at all the animals and I asked why they were taping him? My friend’s mother replied, “He will be on the News. He does not have a Mom and Dad and is looking for someone to adopt him.” My first thought was, “What does adopt mean?” And secondly, “There are really children in the world that do not have a Mom and Dad?!” That was a foreign concept to me!

I was reminded a few years later of adoption when I was 11. My friends and I were hanging out in the bathroom between classes, primping and chattering. My girlfriend suddenly announced that she was getting a new sister! We were all taken aback because our parents were old enough that they really didn’t have children anymore. And this particular friend’s parents were older than most of our parents anyway. She explained that her parents had seen a girl on Wednesday’s Child that they inquired about and were in the process of making her their daughter. I remember feeling such envy in that moment. I had ALWAYS wanted a sister! Now I knew how I could go about getting one! I rushed home later that afternoon busting with the news that I knew exactly how my parents could go about getting me a sister. I shared the news with them and sat anxiously waiting for their response. My bubble was busted however, when Dad replied, “Gosh Babs, we can hardly afford the kids we have….let alone raising someone else’s kid.” I was devastated. It seemed I would not be getting a sister after all. But I vowed that day to never feel as my parents did about children without families. I had set my sights on adopting one day.

Fast forward a few years and a lot of poor choices later. I had met the man of my dreams, birthed my first child, gotten married, and fallen forever in love with my Savior. In exactly that order. We had a wonderful little boy, Christian, and desired a brother or sister for him. I intentionally took Rick to the Kentucky State Fair that year for the single purpose of finding our way to the Wednesday’s Child booth. We scanned through the big book of parentless children and talked to the staff manning the booth. Rick, however, was not on board. And though I tried many ways to put a positive spin on why bringing an abandoned and (probably) abused child into our wonderful family was a good idea, he would not be convinced. I decided to wait (sometimes-not-so) patiently on the Lord and His perfect timing. Our second little boy, Gabriel was born. And then, our third, Jacob. We loved our little family, but greatly desired a little girl, whom we had already named, “Grace”. I again broached the subject of adoption with Rick. He was a little more open this time because he knew how much I wanted a daughter. We went to an informational meeting at Southeast Christian Church on China adoption and felt really good about all that we heard until the very end of the meeting when they flashed the requirements up on the screen. China required that both parents be at least 30 years of age. We were 23 and 24. Much too young to even be considered. We left feeling heartbroken, but again, trusting God that He knew best.

We finally had a baby girl, Graceann, in December of 1999. And she was truly a “double portion of Grace” to us. We felt like our family was complete….well, until 2002 when we learned we were unexpectedly expecting our fifth child, Elijah. On two different occasions throughout these years, we had attended informational meetings on adoption from Ukraine. Our church (at that time) had a thriving network of adopting and adoptive parents that had chosen Ukraine as the country wherein they would find their child. Both times though, we had to stop the adoption process. The funds weren’t coming, we’d get cold feet, we’d jump ship. We didn’t trust that “God would fund what He favored”. In 2004, our sixth child, John Ryle was born. We spent the next couple of years busily enjoying our full life and family.

The year 2007 brought great joy, tragedy, and change to our world. Micah was born in February of that year and my faithful, fearless, Prayer Warrior-friend/Grandma, died in May of a massive heart attack. It was a tremendous shock to me and to my life. She had helped me raise my children…she had doted on them from infancy….taught them songs, stories, and sayings…we were all the better for having her in our lives, and her absence was felt greatly. The days were not the same and we all reeled from it. But we were able to say with Eli, “It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him.”

In July of 2007, we decided to embark on an adoption journey that we felt would honor her and would do the greatest good with the small sum of money that she had left to me as an inheritance. We began the process to adopt a little girl from Guatemala, whom we hoped to name after my Grandma. We gathered papers, participated in interviews, applied for visas and our passport, submitted fingerprints, and finally sent our dossier to Guatemala for approval. We were approved and began our wait for the little girl of our dreams. But our dreams were dashed in December of 2007, when we learned that Guatemala, because of the inability to handle corruption, would be closing their country to International Adoption. We were left without the referral of a child, heartbroken, and the $8000 invested. Per our agency’s recommendation, we decided to wait a while to see if Guatemala would reopen. The summer of 2008 brought the news that Guatemala would NOT reopen (they are still closed to this day), and we had to rethink what we wanted to do with our adoption hopes. We regrouped and decided to participate in a pilot program with our agency to adopt from Bulgaria. We updated our home study and Immigration Clearance to reflect Bulgaria and once again adjusted our mental image of what our much-desired child would look like. We pressed on, believing that God did have a child out there for us…somewhere.

“Hear my cry, O God;

Attend to my prayer.

From the end of the earth I will cry to You,

When my heart is overwhelmed;

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

September 2008….the day our world changed. My husband called home with awful news. He was hearing rumblings at his work that his company, National City Bank, may be going bankrupt. He felt it was best that we put our adoption on hold until we knew more. I couldn’t believe it. We prayed…hoped for the best. But the company did go under. Our adoption plan was swallowed up by penny-pinching, job-hunting, and fervent prayer for a new job that would support our large family. The job was eventually provided by our gracious, merciful God. But the new income meant that we no longer qualified for International Adoption. We were sad about our wants, but grateful that God had been faithful to meet our needs.

The new year 2009 brought many “Champions for Foster Care” into our lives, and we began to pray about whether our child or children might be found in the US Foster Care System. We attended an Informational meeting and were thrilled with what we heard! Our government didn’t have a problem with our income and the adoption costs would be minimal. Plus, they provided a stipend to help with the costs of adopting a child with Special Needs. We left hopeful and feeling like, “This might be it!” We signed up for the first training class of ten. It was to start a week later. We navigated through difficult topics, fought to overcome the stigma of “already having a lot of kids and still wanting more”, and made difficult decisions in evaluating our strengths and weaknesses of what needs we felt we could and could not handle in the children that may pass through our home. It felt good to once again be working toward our goal of adding another child to our family. But weeks turned into months, and months into years. 2009 turned to 2010 and finally into the spring of 2011and still, NOTHING. We had inquired on over 1000 children/ sibling groups all over the United States and were met with rejection after rejection. We cried out to God again and again, reminding Him of His promise to set the lonely in families and of His heart for orphans and widows. He, in return, pointed me through His word to promises of His love and affection for ME. He had heard me; He had not forgotten me. His goal of my sanctification was greater than my desire for another child and HIS WILL WOULD BE ACCOMPLISHED. I resolved that, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him”.

“You crown the year with Your goodness,

And Your paths drip with abundance.”

~Proverbs 65: 11

In April of 2012, I received the usual correspondence from my State Social Worker….time for us to have all of our kids physicals completed, mine and Rick’s physicals redone, more face-to-face interviews, another walk-through of the house, 30 more hours of training, etc. etc. As I was reading that email, I just had a knee jerk reaction similar to what I had heard of infertile women experiencing when they receive the news of yet another failed IVF attempt or the miscarriage of another baby. I felt like I had had enough! I had jumped through every hoop the State had put before me for the last 2 1/2 years and to no avail. I didn’t need to talk to Rick about it….I was done. And I felt elated about that decision.

In May, we attended our church’s Memorial Day picnic. Some dear friends of ours were there, the Popes. They had in tow their seven beautiful children, six of which are adopted. Two from Guatemala, two from Kazakstan, and the last two from China. She naturally asked me how the adoption process was going and I just vented! She sweetly proposed that maybe I should give her agency a call and see if they could help us. I told her I just didn’t think I could stomach any more heartbreak…I just thought the Lord had said no. Forever. Maybe I just needed to be okay with that…. She insisted she felt this agency could help. Pray about it. Think about giving them a call. I decided to do it. It couldn’t hurt to call. Just another rejection in a long line of many, right?

So I called.

That call was eventually what led us to our daughter. We submitted our Medical Checklist in October. That’s a form where you jointly decide what Special needs you are comfortable with parenting. We received the call telling us about our daughter on December 10th and the Preapproval from China on December 31st. She is beautiful and perfect and spunky. She is chosen and loved. Thanks be to God for this indescribable gift!

“Blessed be the Lord,

Because He has heard the voice of my supplications!

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

My heart trusted in Him,

and I am helped;

Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,

And with my song I will praise Him.”

~Psalm 28:6-7

April 22, 2011 + Uncategorized

Is it ‘Good Friday’ to you?

by April Kelley

Good Friday. The day Jesus Christ was hung on a Roman cross. If you’re a Christian, it is the day that Christ paid for your sins. It is the day when the wrath of God was poured out on His Son. Many today will use this phrase ‘Good Friday’.

But it is only ‘Good’ to those who have been forgiven their sins. It is only ‘Good’ to those who have trusted in Christ, believed in Him and repented of their sin. To repent is to be sorry for your sin, to hate and forsake it because it is displeasing to God. Are you sorry for your sin? Have you forsaken your sin? Have you looked to Christ in saving faith? If so, it is indeed a GOOD FRIDAY to you!

BUT if you don’t think twice about your sin, if you haven’t forsaken your sin, if you’re not sorry for your sin – it is not Good Friday to you because your sins have not been laid upon Christ. And if your sins have not been laid upon Christ, then you will pay for eternity for the sins you’ve committed.

Don’t think that God winks at sin. He doesn’t. The cross is proof of that. Leave your sin, look to Christ and you will find in Him One who truly does save His people from their sins.

My friend, do not rest until it IS Good Friday to you.

December 15, 2010 + Jesus, Joseph, Mary, Unplanned pregnancy

Noble Joseph by her side…

by April Kelley

…his calloused hands and weary eyes. There were no midwives to be found on the streets of David’s town in the middle of the night. So the lyrics go in Andrew Peterson’s song, “Labor of Love” (sung by Jill Phillips). Joseph is one of my heroes of the faith. He was a just man and did not want to make a public example of Mary (Matthew 1:19). He was an obedient man, “Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, DID as the angel of the Lord commanded (Matthew 1:24). He was also a devout man. Joseph and Mary went up to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover (Luke 2:41). Every year.

He was a just man, a gracious man, an obedient man and a devout man. All of these things in the context of his fiancee becoming pregnant and coming up with an amazing story to explain why she was ‘with child’. Oh, he didn’t believe her story at first – who would? But, an angel came and told him that the baby in her womb was of the Holy Spirit and that He would save His people from their sins. Then he woke up and obeyed and took Mary as his wife prior to Jesus being born.

This is the thing that I admire most about Joseph. He, in taking Mary as his wife and not having conceived the child with Mary, subjected himself and his family to the wagging tongues of Nazareth. It doesn’t appear that Jesus was really ever to distance himself from the jaundiced eye of some folks who knew of the family situation (John 8:41). The issue 2000 years ago was the embarrassment of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. I guess that not a lot has changed in 2000 years since in that regard. ‘Unplanned’ pregnancies are still an embarrassment (at least they still were 19 years ago). Sadly, and to my shame, I know the embarrassment that Joseph must have felt. I know, in a very real sense, what it is to have friends vanish because of what you’ve done. My wife and I know the shame it brings upon families to be ‘with child’ outside the bonds of marriage. But here’s what I don’t know. Here is where I can’t identify with Joseph. He was a just man, he was blameless in the whole ordeal. And out of obedience, he married a girl pregnant with a Child that wasn’t his. So as folks sneered and the town gossips chattered and the immediate families distanced themselves and their friends deserted them – Mary and Joseph were blameless before God. And that was enough for them.

You see, this Mary who was full of grace and this noble Joseph by her side raised a Son. And that Son kept the law of God perfectly and died as the spotless Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world SO THAT nearly 2000 years later, a girl who wasn’t full of grace named April and boy who wasn’t just or gracious or obedient or devout named Rick (in fact, no good thing was in him at all) could look to their SON and find in Him forgiveness – not for one sin – but for ALL of their sins.

My encouragement to you this Christmas would be to look upon and lay hold of that same Jesus that April and I, by the grace of God, laid hold of 17 years ago. He’s the same today as He was then – He still forgives those who earnestly seek Him. My friend, by God’s grace and with His Spirit’s help, lay hold of Jesus and leave your sin the same place two teenage kids left theirs – nailed to cross.

September 10, 2010 + Uncategorized

To burn…or not to burn…well, that’s not really the question!

by April Kelley

A lot has been said and written over the past several days regarding Pastor Jones and his desire to host International Burn A Koran Day. As I’ve thought about it, I think I understand where he is coming from. Islam is a lie. Anywhere in the world where Sharia Law is in effect there is much darkness, little freedom and little hope. On the contrary, where the gospel light has dawned or has burned brightly in the world, there is great freedom – there is much hope. Where the gospel shines, you don’t have people being forced to SUBMIT to the demands of the gospel – Christians are the ones who give their lives FOR the gospel. Where the gospel shines, Christ is held out to a dying world to come, and by grace, through faith, NOT BY WORKS, cling to Christ as your hope and receive the gift of eternal life. Not so with Islam. WORKS / WORKS / WORKS. There are five things every Muslim MUST DO. 1) Believe that God is One and Mohammed is his prophet 2) Fast from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan 3) Offer formal prayer five times per day 4) Make the pilgrimage to Mecca 5) Pay an annual poor tax. And then guess what? There is still no guarantee you’ll go to ‘heaven’.

What must every Christian ‘do’? Believe. Yeah, but what works must I do? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. How does one do that? Well, to truly believe on Him – you must truly need Him – and to need Him, you must see your sin. And in seeing your sin, take the arms of faith and present Jesus Christ and His work done for you on your behalf to God. That’s what you must do. There is no five step plan but there is great hope because we have a promise from Him that “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Eph 1:6)”.

So, should we burn or not burn the Koran. I say not burn. Nothing is accomplished through it. This should be our prayer though. That Muslims being converted by way of the cross and an empty tomb will take up their Korans and burn them themselves. There is coming a Day when every Koran will burn and the only Holy Book that will stand is the One whose words can never pass away. May God haste the Day when faith shall be sight – The clouds be rolled back as scroll, the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend – Even so, it is well with my soul. So come Lord Jesus, come.

July 25, 2010 + Bible Bowl

Bible Bowl Thoughts…Part 4

by April Kelley

Two people to thank (for now)…

1. Lisa Rolston. Bible Bowl leaders of larger programs have so much work that goes unnoticed. From finances to renting vans to college/nationals registrations to medical releases to parental dealings (know-it-all types like me) to making all of the pieces fit on a four-man team to, well, you name it. Lisa has always been one of Christian’s biggest fans. I can remember her coming to watch him play as a 5th grader in Indy. It was there that April and I began repeating for the many years to come her often used phrase, “You never know.” We’d ask if she thought we could beat this team or that team and she almost always used this answer. We played with Southeast for five of the next seven years (we stopped going to SE as a family in 2003 but they were always kind to welcome us to play with them) and Lisa was an integral part of all of those years. She coached Christian, Haley and Rachel to their first National Championship in 2008. I would drop Christian off at her house numerous times over the years on my way to work, she would quote with him most of the day, then I’d pick him up on my way home from work – not just the year that she coached him but all throughout his career. She is actually the first one that introduced Bible Bowl (in 1999 when the text was Genesis) and homeschooling to our family – she invited April to ‘shadow’ her in the late 90’s (I think) while she taught Ashley, Eric and Kayla. April came home from that confident that she could teach our little ones. Lisa has had an impact on our family far beyond the game. After her two teams were out of the double elimination this year, nothing warmed my heart more than seeing Lisa and Ashley (and most of the Southeast folks) following our boys, cheering them on. I don’t think I got to see her after the Championship Rounds but I’m sure she was hoping for nothing but the best for the boys. I’m glad that she was there – the lady that introduced our family to this program some 11 years before, was there rooting for the boys, watching what would be the crowning achievement for our three boys (and, indeed, our whole family) in the program. So thanks Lisa – thanks for encouraging a young 25 year old mother to homeschool and thanks for introducing and encouraging our family to participate in this game – what a ride it has been! (I couldn’t find a picture of Christian with Mrs. Rolston.)

2. Tracey Chamberlain. What a guy. He’s been around Bible Bowl a long time and he is still extremely passionate about the game. I can remember Tracey from Christian’s seventh grade year – he was always so encouraging to him. Interesting that in the Lord’s Providence, Christian would wind up in an exclusive friendship with Tracey’s Ruthie. I remember Ruthie going 0-11 at the Round Robin at Nationals (2008), I’m sure he was frustrated but he was so wise in his dealings with Ms. Ruth. (Something I would get to see this year in how he dealt with Christian.) I don’t think he expressed too much frustration, at least to her – but he always had a plan. After that I would look out of our hotel room and see Ruthie quoting with Tracey in the bar area what seemed to be all the time. And it worked – she went from placing 12th in the RR to getting 5th in the Double Elim that year.

One of the things that I most appreciated about Tracey is that he was exceedingly wise (at least in my opinion) on how to deal with Christian. My son can be/is/was a difficult player to coach. I know that, I’m his dad. I guess it takes one to know one – if you know what I mean. Tracey was smart in not overcoaching him. That was certainly my tendency when Christian was younger. Great players (I guess I can say that about him now) typically know what they need to do to be prepared when it counts. When we placed 11th out of 12 in the January Round Robin just before Tracey started working with the boys, he didn’t start by trying to change his game – Tracey just went to work. He started putting a text foundation in place. The next four months when we would do no better than 4th in the RR (and had fallen out of the Top 16 in the coaches poll) – Tracey knew we would be okay. When Christian would buzz on keywords and not say anything other than, “It’s a keyword” – he didn’t panic. He would say “You won’t miss those in June.” Tracey trusted Christian more than any coach he has ever had. He listened to Christian. Oh, he would disagree but he would hear him out. It was a special thing to watch develop over the course of those months. I can remember Christian explaining to Tracey and I that the questions at the tournaments were rewarding the quick and the jumpy but that Nationals questions would punish those who were really quick on the draw. I kinda rolled my eyes and asked Tracey what he thought thinking he would say it was a bunch of excuse making and he said, “It makes sense to me.”

Some of my favorite quotes from Tracey this year:

“I’ve never had a player who had your buzzing percentage.” To Jake after he went 0 for 4 on specialty buzzes during the Double Elimination at Nationals.

“Don’t feel obligated to eat all those.” To Jake while he was stuffing fistfuls of potato chips into his mouth.

“If Christian buzzes on a three part specialty, I GUARANTEE he’s going to get one of them!” Poking fun at Christian’s propensity to buzz way too early on two and three part questions.

It was also such blessing this year to have him around our family – and not just from a Bible Bowl standpoint. He was so grandfatherly to the children – nothing was cuter than Micah pulling on his pant leg and yelling at him, “Tracey, Tracey!” to get his attention. Tracey would yell back at Micah, “WHAT!?!?” And then laugh – so sweet to see their interaction. What we were able to experience this year playing as a family, having Tracey as our coach – is something that is very difficult to find in bigger programs. Tracey spent nearly two straight months with our boys – coaching them, not just in the game per se but in life. It wasn’t about ‘the program’ – it was about the team as a family. We will be forever grateful for what Tracey did this year. He invested so much time, energy and money into our boys – I still can’t believe the sacrifices he would make driving down here every month, taking the boys to the tournaments and Nationals, hobbling on sore knees and countless other untold things he would do. Tracey is the consummate Bible Bowl sponsor – working tirelessly, unnoticed by most but doing what he has done for the past 30 years, that is giving his heart to kids in a program that makes the memorization of the Bible the top priority. So Tracey, from the bottom of all of our hearts – thank you for what you have given to our family this past year. We love and appreciate you.

July 13, 2010 + Bible Bowl

Bible Bowl Thoughts…Part 3

by April Kelley

Championship Day…round by round.

(Quick side note: usually my wife edits these for me…I know I’m leaving out words, commas, etc. Please forgive me for being sloppy.)

Round 4 was the previous day but it was a game that I was truly concerned about. We played Southeast 1. Danielle is an excellent player and seems to always get geared up to play Christian – she is also extremely accurate, if she buzzes she’ll get it right. Well sure enough, she came out firing going 4/4 in the first 7 questions and taking the two rebounds we gave her. Christian was 1/3 in the first 7 and we were down 235-45 going into question 8. At that point, Christian kicked it in gear and went 9/11 on the last 13 questions and we pulled away for a 455-330 win. I was very thankful to get out of that game with a win. Christian went 10/14.

Round 6 we played Beavercreek. Again, a dangerous player – she really took it to Christian at KCU winning by over 200 pts. The game was never really in doubt – we won on question 15 – Christian went 9/11.

Round 8 we played Valley View 1. I didn’t think we had a shot – and we didn’t. They went 7/9 and Christian went 4/11. The game was over at question 16. They played like defending National Champs winning 510-250.

Round 9 it was Beavercreek again. Christian played extremely well going 9/12 and we won on question 17.

Round 10 we played Washington. This would be our toughest game until game 2 of the championship. Christian didn’t play his best, we were taking what they would give and we were down by two questions at one point. After question 15, they were up by 25. Christian got 16, 17, 18 – reached 400, game over. Christian always enjoyed playing Bethany and Kelsey and Delisa said after the game that if Bethany had to lose to somebody she would want it to be Christian. That comment is a good marker of the folks at Washington – folks full of grace and encouragement. They embody the spirit of what Bible Bowl should be about being fiercely competitive but genuine and encouraging win or lose.

Round 11 we played Valley View 3. I was worried about this one. Grace is an outstanding player and one of the many up and coming freshman. VV 3 beat the boys at least twice over the summer. But, this is when Christian started to hit his stride and play the best I have ever seen him play. He went 12/14 – the game was never really in question, we were up 265-70 at question 10.

Round 12 we played Mt. View. This kid scared me to death because he was unpredictable. In the middle of the RR game on Friday, he gets a nose bleed on the last question, calls time and shoves a piece of paper (not a kleenex, a piece of paper!) up his nostril before he sits back down to play. Anyway, Christian gives him the first two questions of the game, and then Mt. View gets the next three. After question five, they are up 190-0 and only need 5 of the last 15 questions to win. I honestly thought it was over. But then Christian gets the next 10 questions!!!!!! He went 8/8, got two rebounds – game over. It was the best game I have ever seen him play.

Round 13 we played Worthington. I didn’t know what to expect because I don’t know enough about them. They pulled within 35 at question 13 (245-210) but then Christian got the next three…game over on question 16. Christian went 7/11.

Round 14 we made it back to the Championship game and low and behold, guess who was waiting for us?!? Only the best team from the best program in the whole world. Again, I was thinking about what a good run the boys had made, too bad it was going to end – in my mind VV 1 was too tough – I was sure, they had the mental edge on Christian. But as Providence would have it, Christian still had another good round left – he played well, taking their five ‘earlies’ and playing a steady game – it was over at question 14. He went 7/11. This game was strangely familiar to last year’s game 1 of the championship.

Round 15 – last game. It didn’t start well. Christian buzzed in and MISQUOTED a keyword question – are you kidding me?!?!?!?!? But, in one of my proudest moments as a dad, when asked by David Strange if he misspoke, he put up no fight, he simply agreed with Evan. That took guts and, I was sure we would lose by that simple mistake. VV would get the first three, then we traded questions for awhile, we pulled within 15 pts on question 10. But then VV got the next four, 11-14. They were up 340-175 at question 15. All they needed was one of the last six to win. I was thinking to myself what a good run the boys made, how proud I was that Christian was honest – that there was no shame in losing to one of the best teams to ever play, etc. But again, Providence was very kind to us. Christian got an early buzz on a three-part specialty (back-to-backs)…this was a miracle considering he was 46% in the double elim on specialty toss ups. Question 16 was bounced to us…now it’s 340-255. Christian gets 17, a keyword toss up. 340-290. He has a great buzz on 18, a two-part general cross reference on Eve from next year’s text…this was a really great buzz…we miss all of the bonus asking for the keyword BEFORE the one given (of course, I’m trying to tell my boys this through telepathy but nothing is getting through!) 340-300. Question 19 is a keyword buzz that Christian buzzed on when he heard the word required or require (which ever is not the keyword), he realized it was too early, recalled the California was making it optional for students to say the ‘pledge’ and nailed it! It was an unbelievable buzz! We get all of the 40 point bonus to go up by 10, 350-340. Question 20, I don’t remember much about it at all, I heard Evan buzz and miss…Christian got the rebound and he quoted as slow as he ever has, even though we had won. I asked him later why he did that and he said that he wanted to savor his last question ever in Bible Bowl.

We won. It was the best that Christian had ever played in those final few questions. I will have more thoughts on that later but looking at the stats it’s very easy to see why we did so well…Christian was 78% (53/69) on keyword questions in the double elim (Round 4 and beyond), 75% on generals (18/24)…specialties his biggest weakness throughout his career, not from a lack of knowledge but an inability to stay off and be patient, he was 46% (10/22)…that’s 70.4% on early buzzes. That is tough to beat. All for now…I hope you’re enjoying reading these as much I am enjoying reliving last week.