Raylynn’s Story
She was born on January 7th, 2020, but her story starts many years before. At 7 weeks premature, she weighed only 3 ½ pounds. A month in the NICU would decide her fate; where she would live and who she would call mom and dad. This little lady was a miracle and didn’t even know it.
Each human life is an amazing miracle and deserves every letter of accolade and recognition, but this is not the miracle of her life that I am talking about. She was a miracle because she was a gift to two people who realized they did not have the means to raise and care for her the way she deserved. Her parents decided to give her up for adoption. Her adoption and how it came together is the miracle.
You might say that love would keep this new family together and that they could make it through life somehow. Often, I would agree, but there are times when the chips of life are stacked against you in such a way that you know in your heart the best chance for that precious life is to give her up for adoption.
Make no mistake. Any decision to give your child up for adoption is an assault to the natural order of your heart. It is a heart-wrenching decision that carries a crushing weight of pain that can’t be minimized. Creation of a human being inside you is a God thing. It is a taste of His power that He has given to women. No mere mortal man will ever know what it is like to be so intimately joined to another being. My heart goes out to anyone who has had to surrender their precious baby for any reason.
Her Heart’s Desire
On January 6th, Kelly, a mother of two, was praying and listening to worship music. Her oldest would be 18 in a month and her youngest 14, two months later. Much was on her heart this day as she contemplated the past year.
As a young girl, Kelly wanted a big family and imagined having several children. When marriage came, two children seemed to be the magic number for this young couple. As the years passed, Kelly’s desire for more children grew. Not because she didn’t love her two children, but because she did love them. Kelly has a well-spring of love for children in her that would drown most of us. Each of her children would grow up knowing that their mother loved them completely and unconditionally. Both children were secure in their relationship with their mom.
As Kelly’s desire for another child grew, so did the frequency of discussion for another child with her husband. Growing up as a single child, her husband, Jonathan, was content with their two children and did not want to start over. When Kelly approached the topic, it usually ended in tears and hard feelings. As their kids aged though, Jonathan began to want another child as well. Having had a vasectomy after their second child posed a problem for having a third child together. When their son, Caleb, was 14 and their daughter, Kylee, was 10, Kelly and Jonathan sought medical help and reversed his vasectomy.
It became apparent the following year, that the reversal had not worked.
That Secret Place Inside Each of Us
I have found that there is a timing for certain seasons of our lives. Our heart and mind often need time to grow and meet together in that secret place inside each of us. Sometimes we need a little nudge to bridge the gap. A little nudge is just what Kelly received.
In August 2018, Caleb, who played the drums for their church band, came home one day after he had been spending time with the church band leader and his wife, who had a new baby. He told his mother that he had been able to hold their new baby. Caleb then asked his mother if she had ever considered adopting a child.
Once, many years before, the idea of adopting a child had been suggested. Kelly dismissed the idea. Her dream and the desire of her heart was to have another child with her husband.
When Caleb posed this question to his mother, he had no way of knowing that at church that morning, the Lord had spoken to his mother. Kelly heard clearly, “You need to be open to adoption.” These were words of thought that came from no will or intention of her own. In her heart, she was surprised and thought, “What? No!” Her first instinct was that she didn’t want to adopt. Her second thought was, did I really just hear that? She heard the words again and thoughtfully considered them.
Kelly said nothing to her son about her experience that morning. Nor did she say anything about it for the next two weeks. Her husband had been away and they had not had a chance to talk much while he was gone. When he returned, they had an opportunity to catch up. In their conversation, Jonathan told Kelly that he had been working with someone who was adopting two little girls with his wife. He suggested that maybe they could adopt a child. To his surprise, Kelly burst into tears.
Thinking he had said something wrong, Jonathan asked if she was ok. Kelly told Jonathan how the Lord had spoken to her at church. She also shared the question Caleb had asked her about adopting a child, and now he was asking the same thing. The topic of adoption had never been seriously discussed and now within two weeks there were three people telling Kelly to consider adoption.
Hope
Old desires were replaced with hope and a new desire to adopt a child that needed them. Six months later, Kelly and Jonathan had finished all their paperwork and home visits, and were finally certified to adopt a child. With one catch. They could not approach any pregnant woman to say they would be willing to adopt her unborn child. Instead, they would have to spread the word through family, friends, church, social media and any other resources available to let the world at large know their intentions.
Kelly and Jonathan made booklets of their family which contained photos and family bios. This was an expensive undertaking but allowed them to share who they were and why they wanted to adopt a child. These were distributed to organizations like Idaho Youth Ranch and others who worked with pregnant mothers. They felt confident that God would bring a child into their home to become part of their family. With an unexpected gift of a crib and changing table, it looked like the Lord was confirming their decision to adopt.
As they waited for a call to adopt a child, what seemed so sure in the beginning began to fade. Kelly began to wonder if the Lord had really spoken to her. Several months passed and no child came. Kelly struggled with discouragement. If adoption was from the Lord, wouldn’t a door have opened by now? She had wanted another child for so long and now that she was getting older, she was beginning to wonder if she could physically hold up to the rigors of raising a child. How long do you hold on to a dream you have had since childhood?
Eventually, the discouragement passed and acceptance began to settle in Kelly’s heart. Ironically, what had been a dream that Kelly carried alone, now became important to Jonathan. He had increasingly been burdened with the desire to help children who needed it. By Christmas, 2019, Jonathan was overwhelmed with yearning to help a child in need. If adoption was not possible, perhaps fostering children was. After sharing his feelings with Kelly, the two decided to look into being foster parents.
Between Christmas and New Year’s, Kelly began praying about who could use the crib and changing table they had been given. The crib and changing table had been wrapped up neatly for almost a year, waiting for the day a baby came home. Since it looked like that was not happening, Kelly realized those things should be given to someone who could use them.
Do Something
On January 6th 2020, as Kelly was worshiping, she was considering the transformation of her dream from having a baby, to adopting a baby and now the idea of fostering older children. She had surrendered her heart’s desire for another baby and was at peace, but still had the crib and changing table to give away. In her prayer, she asked the Lord for direction and what she should do about fostering a child.
Bare moments later, the Matthew West song “Do Something” came on. If you have never heard the song, the central character is complaining to God about all of the wrongs that he sees; “people living in poverty, children sold into slavery and wondering when there will be an end to all this pain.” He asks God, “Why don’t You do something?”
God’s response is, “I did. I created you.”
The timing of the song was perfect and brought Kelly to tears and with it, the knowledge that she was on the right path. That evening, Kelly spoke with her dad and told him the ship had sailed on the idea of adoption. She said she was ready to move on and that they were looking into fostering children. She and Jonathan had an appointment on January 8th, 2020, to take the next step in becoming foster parents.
A Confusing Blow
The evening of January 7th, Kelly received a text telling her there was a baby girl in need of a home and asking if she and Jonathan were still interested in adopting a child. The emotional rollercoaster began immediately.
At first, Kelly was unsure. She had already decided the idea of adoption was behind her. Now she had to consider it again. Kelly and Jonathan’s first steps into the life of this baby girl were cautious. As they learned more, they grew closer to this tiny life.
From the start, everything seemed to be moving forward, but problems arose because this tiny being was now a ward of the State with a shelter order in place. Since Kelly and Jonathan were certified for private adoption only, they would not be able to adopt her. The only other avenue to adopt was to be certified foster parents, which they were not. To become foster parents would take 6-8 weeks, but by that time, this little baby would be sent to an existing foster home. Just when they had accepted the idea of a new addition to their home, they were told the adoption would not be possible. It was a confusing blow.
Three grueling weeks passed. Each day was an emotional ride. One day was up when they were being told the adoption would happen. The next day was down when they were told it could not happen. Every day they were talking with either the hospital staff, social workers or attorneys. In all this time, Kelly was not allowed to see this little girl because of the shelter order placed by the State.
Kelly and Jonathan were finally told there was no way to adopt outside of the state system. This had never happened in the state system before and there were no protocols to follow to allow this adoption to take place. Kelly and Jonathan were told that a foster family was ready to receive this new life.
Kelly had grown to love this baby girl even though she had not been allowed to see or hold her. Her fears were that she would go to a foster family only to be lost in the system. It was incomprehensible that they were so close only to be told no. It was unfortunate, but the State’s primary concern was for the welfare and safety of the child and they would have to follow the State’s rules.
To Hold That Dream
Kelly and Jonathan spoke with their attorney, who in turn spoke with the state attorney general who stepped in to help. The attorney general had already heard about this family who wanted to adopt a premature baby. Working with the courts and both sets of parents, the attorney general accomplished something that had never been done.
The attorney general facilitated an emergency court meeting to drop the shelter order that made this infant child a ward of the state. This allowed Kelly and Jonathan to become legal guardians. On January 30th, 2020, Kelly’s dream came true and she was allowed to hold that dream in the form of a premature and fragile little girl.
By January 31st, Kelly’s bags were packed and she spent the next two days in the NICU with her new daughter, learning her care program and discovering who this little person was. Although the shelter order would not be officially lifted until court on Monday, hospital social workers communicated with state social workers to allow Kelly the time she needed to prepare her for the baby’s discharge by the coming Monday. It wasn’t until the evening of February 2nd, that Jonathan was able to meet her.
On the evening of Monday, February 3rd, after the emergency court meeting and two more court hearings in one very long day, Kelly and Jonathan brought their new baby girl home.
The Signature of Jesus Christ
When it became clear that Kelly and Jonathan would become the new parents, the baby’s name started being discussed. The birth-mother had named her, Raven. Kelly wanted to be sensitive to Raven’s mother and her choice of a name, but was hoping for something that reflected the gift that this little girl truly was.
Jonathan came up with the name Raylynn Kelly in place of Raven. He thought Raylynn sounded like, Raven. Also, Lynn was the middle name of both mothers. The two women were a Kelly Lynn and a Lynn Kelly. Each spelled their middle name the same. Kelly liked the name Hope for a middle name because she saw so much hope. There was hope for Raven’s parents to manage their struggles, hope for Raven to be given a life that her parents desired for her and hope for Kelly and Jonathan to love another child.
The two mothers discussed Raven’s name. The birth-mother liked the new name, Raylynn Hope. When the birth- father learned of Raylynn’s new name, he said that Raylynn was his oldest daughter and his sister’s middle name. The coincidence was amazing, but Kelly realized that it was more than coincidence. It was the signature of Jesus Christ revealing that He was in complete control of each life represented.
Miracle Divine
One last event sealed the gift of this miracle.
The attorney fees were climbing for Kelly and Jonathan. They would handle the expense but it was a burden that would make life more difficult. Over two years before, Kelly’s blood-father passed away leaving money to his two daughters and widowed wife. The estate should have been settled over a year and a half earlier, but problems prevented it from being resolved. As Kelly and Jonathan brought home their new daughter, Kelly’s late-father’s estate settled and provided them all of the money to pay off their attorney fees.
The timing of the adoption, care for all parties involved and all expenses were taken care of completely. If you look at the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, you will find the life of Jesus Christ and in every circumstance, Jesus took care of everyone and covered all of the expenses. Some examples are; feeding the 5000 (Luke 9:10-18 NIV), feeding the 4000 (Mark 8:1-9 NASB) and Peter and the two-drachma tax (Matthew 17:24-27 NASB).
As Kelly’s heart turned towards the heart of this tiny life, love welled up and threatened to overcome her. In her own words, Kelly could not imagine loving so much.
Several months passed before the adoption was complete. On the day of the last court hearing, Kelly and Jonathan’s attorney told them that if Raylynn had been delivered at her due date, Kelly and Jonathan would never have been able to adopt her. The courts had been closed due to COVID-19. Raylynn would have gone into the foster care system. It was truly a miracle divine.
Some Dreams are Worth Waiting For
From the beginning of a heart’s desire to its fulfillment could be many years. We see through a mirror dimly, but God sees clearly around every corner and crevice of time. Kelly’s journey taught her that God sees every heart and He hears every prayer. She has learned that some dreams are worth waiting for. Now, when she looks at her daughter and remembers her heart’s desire, she can say, it was always you.
How Many Coincidences Does It Take?
Have you ever had a miracle in your life? Would you describe it as an event or circumstance that was so extraordinary it was almost impossible to believe? There are times that we seem to be led to a dead-end of our reasoning only to discover there was an answer or solution hiding in the darkness of our understanding. It was an answer so preposterous that nothing would allow us to believe it could actually happen. When the impossible does happen, what do you do? Who gets the credit? Do you write it off as coincidence or do you look for the source of the miracle? A miracle is divine in origin and should be proof of the existence of God. If you doubt that, then how many coincidences does it take before it is a miracle?
