OUR TRADITIONAL AMERICAN
By Jaclyn Lanae Photos by Legacy
R
yan and Rhonda Kelly have been a team for a long time. They’re only in their early forties, but they’ve already been through a lot together: three homes in two different communities, several jobs, 26 years of marriage, 11 children (yes, 11) and a total of seven trips to China. The high school sweethearts were well into raising three boys and a girl – Jake, Josh, Julia and Jonah – when they decided they were done having children. Ryan visited his doctor and they went on with their ‘busy, American lives.’ Until one Sunday morning, the second of January, 2005. Rhonda was laying in bed watching the snow fall outside their window when she had an experience with God. “He said ‘You need to go to China to get your baby girl’.” She first reeled in shock, and then forced herself into an uncomfortable state of denial. “Um, I don’t
LIFE think so…” she thought. So, she did nothing and told no one. “It was weird; it was crazy!” But, the experience nagged at her. One afternoon at Chuck E. Cheese, while the kids were playing, Rhonda looked across the table at her husband. “What would you think about adopting a baby from China?” He stared at her for several long moments. She was sure he would shut her down, bring her back to reality and remind her they already had four children of their own and he had just bought his father’s construction business. Instead he said “ok.” She balked. She brought up all
the reasons she thought it was crazy, brought up all the reasons it would be hard and reminded him they had no idea what was required or how to begin the process. Still, the message pulled her attention and hounded her from the back of her mind. So, Rhonda began doing some research. Then, she called her mother. “My mom is my best friend. We’re really close, and I was sure she would talk some sense in to me. She would remind me how busy I already was with four children.” Instead, Rhonda’s mother said, “I always knew you would adopt, I just didn’t