If you’ve been around for a while, you might remember Kelly and Kevenel, tiny twin brothers who came to live at Angel House eight years ago.
The original Angel House Orphanage building was destroyed in the 2010 earthquake. Every child in our care at that time was quickly placed in an adoptive family, and all of a sudden we became empty nesters. That was a very good thing—the silver lining inside that dark cloud of devastation.
Fast forward to April 2012. On the eve of reopening Angel House in a new location just around the corner, we welcomed twins Kelly and Kevenel, tiny three-week-old babies. They were the first children from this fresh beginning to go home with their forever family (you can read all about that journey HERE.) That was nearly six years ago, in June 2014. It seems like just yesterday that we wished this sweet family a happily ever after.
Kelly and Kevenel’s mom, Amanda, has given us a couple of updates over the years (read the first one HERE and the second one HERE,) and she’s back again to talk more in depth about their journey as a family.
The transition home
“Kelly and Kevenel’s transition home was good and hard all at the same time. I can’t imagine being in their little shoes; waking up one morning in all that is familiar, being carried to another country to all that is unfamiliar, and walking into a new home with strangers, yet family.”
“Kevenel processes internally. He held his grief close and chose to trust us through it. Kelly, on the other hand, struggled with his grief outwardly, and he physically wrestled it out with Mom on many different occasions. It was almost as if he wanted to see if I would love him through it, and once he realized that he had me and my love no matter what, his aggression calmed.”
“Kelly and Kevenel had two sisters waiting to welcome them home. Our youngest daughter struggled letting go of her “baby” position, but eventually she found her new role as big sister.”
“Adoption is a calling of the entire family. It affects every heart. God continues to show us that adoption can smooth our rough edges and help us look a little more like Jesus. It shows us His mercy and grace, love and compassion, and compels us to extend those to each other.”
“Because Kevenel and Kelly were only two years old when they came home, they grasped the English language really quickly. For some, language can be a very big hurdle to overcome, so we were thankful they did so well adjusting in this area. Trust concerning food can be another big hurdle. Children like Kevenel and Kelly need to know, probably more than anything else, that they can trust their new parents with one of their most important love languages… food! This one proved to be a struggle for us, and it took some time for them to trust that we will always be here to provide for them.”
“When the boys came home, they not only had two new parents but also two older sisters. With one trip, we doubled the number of children in our family. That was trying and sometimes overwhelming—I thought we were prepared, but honestly we were not. Meeting the boys’ needs and helping them manage their grief on top of our seeing to our girls’ needs and their own adjustment to our new family dynamic was difficult. I know that every parent struggles with their own adjustment issues—and each are equally important and a time of challenge for that particular family—but it’s hard for me to compare our transition with the experiences of others we know. Our situation was definitely unique.”
“Then, Ruby joined our family in June 2018 from India. She and the boys are all seven years old, so now we have triplets! They all love each other and have adjusted to life together very well. God's callings sometimes stretch us further than we think we can go, but the blessing of these five babies is such a gift. We are honored to have a front row seat to all God has in store for each of them.”
living life & dreams for the future
“Both Kevenel and Kelly love to play sports. Kelly is especially fond of sports; if it involves a ball of any kind, he wants to be a part of it! He is a lot like his daddy in that regard. He played football and basketball last year, just like his dad used to. This year he is playing soccer and loving it. TV, Wii, and legos with his brother and sisters are also favorite activities, as is checkers. His favorite food is hamburgers, his favorite color is red, and his current favorite song is “We Will Rock You” by Queen.”
“Kevenel is also loving soccer and really excels as a player. Like Kelly, he also played flag football and basketball last year. Kevenel also loves building with legos, toy cars, and playing Wii sports games. Like Kelly, he also favors hamburgers, but his favorite color is blue. His current favorite song is “Lions” by Skillet.”
“Both boys dream of a family of their own someday and becoming professional soccer players, though Kelly thinks he might want to be a fire fighter instead.”
“We made picture books for the boys to help keep the memories of everyone at Angel House alive. They remember their nannies and friends there through those pictures. They both look forward to visiting Haiti again someday, and we look forward to walking that path with them, too.”
There are other children at Angel House Orphanage who need sponsors too! If you'd like to learn more about being a part of a child's life until they go home, like Kelly and Kevenel, click here: