A very special family from up north in Wisconsin shares their story.
I am blessed. I have a loving wife who is a good teacher and mama to our children, and I have a job that I love (I pastor a church here in Racine, Wisconsin, where we live), and we have nine beautiful children that God has allowed us to raise.
My name is Ken Oederkirk, and I am the pastor at Hope United Christian Church; and I have been the pastor there for seven years. My wife, Maggie, is a certified homeschooling instructor; she teaches our children at home; so she is always home with the children while I do my pastoral work at or away from my church. But our main reason for living (besides serving our Mighty Lord, that is) is raising our children.
We have a veritable United Nations in our family, and we have children who are black, brown, and yellow, in addition to white. Our children come to us from places like Siberia, in Russia, the African savannahs of Eastern Africa, in Kenya, the rice fields of South Korea, the teeming, overcrowded villages of India, and the warm, balmy lands of Mexico and South America. But through adoption, they are all our own, and we have delighted in their presence ever since their arrival into our lives.
Before we adopted eight of our nine children, we just had the one, our only daughter, Rachelle Morgana, who is now a teenager. Rachelle is a beautiful young lady, but her life is sadly, far from normal. She is in a wheelchair and cannot communicate that well because she was born with brain damage and cerebral palsy that has affected her entire body. She will probably never walk or talk, but she is a very happy little girl, and she just absolutely embraces life and cherishes each moment of it. To her life is nothing but a big adventure, and she just gets so much out of the simpler things in life.
Rachelle's story is a very sad one. She was born one of twins, both girls (her twin sister's name was Raquelle Marie; and she died shortly after birth), but she was born with obvious problems that doctors really couldn't put a finger on; but what problems she DID have were serious; and by the age of two, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and significant brain damage. Still, she has surpassed all expectations put upon her by doctors and therapists; and while she may never be able to walk or talk on her own, she is still a very smart little girl who lets her thoughts and feelings known in a very concrete, concise manner. She is a lot smarter than what people give her credit for, and she is a very delightful child.
After Rachelle came our first adopted child, Michael, who came to us at the age of six; he is now thirteen, and he is a very spunky, gregarious lad with an outgoing personality. Michael Tadesse was born in Kenya, Africa, and he had polio as a very small child, which left him paralyzed from the waist on down and requiring the aid of Lofstrand (forearm) crutches and leg braces in order to walk; but even being on crutches or braces hasn't slowed him down any. He gets around better than most people do on two legs, and he reminds us of a tall, dark cheetah; he is just so light and fast on his crutches and braces!
Next in line is Mark Igor, a chubby little fellow with fire-red hair and expressive brown eyes, who came to us from Russia. Mark seems like a normal, everyday kid to most people, but few people know of his true nature. You see, Mark has severe behavioral problems that require constant monitoring and medication, or without either, he can turn violent and unpredictable. He has severe emotional problems, and there is suspicion that he may have been molested or abused in some way, which may explain for his extreme behavioral problems; but when he is on his medication, he is a very sweet and loving child with a quiet, unassuming nature.
After the two older boys come our twin little Masai princesses, Danielle and Gabrielle, who, like their older adoptive brother Michael, hail from Kenya, Africa. And like their brother, they are Masai, too. The two little girls, who are twin copies of one another, are healthy little children, but they do have some learning disabilities that require special education. Like their brother, the little girls are thin in build, but they are rather short in height (but not too terribly so). Both girls are always together, and they never run out of ideas for games or playtime; and they are very noisy and mischevious at times. They can try our patience! It seems that the only time they are ever still are when they are asleep or at church!
After the twin girls comes our little Buddha, Roger Lee Kim, who at seven, resembles a miniature Sumo wrestler. He is chubby and roly poly, and he just loves to eat; it seems that the boy always has cake or candy in his chubby little hands! He is deaf and mute (he was born this way), but he is otherwise healthy (but is rather overweight, thanks to his fondness for sweets and junk food!). Like his two twin sisters, he is very active; but we are worried that he may have diabetes because he hasn't lost weight; but so far tests have come back negative, thank goodness!
Jennifer Amina, at five, is our youngest daughter, and she came to us from India, in a remote village near the city of Calcutta. She was born brain damaged, but can walk with the aid of leg braces and a wheeled walker; and she is also learning to talk. She can say a few words now, and is making slow, but steady, progress in her therapies. Jennifer Amina is our little spy: she is always spying on the other kids; and she lets us know what they are up to. Life is never dull with Jennifer around!
Jeraldo Manuel, our four-year-old son, was born in South America, in the country of Colombia; and he is a Miracle in all senses. He was born with only part of his brain, and because of it, he was left severely physically and mentally disabled, but he is a little charmer with his super-long lashes, huge, luminous dark eyes, and round, chubby-cheeked face that can melt the heart of any person once they first see him. He is always smiling, it seems, especially if he is around people, and he adores being the center of attention, which he usually is. He has an adorable, outgoing personality, and as long as there are people about, he is very happy! (Jeraldo is in a wheelchair, and he is tube-fed and wears diapers; but he is a loving little guy with a good heart about him, and he always has a grin on his face! He has such a courageous spirit about him, and he never ceases to amaze all who meet him!)
Finally, but certainly NOT least, is our baby boy, Rivera. Rivera. Now there is a little ham if there ever was one! Born in Mexico, he was born hearing-impaired (deaf and mute, like his older brother, Roger Lee), but he is very healthy otherwise, and he is now discovering life; and to him, life is nothing but one opportunity after another. He makes us laugh with his crazy antics, and he is hardly ever still. If he IS still, then we know that he must be ill; but thankfully, he hasn't been seriously ill other than a few ear infections. Rivera is a little jumping bean with an impish, determined attitude about him, and if there is one thing that he IS good at (besides creating unbelievable messes; you know how little babies or toddlers are!), it is managing to wrap his tiny self around your little finger!
That is our family...all nine of our children. And of course, Maggie and myself. God has indeed blessed us with these special children; and He has been blessing us ever since the arrival of our firstborn, Rachelle; and He has taught us that the handicapped/disabled child can teach us much about life and living, even with disability and seemingly tragic problems, and that they are people too, people who deserve a chance to succeed at life; and people who deserve compassion, hope, and understanding!
I am blessed. I have a loving wife who is a good teacher and mama to our children, and I have a job that I love (I pastor a church here in Racine, Wisconsin, where we live), and we have nine beautiful children that God has allowed us to raise.
