For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior,
Philippians 3:20
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear Friends and Family,
God Bless America!
We are praising God! The Kanyike children are finally Americans!
We want to thank everyone who has been praying for this day for so long. It was hard to remain hopeful and believe it would finally come to pass, and we could not have done it with out you.
I never thought it would take my children so long of a time to legally become my children or to be Americans. The process of both was very long.
I became a mother in June 2010 when I first met Luke, then again in 2011 and 2014 with Laylee and Liana. Each of these gifts from God were miraculous to Brian and I. With Luke, the elders of the church had prayed for me on a Wednesday to get a baby. On Friday, a friend who was adopting, as well as a friend who worked for the babies home called me that a baby had just arrived that they were sure was our son. By the following Monday, Brian and I, began the process of bringing Luke home.
With Laylee, we had taken a couple from the USA to a different babies home to meet the baby they were matched with. We saw Laylee then and inquired about her. At that time, that particular babies home only did international adoptions. A couple months later we were contacted out of the blue and asked to come in for a meeting. They told us that they were beginning to do in-country adoptions and they had a baby they thought was multicultural and wanted to place her with a mixed couple. It was Laylee. She came home 5 days later.
In 2014 my nephew was visiting. He is adopted and wanted to visit a baby home to see how adoptions were done in Uganda. It was on that visit we met Liana. I knew immediately she was my daughter but were told that she was not adoptable because she might not be Ugandan. I prayed because I knew she was ours. 4 months later they called and asked if we still wanted Liana. Of course I said yes. She came home 3 days later. Each of our children are a miracle. We thank the Lord everyday for giving us these precious gifts.
In Uganda you have to have the children in your home for 3 years before they will finalize the adoption. When Luke was 4, we began the process for him and Laylee to be finalized. Every couple months we would be given a date for court only to arrive at the courthouse and be told it was canceled. This went on till 2017 when finally after many failed attempts and tears we were able to finalize the adoption of all three children. This picture was us in our “Court Clothes.”
The next step was to apply for the children’s American citizenship. We first applied for their USA visas so we could travel to the US. We were granted visas in 2018. While we were waiting for the visas to arrive, we were contacted by Ugandan Social workers telling us that there was a new law that required a new special certificate to be issued for adoptions in order to apply for citizenship. We traveled to the US as planned but we could not apply for citizenship at that time. In 2020 we finally had the certificates we needed and planned to travel to the US and meet with a lawyer. My father passed away and we travelled sooner than expected. After the funeral we were waiting for our meeting with the lawyer when covid shut everything down. Our meeting was canceled and we returned to Uganda. I decided to gather the necessary documents and file the applications myself. I sent everything in the Fall of 2020. I was told we would be called in 6—18 months for an interview. In May of 2024, we were finally called for our interview. I am so thankful for the immigration counselor we were paired with because he made the rest of the process so easy and not stressful. I am so happy to say that on June 11, 2024, the Kanyike children were sworn in as American citizens!
We are not finished yet. We have applied for the children’s American passports. They were denied once with a request for more certified proof that they are my children and that I am American. We have resubmitted and are praying all goes well and they will have their passports soon. Please be praying for us that this happens and for them to be able to receive their social security numbers afterwards as well.
While we wait we are spending time with my family who the children haven’t seen since 2020. Luke and Laylee were able to celebrate their birthdays, 14 and 13, for the first time with my family. All the children celebrated their first 4th of July as Americans too.
Thank you for praying for our family and for the ministry in Uganda.
In Him,
Brian, Jill, Luke, Laylee, and Liana
PRAYER REQUESTS
- We are so thankful for the many prayers that were answered for the Kanyike children to get their citizenship.
- Please pray for Arise Christian Fellowship and the FRM Guesthouse while the Kanyikes are away.
- Pray that the Kanyike children would get their American passports.
- Pray for the time the Kanyikes get to spend with Jill’s family and with her home church, Calvary Chapel Saving Grace.
- Pray for provision for the many expenses involved with getting the children’s citizenship, travel, and being in the States.
- Pray for Brian as he encourages and leads the ministry team at Arise Christian Fellowship over the internet/phone while away.
- Please prayerfully consider becoming part of the Kanyike Family support team.