Foster Care_thumbBy Chips Ross

The cell phone rings as Kiyle and Anissa Decker return home to Grace Baptist Church, Eureka, Calif., from a California Association of Regular Baptist Churches retreat in Cambria. A county official asks if the family would take in two foster kids, both girls, a baby and a 5-year-old. “Yes, we’ll take them!” answers Anissa with no hesitation. But God’s blessing is more than just adding these two to the Decker home; His blessing permeates Kiyle’s life, the ministry of Grace Baptist Church, and the county foster care system.

The first of three threads in this story started five years ago, when Kiyle began experiencing stomach problems. First he adjusted his diet, but that helped for only a short time. Cleansing and homeopathic remedies also failed to give long-term help. The problems continued to the point where Kiyle’s digestive system was no longer working. “I didn’t understand what was going on,” he says. Doctor visits provided no answers.