When James and Kaylee Wilson began their marriage, they disagreed on adoption. Kaylee had always dreamed of adopting a little girl from Africa, while James couldn’t imagine bringing home a child who wasn’t biologically his. Life, however, has a way of reshaping the heart, and over time, the couple’s journey took them far from anything they had expected. Years later, as they sat together in church, images of children living in poverty filled the screen. Something stirred inside James that he had never felt before. Those children’s faces broke through his hesitation and pride, awakening a calling he could no longer ignore. The loss of a pregnancy a few months earlier had already tested their faith, but this new moment of conviction gave them a renewed sense of purpose. It was clear to both that God was preparing them for something greater.
2016 after returning from their first trip to Kenya, they began the adoption process. Their hearts were open and ready, and adoption was no longer a backup plan—it was the beginning of their family. A little girl’s face captured their hearts as they scrolled through a waiting list of children. Her name was Emmanuella. She was tiny, beautiful, and HIV-positive, a diagnosis that didn’t deter them for a second. To James and Kaylee, her condition wasn’t a problem; it was simply part of who she was, and they were determined to give her a home filled with love and safety.
They started the process with little money, depending on faith and community support to raise the necessary funds. Friends stepped forward, helping them launch a small coffee company called Level Grounds Xpresso to cover adoption costs. Their leap of faith was met with generosity and miracles at every turn. When they were told they could travel to Ghana, they packed seven suitcases with food, diapers, and essentials, and Kaylee prepared to stay there until Emmanuella was strong enough to come home. Meeting their daughter for the first time in November 2016 was heartbreaking and beautiful. She was frail, undernourished, and scared, but the Wilsons saw something more—a spark of strength behind her sadness. Slowly, with patience and love, the little girl began to trust. Cheerios became her favorite comfort, and her smiles began to shine through the pain within weeks.
The separation was agonizing when James had to return to the United States to work. Kaylee stayed behind in a rural Ghanaian village with no running water and little communication with the outside world. She spent her days caring for Emmanuella, waiting for court dates that never seemed to come. At times, she went more than a week without hearing from her husband, clinging to prayer as her only lifeline. Those months tested her faith, yet every challenge deepened her resilience and bond with her daughter.
In April 2017, a phone call changed everything. The Tim Tebow Foundation offered them an $8,000 grant, covering nearly all of their remaining fees. James returned to Ghana, and for the first time in six months, the family was reunited. After two failed attempts, their third court hearing finally succeeded, Emmanuella Faith Wilson was legally theirs. Their joy multiplied when medical tests revealed something miraculous: Emmanuella no longer carried the HIV virus. What they once saw as a manageable condition had been replaced by complete healing. With renewed hope, they continued to wait for U.S. Embassy approval, enduring another long year of uncertainty, but never losing faith.
When their daughter’s visa was finally issued in June 2018, their 590 days in Ghana ended. They arrived home in Oregon with almost nothing but overwhelming gratitude. Emmanuella’s laughter filled their home, and every moment reminded them of how far faith had carried them. The business they started to fund her adoption grew into a nationwide company, allowing them to use their platform to raise awareness about adoption and the stigma surrounding HIV.
Looking back, James and Kaylee see beauty in every struggle. Their time in Ghana was hard, but it shaped their hearts in ways comfort never could. They learned that love is not bound by blood and that miracles have room to unfold when you step out in faith. Today, Emmanuella is thriving, perfectly at home with the parents who crossed oceans to find her. Their story is of hope, courage, and the unwavering belief that love always finds a way. Adopting one child didn’t change the world for the Wilsons, but for Emmanuella, it did.
