Pastor Mark and Kristy Kiser

[Music]

 

Dr. Ray: Hey everyone, this is Dr. Ray Self, and welcome to my show, Self Talk with me, Dr. Ray Self. I have a great show today. I got a very special interview with some very special guests today. I'm very excited to get into this show. And as usual, the show is sponsored by or, or it's made available by, Jesus mainly, but also the International College of Ministry, uh, makes this show, sponsors this show, and finances this show. Uh, we're enrolling right now at icmcollege.org. icmcollege.org. Uh, we're a Holy Spirit-filled seminary. So, if you got a call to God on your life and you would like to get an associate's, bachelor's, master's, or doctorate degree in ministry, theology, or Christian counseling, we'd love to talk to you. You can do this completely online. That's enough of the promo stuff. But anyway, let's talk about the show. This is going to be a great show. I cannot wait. Excited about. Don't forget to go to the website, icmcollege.org/selftalk, and subscribe to the show. Give us some reviews and share it, you know, all that good stuff. It always helps us a lot. So without any further ado, I want to welcome to my show, uh, Pastor…Pastor Mark and Kristy Kaiser from Benton Harbor, Michigan. Pastoring in Watervliet, Michigan, a church called The River. I was up there a few weeks ago. An amazing church. And you are, God— just welcome, I'm so glad you're here. 

 

Pastor Mark: Thank you for having us. 

 

Dr. Ray: So you guys, listen folks, I got to tell you this couple, I get ready to tell you about this couple is so supernatural that it's kind of like when you hear it, you go, “Say, what? No way. No way." But you know, Pastor Mark, I've known him for a few years. Got to spend some time with him just recently and his beautiful wife, Kristy. Uh, he works at a nuclear plant. Used to be a uh, a really, like a special ops guy for guarding a nuclear facility. Pretty, pretty heavy stuff. And that's pretty heavy stuff, right? And now you're, now you're still at the nuclear facility, uh, doing the, doing the maintenance so we don't have another Chornobyl. 

 

Pastor Mark: I know.

 

Dr. Ray: Thank you so much for that. Appreciate it very much. But me, and also you're a full-time pastor, which is amazing. You and you and your wife, Kristy. But one of the most amazing things, I mean, of course, glory to God for all that you guys do, you guys have fostered over 38 children. Is that, that's, I mean, that's incredible. Now, not only have you fostered 38 children, but you have adopted 10. 

 

Pastor Mark: Yes. 

 

Dr. Ray: Adopted 10. I mean, I'm saying that right, and are presently homeschooling nine. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yes. 

 

Dr. Ray: In the midst of all this, you have seen incredible miracles because these kids that you, you, you fostered, they were in need of help. They were, I mean, they were in need of something and, and God sent you. I, I don't know how you did it. I don't know how you still do it. And also, you're a soccer coach in the midst of all this. Okay. So, how do you foster 38 kids, you know, you know, and then…you, you adopt 10, and then you see God's hand because you have, you're dealing with, you know, fetal alcohol syndrome and, and kids where their, their mother was heavily hooked on drugs and some really serious stuff. But in the midst of it, you've seen miracle after miracle after miracle. I mean, tell us about that.

 

Pastor Kristy: Yes. 

 

Pastor Mark: Go ahead. 

 

Pastor Kristy: So, uh, we'll start with our first daughter, Emma. Um, she was called, or we were called to take her right, basically right after she was born. She was 12 hours old. Um, when we went to the hospital to meet her, her biological mom had left the hospital, left her there. Um, she wanted her drugs and alcohol more than uh, her daughter. So we went there and was told that she, Emma, was um, you know, positive for drugs, many drugs. Probably the only one…

 

Pastor Mark: Opium 

 

Pastor Kristy: …not in her system was…

 

Pastor Mark: Opium. 

 

Pastor Kristy: …opium, yes.

 

Dr. Ray: Opium was the only drug not in her system. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yes. 

 

Dr. Ray: She was 12 hours old. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yes. 12 hours old. Uh, her biological–

 

Dr. Ray: Her mother was using heavily while she was pregnant. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yes. She was found–

 

Dr. Ray: Unbelievable. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yep. She, the mom was found intoxicated in a back door of the hospital in active labor. Um, she didn't even take herself into the hospital. And so that's really where our journey began with Emma. Um, appointment after appointment after appointment. She had to get tested for numerous STDs that the mom may have, you know, passed on to her, testing for, um, fetal alcohol syndrome. Um, a lot of things as, you know, as she progressed. Um, she was in fact diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome, and at the time that was, she was what, 11months, 9, 11 months old, um, with official diagnosis, and we were told that it was so severe that she wouldn't be able to walk, she wouldn't be able to talk. She wouldn't be able to do anything but be in a wheelchair and never be able to…absolutely do nothing. You know, she would just be in a vegetative state, just lying there. Um… 

 

Dr. Ray: She would not be able to walk, talk, or she, she'd just be a vegetable. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yes. Wouldn't be able to do anything. Um, she wouldn't be able to learn. Uh, so many things that were just being thrown at us. And so, you know, we just prayed. We just continued to pray. And we just see, you know, her strive over the years. Um, she started walking at a normal age. She started talking at a normal age. Um, so she was meeting her milestones when she should have been when she was little. And, um, you know, she…tie her, she can tie her shoes. Um, so we've seen the miracles with her, you know, and when we went to court to adopt her, the judge said, "I thought I was going to see a child who was severely disabled, not being able to do anything, and here she is walking into this courtroom today." Um, and that was when she was two years old. 

 

Dr. Ray: Wow. I've met– Emma's how, how old is Emma now? 

 

Pastor Kristy: She's 19. 

 

Pastor Mark: 19. 

 

Dr. Ray: I met Emma. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yes. 

 

Dr. Ray: Emma is amazing. Amazing. Wow. She's amazing.

 

Pastor Kristy: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: …that she has, has ever suffered any handicap at all. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Right. 

 

Pastor Mark: They, they did tell us when she was little, it was before she could walk. Our pediatrician told us you need to homeschool her because she's going to have about 20 minutes a week where she'll actually retain knowledge. And so going to public school would be a waste because, you know, you got to be specific with that 20 minutes and hit it. So, um, that's when, you know, Kristy actually, she was able to quit work then and focus on raising the kids, and started homeschooling the kids. And, um, Emma is, she's pretty, if you saw her now with her CrossFit or her, the American Ninja Warrior stuff. She's, she's in super great shape. She's very athletic. Um, she's played soccer, but she really loved the CrossFit and the Ninja Warrior stuff. So, yes. 

 

Dr. Ray: Yeah. And wait, only 20 minutes? I remember you telling me about this when I was up there in Michigan. So, they said there was only 20 minutes a week where she could retain knowledge? And how would you know when that 20 minutes was? And was that true?

 

Pastor Kristy: Um, I want to say yes. At the beginning, when I first started, you know, schooling her, I could see it a little bit, but you could just tell that she was just soaking in the information. Uh, she would ask questions, um, where you could tell that she was starting to retain the information. Um, and so it was true then, but even so, like she's just making even today just strides with learning, and like, you know, all kinds of things. 

 

Pastor Mark: So she's 19, and she's still in school. Um, where you can really see her accelerate, and it's going to sound so cliché, Dr. Ray, is when she reads her Bible. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Mhm. 

 

Pastor Mark: She can remember the lyrics to worship songs and Bible verses like nobody's business. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yes. 

 

Pastor Mark: And that, those are the things that she really excels at. Um, she's a music fanatic. And she'll hear the first few notes of a song that comes on, and she's like, "Oh." And she'll start singing the song. And I'm like, "How many times you heard this song?" Twice. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yeah. 

 

Pastor Mark: You know, and she can retain so much information, especially with, especially with that stuff. Anything glorifying God is, it's like her, her sweet spot. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yep. Even now–

 

Dr. Ray: She remembers anything about glorifying God. 

Pastor Mark and Kristy: Yes. 

 

Dr. Ray: Miracle. I mean, incredible miracle. I mean, what, that's just, is so amazing. And so, and you, you, you have all these kids you've adopted nine of them, and they're– how many are still living with you? 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yeah, we adopted 10…

 

Dr. Ray: Oh, you adopted 10, okay.

 

Pastor Kristy: …and…

 

Pastor Mark: …and nine still living with us. 

 

Dr. Ray: Oh, that's right. You adopted 10, and nine still live with you. Oh my goodness. What a household. 

 

Pastor Mark: Yeah. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yes. 

 

Dr. Ray: So, you have a baseball team right there living with you. 

 

Pastor Mark: Pretty much. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yes. Yeah. 

 

Dr. Ray: Wow. That's just, I mean, how do you come to the place where you say, “I'm going to sacrifice myself, and I'm going to foster all these kids, and I'm going to adopt these kids, and I'm going to get these kids that are terrible, come from terrible backgrounds with terrible situations.” I mean, how do you get to this place? I mean, incr– how can you be that unselfish?

 

Pastor Kristy: Well…

 

Dr. Ray: I mean, it's amazing. How many people could do this? 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yeah. Well, so, that was…when we, when we felt the call to do this from the Lord, uh, Mark and I, we were in a position where we didn't have a home. We were living with his mom. Um, we did not have a lot of money. We were basically poor, very poor. And one night I had a dream, and the Lord, it was like a dream, but woke up into a vision. I don't even know if that's possible, but that's what it was like. That's how I can describe it. And so I, I began this dream, which I 100% know it was from the Lord. And the Lord began to speak to me about fostering and adopting children. And you know, in this dream I heard Him say, "It's because you guys are um, unselfish and your hearts are pure and this is, this is what I want you to do." And um, so I didn't even know what foster care was. I had no idea what it was. I mean, I knew what adoption was, but didn't even know what foster care was. And so, I told Mark about it. And then that began our journey into the process of, you know, adopting, well, fostering first and then adopting. And, you know, we just made a commitment to the Lord that we will not say no. 

 

Pastor Mark: Okay. I will, I will clarify this a lot clearer and be honest about it. 

 

Pastor Kristy: For your side.

 

Pastor Mark: When she first approached me about foster care, I said, "No way. I don't want anybody else's problems. I got enough of my own.” 

 

Dr. Ray: Right. 

 

Pastor Mark: And she said, "Just come to the class with me." So, because in Michigan it takes, at the time, it took about six months to get your license. And I'm like, "Fine, I'll go to the class with you." And went to a few more classes, and I learned a lot of stuff that, that goes on that you don't really think about as a foster– as a, as an adult with kids in the foster care system. Let me rephrase that. And so I'm like, "Okay." And we did it. And then I was still really apprehensive. So our very first kids we ever got, we were doing respit care. So they were already in foster care, and their foster dad was a truck driver, and he got into a car accident, broke his back. 

 

Dr. Ray: Mhm

 

Pastor Mark: So they needed somebody to take the kids for the weekend so their foster mom could go up to Grand Rapids, where he was in the hospital getting a surgery. And it was three little girls, and I won't tell their names, but um…it was a Friday night we got them, and that Saturday morning, they were um…18 months, three, and five, around that range. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yes. 

 

Pastor Mark: and the…the 18-month-old.

 

Pastor Kristy: Yes. 

 

Pastor Mark: The 18-month-old, you hear, had the, we had a play pen set up for her, and out of, out of the bedroom I hear, "Daddy, where are you?" And I went in there and opened the door, and she said, "There you are." 

 

Dr. Ray: Aww.

 

Pastor Mark: And it just melted in my heart. And from that point on, every time they called us with a kid, I said yes, every single time. Anytime we got a chance to adopt a kid, we adopted them. So, I never sent them anywhere else. You're with us until you go home. Um, and if they didn't, if nothing ever came up to adopt, I would keep them until as long as they needed to stay here. So, they came to our house, and they were instantly one of our kids. They were treated just like the kids that we had. Um, no different. If our kids got, they got, and everything about it. So… 

 

Pastor Krity: Yep.

 

Dr. Ray: That's an incredible act of unselfishness. I mean, most people, even good people, humble people, are too…We're all too selfish to, to say, "I'm not, I'm not going to raise that many kids. I can't do that. I don't, I don't, I don't have time. I don't have the energy. I don't have the money. I don't have the groceries." But speaking of groceries, you have, you told me when I was up there, how many eggs do you cook for breakfast on average? 

 

Pastor Mark: If I make French toast, it's 48 eggs and two loaves of bread. And if I make bacon, it's like three to five pounds of bacon for a breakfast. 

 

Dr. Ray: Oh my gosh. 28 eggs?

 

Pastor Mark: 48 

 

Pastor Kristy: 48 

 

Dr. Ray: 48 eggs for French–

 

Pastor Mark: Yeah. 

 

Dr. Ray: Oh my gosh. Are you like a Navy cook or something? I mean, it's… 

 

Pastor Mark: We're not going to know how to cook when it comes to just cooking for two or three of us. It's just not– we don't, we're going to have to figure that out. Yeah– 

 

Dr. Ray: Oh my goodness. And with all this going on, you had a call to ministry in the middle of it all. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yes. 

 

Pastor Mark: Right. 

 

Dr. Ray: Of course, you have a ministry. I mean, of course, what you're doing is a ministry, but you have a call to the pastorship and just took full-time, uh, position with uh, the River Church in Watervliet– 

 

Pastor Mark: Yeah, we were, um, set in as senior pastors on January 5th of this year. 

 

Dr. Ray: Yeah. 

 

Pastor Mark: I started the process…five years ago. About five years. Um, I went to a Band of Brothers concert, uh, conference in Crown Point, and they had the breakout sessions. One of them was um, um, a call to pastoralship. I don't know if that was the exact name of it, but that's kind of what it was. And I started going to a few of them classes and my pastor, my senior pastor at the time walked out as I was– walked by as I was walking out of the class and just kind of looked at me and said, "Hm," you know, because he was, he was, he was thinking about retirement, but at the time they didn't have anybody to...

 

Dr. Ray: Right

 

Pastor Mark: That was there to step up that call. So I started doing that, and then I started meeting with um, Keith Tusi, and I went to the uh, the NRP School of Ministry, um, and graduated in ‘23 from that, I was in the inaugural class of that um, and that taught me so much more, and then just made a lot of good connections. So, in the process over the past two years, it's been me and Pastor would go every other week to preach, or I would do two weeks, and he would do two weeks, something like that. Just kind of gradually worked me into it to where now it's been, you know, full-time this year. So it's all on me, you know, learning the, the executive part of pastoralship, you know, because there is a business side to it, too. You know, you still got to pay the bills and stuff like that. So that was new to me. I've never owned a business. I've never ran a business, but I have a great supporting staff. Um, the pastors, as you know, stayed on. They're still there, so I have them to lean on. And with the NRP, I have a lot of great connections for. If I have a question, I will get it answered. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yes

 

Dr. Ray: So, and just, just for clarity for the listeners, NRP is a, is a association called the Network of Related Pastors. And a matter of fact, our ministry, International College of Ministry is also a part of that. And so, uh, it's good, good network. They have a they have a confer– men's conference every year called Band of Brothers. You mentioned that too. So, usually about 400 guys praising the Lord. Pretty, pretty amazing stuff. But anyway, and Kris–, aren't you Kristy, aren't you a part of ICM? Internet? 

 

Pastor Kristy: I am. Yes. 

 

Dr. Ray: You're one of our students, too, yeah.

 

Pastor Kristy: Yeah, mhm.

 

Dr. Ray: I mean, it's just a, it's just an amazing story of unselfishness, of obedience to God. I mean, how many people, I mean, I've never met anybody that would do what you did. Now, I've known a lot of people in my life, but I've never met anybody like you before. And I don't know if, if the listening audience gets the, the concept of saying, "Okay, I'm going to foster 38 kids over the years, and I'm going to, now I'm going to adopt 10 and raise 10." And these are not just healthy kids either. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: These are kids that are in distress physically and emotionally and spiritually and every which way but loose. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yes. 

 

Dr. Ray: I mean, what a sacrifice. What an incredible sacrifice. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yes. 

 

Dr. Ray: It's just amazing story of God. 

 

Pastor Mark: And we are, [coughs] excuse me, we are very open with our kids. Um, that they were adopted. Um, we tell them when the time's right, if you want help finding your bio parents, we will help you with that. Um, we just want it done right. 

 

Dr. Ray: Yeah. 

 

Pastor Mark: And know that they're in a spot where they can handle it. Our, our oldest son that we adopted, um, his bio parents reached out to him and he basically said “No,” um, “I have my parents.” 

 

Dr. Ray: Right. 

 

Pastor Mark: “They raised me.” And, so it's, it's humbling in that aspect, um, it's always been difficult. I mean, it really has been difficult, it's not easy, it's not for everybody, um, to have that amount of kids. At one point, I think we had um, three infants, three two-year-olds, and two four-year-olds all at the same time. 

 

Dr. Ray: Wow. 

 

Pastor Mark: Yeah. And…

 

Pastor Kristy: Yep. 

 

Pastor Mark: Go ahead. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Oh, and then at one time just a…few years ago, five years ago.

 

Pastor Mark: Yeah. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Um, 

 

Pastor Mark: This was after–

 

Pastor Kristy: We had–

 

Pastor Kristy: Yeah. We had– 

 

Pastor Mark: After our kids were adopted. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yeah. We had a, we did a guardianship for four. So at the time, we had 17 children. 

 

Pastor Mark: Yeah. 

 

Dr. Ray: Oh my goodness. So let me just– there's two, two big questions: The most challenging thing about this journey and the most rewarding thing about this journey, what would you say?

 

Pastor Mark: …The most challenging thing for me is…is…for what now, the past 20 years. Um the, the challenging thing mentally part for for me as a man is you've given up everything for somebody else, you know. So everything from my...what, from my early 30s through now is…we're, we're married, we have a strong marriage, is giving it up for, for somebody else's kid, to give them an opportunity to be productive in society and have a good life and, and now that I think back on it I really believe - I'm getting off topic - really believe that that was my beginning journey of being a pastor. 

 

Dr. Ray: Yeah. 

 

Pastor Marl: That was that was where I learned because you have all the heartache, all the joy, all the pressure, everything of, of, of shephering and guarding and everything. Um, so it taught me a lot in that aspect. Um, that I didn't know then, but that's been the hardest thing for me is, is trading my life for somebody else's.

 

Dr. Ray: Right. 

 

Pastor Mark: I really feel like that's what I did. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Mhm. 

 

Dr. Ray: And you know Jesus said, "No greater love has– is this than a man lay down his life for another." So you laid down your life, you know, for these kids. 

 

Pastor Mark: Yeah.

 

Pastor Kristy: Yep.

 

Dr. Ray: It's amazing. That, that takes, to me it takes the strength of God. 

 

Pastor Mark: Yeah.

 

Dr. Ray: …takes the anointing of God to do that. I mean, because you can't do that, a, a normal man and woman. You, you can't do this. I mean, nobody could do this. But you did. Which tells me that, that God is with you, and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. It's an amazing…So, what's the, what's the best thing about this? 

 

Pastor Mark: For me? 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yeah. 

 

Pastor Mark: Um, I'll– yeah. For me, the best thing is…is…is, it's hard to say without tearing up. Um, is the love that I get from my kids knowing that I'm not their biological father. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yeah. 

 

Pastor Mark: But they know that I would do anything for them just as if they were my own. Um, we get asked a lot, when I say people, it's a great conversation piece when you start a conversation, “Well, I have 13 kids,” and watch the look on people's face. And, and they're like, “Are they all yours?” And I say, "Well, according to their birth certificate, yes, they all have my last name, so they're all mine." And, so for me is the love that I get unconditional from these kids. And that really, you know, the strength comes from God and all that, but that's really a great motivation to keep going every day.

 

Pastor Kristy: Yeah. For me, it's, you know, just seeing the growth in each one, you know, where, coming from where, you know, doctors are saying they, they won't be able to do this, or they won't be able to do that. And you know, putting in the effort and putting in the time to work with them to pray over them. You know that's not sacrificing, you know, to do that, but like, you know, all the therapies to get them to where they need to be, along with prayer, you know, to see, um, where they were and where they're, where they've come from. Um, that, that is so very rewarding. Like you know, our, our son, Isaiah, um he got diagnosed with a thyroid disease at 2 years old and um, the next doctor's visit I went back and I had to tell the doctor that the Lord told me to take him off of the medication and the doctor said, “You know that stuff never goes away” and I said, “Well do his blood work because it's going to come back just fine and he won't ever need it again,” and he's never had to have it again. So seeing, you know, God working and doctors see saying, "Oh my gosh." And judges saying, "Well, I thought this child was going to look like this." And they, you know, they walk into the courtroom walking and being bubbly and happy and joyful and…those are the rewards that, you know, I, I can see, you know, the healing virtues of the Lord working in, in our children. 

 

Pastor Mark: Yes. 

 

Dr. Ray: And I was very blessed to meet a number of your kids when I was up there. Don't ask me to get the names straight. I don't know how you even do that. 

 

Pastor Mark: Don't worry, I don't either.

 

All: Laughing

 

Dr. Ray: But it's just amazing. And then I don't, for some reason, um, Emma just jumps off the page at me because I remember talking to her and how gracious and smart and, and beautiful and intelligent she was. Then you told me that she was told that she could only remember something for 20 minutes, uh, a week. I mean, she only had 20 minutes a week when she could retain knowledge?

 

Pastor Kristy: Mhm.

 

Dr. Ray: No way. How incredible. Stuff like that you just can't make up. It's incredible.

 

Pastor Mark: Yeah. And she– and Emma, even at a young age, I mean, another, I'll just share another miracle with Emma is when she was six weeks old, eight weeks old, she got um, RSV. And mind you, she already had a myriad of health problems because she was, she was a premie. She came home from the hospital with Cabbage Patch doll clothes. So, she was super tiny. Um, she got RSV, and Kristy took her to the doctor, and they hooked up the pulse socks to her, and the doctor immediately called 911 and had an ambulance come pick her up from the doctor's office. So, the doctor was about an hour from our house, and we were close to South Bend. They rushed her down to Memorial Hospital in South Bend, and she was there about a week, 

 

Pastor Kristy: Seven days.

 

Pastor Mak: Seven days. And when she first got there, you know, we were talking to them, uh, the nurses and stuff, and they're like, "We're not sure if she's going to go home,” because she was in, you know, ever because she was in that bad a shape. And so, it's um, you know, just another miracle within, you know, what, 5 days, she was better. They kept her a couple extra days for observation ‘cause like I said, she was still tiny. She was what, five pounds at that time? 

 

Pastor Kristy: She was very little. 

 

Pastor Mark: And so it was, it was…and we were there, I mean, constantly, 24/7, as you know, this, this kid come to our house, this baby, let me rephrase it. This baby comes to our house for eight weeks and goes to the hospital, and she's in there for the next seven days, and one of us was there constantly. You know, for the entire seven days that she was there, as if we were the, you know, the birth parents to her. So she was immediately, like I said, every single one of them immediately God just put a, a huge amount of love for that child in our hearts as soon as we came in contact with them. I can, I can sit down with a penc– a pen and a piece of paper and write down the names of every child that was in our house. Whether we had them for three days or we had them for five years, every single kid.

 

Dr. Ray: You know, just listening to you guys, the love of God is so amazing. And also the faith I noticed, you know, you just knew. It's like you knew these kids were going to be okay. You knew that, that you, I mean, you had the diagnosis, but you knew what God said. And, you know, you were able to stand in faith. And I'm sure it was challenging, but just incredible. And I've been an eyewitness to this. I, I've never seen such unselfishness in two parents. And I, I've known a lot of parents. It's just absolutely incredible story. Incredible story. As a matter of fact, I know you're pastoring a church, but you actually have a church at your home. I mean, your home is a church. I mean, literally, you just put a steeple on it, you got it. 

 

All: Laughing

 

Dr. Ray: But anyway, so wow. This is so…such an incredible, such an incredible story. And um, I don't know, you know, the ministry, I think you're right, the ministry starts with your home. 

 

Pastor Mark: Yes.

 

Pastor Kristy: Yes. 

 

Dr. Ray: It really does. And I think uh, you are a pastor, you know, in, in your home. And uh, I really feel that, you know, husband and wife, people say that a man's called to be a pastor. Well, you know what? You're one flesh. You guys are, you're one flesh. One thing I always see in husbands and wives, I always talk about is I believe that the husband carries the uh, authority of Jesus Christ. The woman is a picture of the Holy Spirit. And you need both.

 

Pastor Kristy: Yeah. 

 

Dr. Ray: You need both. You really do. And so that's what I see in you guys. I see the the, the Spirit of God and the authority of God. It's an incredible story. Well, you, maybe somebody's thinking about being a foster parent or adopting. What, What would you say to them? We'll get ready to close.

 

Pastor Mark: If it's somebody wanting to adopt, because I know a lot of people just don't have the, because fostering can be a heartache when, when the state says nope, it's time for the kid to go home, and you've had them for two years. It can just be crushing. I always tell people, if you want to adopt, get your foster care license. You don't have to foster a kid to adopt through the foster care system. It's a whole lot cheaper than private adoption. 

 

Dr. Ray: Oh, I got you. Okay. 

 

Pastor Mark: It's, It's, I think we paid for our adoption. It was $160, and they gave us $140 of it back because you needed $20 for a new birth certificate. 

 

Dr. Ray: Oh my goodness. 

 

Pastor Mark: Yes. 

 

Dr. Ray: Fostering is, it's easier. 

 

Pastor Mark: Well, if you have your foster care license, good license. 

 

Dr. Ray: Gotcha. 

 

Pastor Mark: It's easier. You know, you're just not– the chance of you getting a brand new baby with no medical issues is pretty nil. But, if you, if you want to make a difference in a child's life, you know, that 2-year-old, 5-year-old, 8-year-old, you know what? That 16-year-old, they still need a forever home. They still need somebody to call mom and dad. 

 

Dr. Ray: Yeah. 

 

Pastor Mark: And you know, the, the older they get, the bigger challenge it is. And it's, but it's not for everybody. It's, it's very difficult. It's heart-wrenching. Um, but if you feel like God has called you to do it, I would say rush right in because there's so many kids right here in your own backyard that you don't even know about. 

 

Pastor Kristy: Yep. 

 

Dr. Ray: That need…and God called– 

 

Pastor Mark: …forever home. 

 

Pastor Kristy: There's so many needing a home, so many. And just, the United States, that you know…definitely– and I feel, you know, being part of the church, that's something that I think you know, it can be a call, you know, taking care of uh, the, the fatherless. And so I would say like Mark said, if it's on your heart, go for it because a child does…every child deserves a chance.

 

Pastor Mark: Yeah, 

 

Dr. Ray: That's good. 

 

Pastor Mark: If I can share, if I can share one more quick— 

 

Dr. Ray: Yes, please. 

 

Pastor Mark: Um, I think for me it shows God full circle because I grew up in a house without a dad. My mom and dad were divorced before I was born, and I’d maybe seen my dad 10 times in my life. And you know, he was never around, but he taught me something. He taught me exactly what not to do. And I really feel like that God has been a father to me this whole time, whether I was born again or not. He always was looking out for me, knowing what my, my call was, or our call was, and how it was going to work out. And I try and be the best dad that I can. I don't know everything, but none of us do. So, I really feel like that. 

 

Dr. Ray: You know, it's really interesting. The Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians that we have all, as Gentiles, we've been adopted. We've been adopted into the family of Abraham, the seeds of Abraham. 

 

Pastor Mark: Yes. And so God adopted us. Praise the Lord for adoption. 

 

Pastor Mark: That's right.

 

Dr. Ray: Oh, guys, thank you so much for being a part today. And um, you know, I just, just thank you. Again, this is Pastor Mark and Pastor Kristy Kaiser from Benton Harbor, pastoring, uh, in Watervliet, Michigan, the River Church, which is an amazing church. If anybody’s listening up in that area, you need to check it out. What time is your service on Sunday? 10 a.m? 

 

Pastor Mark: 10:30. 

 

Dr. Ray: 10:30. So, you can sleep a little bit extra. I like that. I remember that. I like that. 10:30 service on Sunday. What's the address of the church? 

 

Pastor Kristy: 8712 Red Arrow Highway, Watervliet, Michigan. 

 

Dr. Ray: Red Arrow, 8712 Red Arrow Highway, Watervliet, Michigan. Yeah. Beautiful place. Beautiful place. Guys, if you're in the area or maybe, I don't– I came all the way from Orlando to go there. So, hey, it's a great church. Amen. You want to close us with prayer, guys?

 

Pastor Mark: Okay. Heavenly Father, we just thank you for this time. We thank you for the time to shed– to spread your word and your love that you brought through us that we can share with uh, everyone listening to Self Talk. Father, we just thank you for Dr. Ray offering to have us do this, and we thank you, brother Ray, for the time and your platform to share our story. In the wonderful name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. 

 

Dr. Ray: Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you so much, guys. Thank you very, very much. This is Pastor Mark and Pastor Christy Kaiser. Amen. This is Self-Talk with Dr. Ray Self, and I appreciate you listening to the show. Don't forget to check out the, the website for the show, our, our website, icmcollege.org/selftalk. And you can see all the shows there. And um, if, if the Lord leads you to help us financially, that'd be great. icmcollege.org/donate. That's between you and God. But the main thing is God bless you and thanks again to Pastor Mark and Christy Kaiser for being with us and what you do, and the example of humility and unselfishness is beyond compare. So God bless you guys. Thank you so much.

 

Pastor Mark: Thank you very much.

 

Dr. Ray: Amen. Amen.

 

[Music]