The Rosenows
The Rosenow Family
Click on a face for more details.
This Rosenow family photo includes all of the Rosenow children except their oldest daughter, Kristen (Kristie). She is now married to Greg Godwin, who is employed as the full-time Administrative Assistant for The Shepherd's Crook Ministries, and they are the proud parents to one biological son, Josiah Christopher Godwin.
The other three Rosenow biological children, Erin, Allan, and Ryan, still live at home. Erin, who was born with significant developmental disabilities, serves by Kathy's side, helping run the house and care for the children. Allan and Ryan are commuting students to the University of Cincinnati. All four of the Rosenows' biological children and their son-in-law continue to play integral rolls in the running of the ministry, as well as in the lives of their adopted siblings.
Below you can read more information about each of the Rosenows' adopted children.
Meghan
Meghan is the oldest of the Rosenow adopted children. She was born in 1996 in China and abandoned very shortly after birth. Meghan has mild deformities in both hands and feet, which have been greatly improved by surgery. She was adopted in 1999.
Nathan
Nathan was adopted in 1998 from Bolivia. He was born in 1997 without his left foot; he was abandoned outside of an orphanage in La Paz the day after his birth. Nathan uses a prosthetic leg, which allows him to live a very normal life.
Robyn
Robyn was born in 1998 and was abandoned about a year and a half later. She had very minor deformities in both feet and some emotional issues resulting from her abandonment. Since her adoption from China in 2000, her physical deformities have been fully corrected with surgery, and her emotional issues have resolved beautifully.
Colin
Colin was born in Bolivia in 1998 at only twenty-six weeks gestation and abandoned at a maternity hospital in La Paz. He subsequently developed ROP (retinopathy of prematurity) and lost his vision in both eyes as a result. He was adopted in 2000. He is very intelligent, which helps him greatly as he develops strategies for functioning in a sighted world.
Madlin
Madlin was adopted in 2003. She was born in Haiti in 1998 and was abandoned at a local orphanage in Port au Prince. She struggles with some mild emotional issues as a result of her abandonment, but since her adoption, she has made great progress in overcoming these issues.
Stephen
Stephen, who was born with a unilateral cleft lip and palate, was adopted in 2002. He was born in 2000 in China and abandoned shortly after his birth. He has undergone several surgeries to repair his lip and palate, and he spent a year working hard in speech therapy to improve his speech.
Carlin
Carlin, adopted from Romania, was born with lipomyelomeningocele spina bifida. Because she received surgery for this condition in Bucharest when she was only three months old—through the generosity of a visiting American neurosurgeon—she has full use of her legs. Carlin was born in 2000, abandoned at the maternity hospital in Bucharest, and adopted at the end of 2002.
Caelyn
Caelyn, who was born in 2001, was adopted from China after being abandoned in a Xian train station when she was about eighteen months old. She was born with lipomyelomeningocele spina bifida, which has left her paralyzed from the knees down. She has had several surgeries since her adoption in 2004, and these, combined with physical therapy, have prevented any further damage to her legs and helped her learn to walk with forearm crutches.
Ian
Ian was born in China in 2002 with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. He was adopted by an American family in 2006; however, this family made the decision about a year later to disrupt his adoption, and he joined the Rosenow family in 2007. Ian has had several surgeries to repair his lip and palate, and he will have several more before he reaches adulthood.
Braedan
Braedan was born in 2003 and was adopted from Guatemala by an American family in 2004. Believing that he suffered from several emotional disorders, this family decided that he was not a good match for them and disrupted his adoption in 2005. Since he joined the Rosenow family at that time, he has shown no signs of any emotional disorders and is thriving.
Kathryn
Kathryn, from Guatemala, suffers from schizencephaly and moderate cerebral palsy. She was born in 2004, abandoned at an orphanage in Guatemala City immediately after her birth, and was adopted in 2005. Her condition is more severe than any of her brothers' or sisters', but she has a sweet spirit and a positive attitude in spite of the difficulties she faces. She spends hours each week in physical, occupational, and speech therapy but has already come much further than doctors predicted she would.
Shannen
Shannen was adopted from Guatemala in 2008. She was born with a unilateral cleft lip and abandoned shortly after her birth in 2006. Shannen has had one surgery to close her lip and will require a few additional procedures as she continues to grow.
Ethan
Ethan is the youngest Rosenow child, and he was adopted from Guatemala in 2007. He was born in 2006 with mild schizencephaly. It is not yet clear how severe his condition is, and the Rosenows don't know what sort of challenges he will face as he grows. Whatever they are, his sunny disposition and pleasant personality will make them easier to overcome.