Jennifer Mosbrucker

Photojournalist + Picture Editor

Amazing Grace

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6.22.20  Adam clings ...en the two of them most nights.

6.22.20 Adam clings to the end of Kim and Steven's bed as he fights a nap. Since he was an infant, Adam has been sleeping between the two of them most nights.

9.28.18  Standing in ...hen watched Adam for the night.

9.28.18 Standing in the foundation of Kim and Steven's new home, Kim watches as Jasmine rocks Adam to sleep. After working a full shift at work, Kim came to the house to continue tearing up the old flooring. She then watched Adam for the night.

9.26.18  Kim stretche...ew home to work on renovations.

9.26.18 Kim stretches and tries to take pressure off of her feet while working in the kitchen at Autumn Oaks Caring Center. A car accident in 2004 left Kim with a broken foot that still causes pain when she spends hours on her feet at work. After caring for Adam each night, Kim works all afternoon and then goes to her family's new home to work on renovations.

9.26.18  Kim hands mo...Adam during the employment gap.

9.26.18 Kim hands money to her daughter Jasmine for food. Both Jasmine and Adam’s father Brandon were unemployed at the time. Kim was helping to support Adam during the employment gap.

6.29.19  Jasmine atte... cool off from the summer heat.

6.29.19 Jasmine attempts to hand Adam to his father, Brandon, as they play in the water at Roaring River State Park. Following Kim and Steven's wedding at the park, the two were baptised in the river. Family members joined them in the water to cool off from the summer heat.

6.29.19 Jasmine passes Adam to...ip of Adam over to her parents.

6.29.19 Jasmine passes Adam to Kim after Steven and Kim's baptisms. Shortly after the wedding and baptism Jasmine agreed to sign gardianship of Adam over to her parents.

9.27.18  A photo of K...he is raising Adam with Steven.

9.27.18 A photo of Kim and her son Jeremy rests on a clock in her home in Mountain Grove. Kim became pregnant with Jeremy when she was 14 years old and raised him on her own. A generation later, she is raising Adam with Steven.

6.22.19 Kim helps Adam get dre...Steven "dad".

6.22.19 Kim helps Adam get dressed in the morning at their home in Mountain Grove. Adam is now 2 years old and is learning to talk. He calls Kim "mom" and Steven "dad".

6.29.19 "Everybody qu...le purchase their current home.

6.29.19 "Everybody quiet down, were about to have us a hootenanny," a cousin yelled before Bobby Ratterree read Kim and Steven's wedding vows at Roaring Rivers State Park near Cassville, Missouri. Steven had been working for Ratterree for over 8 years when he helped the couple purchase their current home.

6.22.20 Steven gives Adam a ri...in case he gets going too fast.

6.22.20 Steven gives Adam a ride around the yard. He recently bought Adam a little motorcycle that's just his size. Adam can ride it on his own as Steven walks next to him with a string attached to the key in case he gets going too fast.

6.22.20 Adam holds Kim&#39...orward until the courts reopen.

6.22.20 Adam holds Kim's face with one hand as he attempts to place a thermometer in her mouth with the other hand. As Covid-19 cases continued to increase throughout summer 2020, Kim had to take extra steps when entering and exiting the local nursing home where she worked. Before the virus swept across the state, Kim and Steven made plans to adopt Adam. The case cannot move forward until the courts reopen.

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Public Project

Amazing Grace

Copyright Jennifer Mosbrucker 2024

Updated Dec 2020

Location Mountain Grove, Missouri

Topics Essays, Family, Photography, Photojournalism, Portraiture

With amazing grace and unending selflessness, Kim Carroll has been fighting for family since she became pregnant with her oldest son at just 14 years old. Through hard work and true grit, Kim broke a chain of abuse that gripped her family for generations. Now, Kim continues to care for her family by raising her 2-year-old grandson Adam, who she and her husband Steven will soon adopt. Though she believes she was saved by Jesus as a child, Kim is awaiting the day she can be born again.

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