Michael Keilen

Michaela Keilen
Michaela in May 2022
Name	Michael Christan "Michaela" (Bates) Keilen
Date of Birth	January 23, 1990
Denomination	Independent Baptist
Occupation	Nursing degree, online baby boutique owner
Current Location	Norris, TN
Appeared on	19 Kids and Counting, United Bates of America, Bringing Up Bates
Website	http://brandonandmichaela.com/
Family Info
Parents	Gil and Kelly Bates
Siblings	Zach Bates, Erin Paine, Lawson Bates, Nathan Bates, Alyssa Webster, Tori Smith, Trace Bates, Carlin Stewart, Josie Balka, Katie Clark, Jackson Bates, Warden Bates, Isaiah Bates, Addallee Bates, Ellie Bates, Callie-Anna Bates, Judson Bates, Jeb Bates
Spouse	Brandon Keilen

Michael Christan "Michaella" (Bates) Keilen is the second of Gil and Kelly Bates' nineteen children. She is married to Brandon Keilen.

Early Life

Michael as a baby

Michal Christan Bates was born on January 23, 1990, to Gil Bates and Kelly Jo Callaham. She was the couple's second child, and they went on to have seventeen more children after her.

Michaela and two of her sisters wearing dresses she made

Michaela learned to sew as a child, and by the time she was a teenager she made many of her family's dresses. At some point, she also began making modest swimsuits for her family as well. Growing up, Michaela was responsible for doing the family's laundry.

At fifteen years old, Michael became a Christian. Growing up, she dreamed of love, marriage, and a family, and would often pray for her future spouse.

Childhood Education

Along with her siblings, Michaela was homeschooled growing up. She and her siblings grew up as active participants of the Institute of Basic Life Principals, and regularly attended the yearly Advanced Training Institute conferences in Big Sandy, TX.

Name Spelling Debates

When Michaela was still an infant, her parents legally changed the spelling of her name from "Michal" to "Michael" after deciding they were unhappy with the connotations that the Biblical name carried. When she was about five or six years old, Michael was unhappy with having what she considered a boy's name, so she began going by the nickname "Michaella". At some point as an adult, she changed the spelling of her nickname to "Michaela", as indicated on her personal website. Additionally, her middle name has been debated between "Christian" and "Christan", with a lack of consistency from official sources. Legal documents, including her publicly verifiable EMT license, list it as "Christan". Michaela's legal name is currently "Michael Christan Keilen".

Family

Michaela with her Journey to the Heart group in 2009

_{See also: Michael Bates and Brandon Keilen wedding}

Courtship

Shortly after her nineteenth birthday, Michaela traveled to Chicago, IL, with her family. While there, she saw a young man helping an older man walk in the snow, and was impressed by the man's kindness. She went on to Michigan to attend Journey to the Heart, but when she returned she learned that her family had met the young man, Brandon Keilen, and he had made an impression on them too. Michaela got to know Brandon over the next few years, and found herself attracted to him. Two years later, while spending a few weeks in Chicago, she grew closer to him, and begin praying for him frequently. She did her best not to reveal her feelings, as she didn't want to lure him into a relationship. The two remained friends while Brandon attended Bible college.

Michaela and Brandon shortly after entering a courtship

On November 29, 2013, Michaela's father told her that someone had asked permission to get to know her better. She reminded her parents that she was only interested in one guy and was not interested in any other suitors, only to learn that the interested man was Brandon.

On December 30, 2013, Michaela arrived at Brandon's family home in Lansing, Michigan. Brandon and his sisters took her to The English Inn, where they had a table decorated for her. Brandon gave her a journal engraved with her name, which had a dozen photos filled with a fairy tale he had written about them. He then presented her with a box that contained a dried rose covered in gold. When she opened the box, Brandon asked her to begin courting her, which she accepted.

The two had a longer courtship than is typical, due to the fact that Brandon was not allowed to get engaged until graduating from Bible college.

Brandon proposing to Michaela

Engagement

On April 13, 2015, Michaela and her parents took a trip to Washington, D.C., where Brandon was visiting his sister. Although Michaela thought this trip was a surprise for Brandon, he had secretly been planning it with her parents the whole time. Brandon had planned a scavenger hunt, leaving clues at seven different locations, with Michaela finally arriving in Great Falls, Virginia, where Brandon proposed and Michaela said yes.

Michaela's wedding to Brandon Keilen

Wedding

Michaela married Brandon Keilen on August 15, 2015, at Wallace Memorial Baptist Church in Knoxville, TN. Her bridesmaids were her sisters Alyssa Webster and Tori Bates, sisters-in-law Angie, Becky, and Christy Keilen, and close friend Jana Duggar, with both her mother Kelly Jo Bates and her sister Erin Paine serving as matrons of honor.

Michaela and Brandon on their honeymoon

For their honeymoon, the couple went to Montana and Wyoming.

Married Life

After their honeymoon, Michaela moved in with Brandon in Chicago, IL. "It's definitely different from being home at a farm in the mountains, but I'm loving it," Michaela said of her new life in the city. "It's definitely an adjustment. The cold's very new, but I love married life. We've found a church that we just love, and it's been great."

Michael and Brandon in 2019

Infertility

On June 25, 2017, Michaela shared a post on her blog about her struggles with infertility. The post did not provide many details on her specific health concerns, only that she and her husband had been trying to get pregnant for over a year with no success. The couple has seen a number of doctors over this issue, and is relying on God to get them through this struggle. This is an issue that they still struggle with today.

On February 1, 2023, Michaela revealed via instagram that she suffered a miscarriage. She did not give the date when this occurred, but did reveal it was a little girl, that they name Eden.

Resume

Michaela working as a nanny

Teen Jobs

When Michaela was in her late teens, she became a licensed EMT. She also worked as a nanny for many years.

Education

Michael took classes through College Plus for awhile after finishing high school. After getting married, she began taking online classes from Roane State, where she's pursuing a degree in liberal arts with a minor in health science. It is unknown if she has finished this degree.

In fall of 2019, Michael began attending nursing school at Tennessee College of Applied Technology.

In 2020, Michael graduated from nursing school.

An ad for Michael's wedding episode of Bringing Up Bates

Television Appearances

Michaela appeared on the TLC show 19 Kids and Counting many times as a teenager and young adult.

In 2012, TLC aired one season of the show United Bates of America, which focused on Michaela's family. In 2015, UpTV began airing a similar show, Bringing Up Bates. Michaela has been featured on both shows.

Michaela on her mission trip

Missionary Work

In July of 2013, Michaela and her friend Jana Duggar went on a mission trip to Honduras and El Salvador with a group of seven other girls from SOS Ministries. Michaela's involvement in the trip was funded by an anonymous sponsor. While there, Michaela worked at an orphanage, leading Bible studies, performing skits, and sharing the gospel. It is likely that Michaela has been on other mission trips as well.

EMT License

Michael is currently a licensed EMT. She first earned this license in 2011. It is unknown the extent to which she uses it.

Keilen Corner

On March 1, 2017 Michael began selling baby clothes, blankets, bibs, and other items on her and her husband's website. She shut down this web store on May 14, 2019, to prepare for their move from Chicago back to Tennessee. On October 17, 2019, she and her husband opened a new web store called Keilen Corner, which sells her sewing projects and a children's book written by her husband.

In January 2024, Michaela and Brandon started a YouTube channel where they teach kids how to draw and also share children's Christian stories.

Wedding Involvement

Michaela has been involved in the following weddings:

• bridesmaid: her sister Alyssa Bates's wedding to John Webster (5/24/14)
• bridesmaid: her friends Andrea and Jacob's wedding (05/27/17)
• bridesmaid: her sister Tori Bates's wedding to Bobby Smith (12/16/17)
• bridesmaid: her sister Carlin Bates's wedding to Evan Stewart (5/25/19)
• bridesmaid: her sister-in-law Becky Keilen's wedding to Tim Forman (9/14/19)

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