Meet our March 2024 Featured Family: The Arnold Family

Reid & Megan have been married 10 years and planned a perfect American family of two children. When God gave them a surprise 3rd, He moved their hearts toward letting Him decide their family size. At the same time, God redefined HOW those children should come into their home, and laid adoption on their hearts. The Arnold’s already love Joanna like their own and can’t wait to bring her home! This expedited adoption will likely cost over $50,000.

Reid & Megan were matched with Joanna in November ’23, and are urgently trying to get her home. Born in May 2023 with a serious congenital heart defect, Joanna is in critical need of medical care. The Arnolds are trying to expedite the adoption process (which adds significantly to the cost of the adoption) so she can get to the US as soon as possible to receive the care she needs. The Arnolds are blessed to be the family to provide her with the love and support and can't wait to have Joanna in their arms.

The Arnolds are completing a Both Hands project in March to help raise money for their adoption, while blessing a widow! We will be donating $1 from every bag of coffee sold this month to their Both Hands fundraiser and we hope you will want to help them bring precious Joanna home too. Learn more at https://bothhands.org/arnold-1132/

 

Meet our February 2024 Featured Family: The Singleton Family 

"Meet precious little Addi from Colombia.  By God's grace, I saw her picture and immediately fell in love with this beautiful 12 year old girl that I believe God is knitting into our family.  I am still hopeful that He will also one day bring Noah into our family as well, but I am also beginning the process of adopting Addi. 

This is what was written about Addi in the advocacy post I saw:
'In a world filled with challenges, and adversities, there are stories that shine brightly with hope and resilience.  This young soul, filled with a sweet, loving, and caring personality, longs for the warmth and embrace of a loving family.  Addi has a strong spirit that soars despite the fragility of her skin. Addi is a twelve-year-old girl whose life has been a test of endurance from the very beginning.  And she has always had her timid and wonderful smile on her face.  Addi has a heart full of love, kindness, and an unshakable desire to belong to a family.  Despite the hardships Addi has faced, her heart remains as pure as gold.  She’s known for her empathy, always offering to help adults and kids.  Addi’s greatest dream is to have a forever family who will cherish her.'

Thank you for considering being a part of this journey with me. I’m excited to once again see how God does the impossible to bring His precious children into families." 

“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families…” (Ps. 68:5-6)

We will be donating $1 from every bag of coffee sold this month and 50% of tips from events to the Singleton's Connected Hearts Ministry fund and we'd love for YOU to partner with this family in bringing precious Addi home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for adoption-related expenses: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/singleton-family-adoption-fund/c333965

 

Meet our January 2024 Featured Family: The Suero Family 

1. Tell us more about your family. 

We're Danny and Rachel Suero and we live in Indiana with our 6 (soon-to-be 8!) beautiful children. We've been married for 11 years and we homeschool our school aged kids. When we had been dating for only 9 days when our oldest son was born struggling on the other side of the world, but we wouldn't know about him for another 10 years. We've always wanted to adopt, but didn't have a clear picture or plan. We honestly thought maybe it wouldn't even happen for us. Thanks to Reece's Rainbow, we stumbled upon the profiles of 2 of our children who were both waiting in Ukraine for a family. We had 3 biological children at the time, and our 4th bio baby was born just 3 months after Isaac and Lily made it to America safely. We essentially doubled our children during that time and we're so thankful for each of them.

2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption. 

We've always had a heart for adoption and been surrounded by positive adoption influences, such as Rachel's relationship with her 2 youngest brothers who were adopted as older waiting children from China. We thought maybe we'd adopt from China as well one day, or maybe even India, but definitely not until our children were older and we were more financially stable. God's plans were so much different and so much better though! We stumbled upon the profiles of Isaac and Lily, our 2 children we adopted from Ukraine, and we immediately knew they were meant to be ours. We started the process immediately and despite the Covid chaos in 2020, we brought them home in less than 9 months while we were expecting our 4th biological child! We weren't sure that we'd ever adopt again, but we left the door open and are so happy that God has led us to adopt again, this time from Bulgaria. We're racing as fast as we possibly can this time too and we're almost to the finish line now!

3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far.

A good friend shared the profile of a little boy in Bulgaria with us earlier this year. He looked so much like our oldest son that we did a double take, along with every family member and friend who saw him. We of course felt so drawn to him and were led to pursue adoption again very quickly. Unfortunately, we learned shortly afterwards that he was no longer available for adoption due to his condition. He was considered imminently terminal and unable to leave his oxygen tent or orphanage for even a moment. He is the reason we decided to adopt again and we ask everyone who reads this to please keep this precious child in your prayers as he nears the end of his life, sadly without ever knowing the love of a family. We pressed on in his honor, knowing that adoption literally saves lives, just as it did for our oldest son. Over the summer we came to realize that we were meant to adopt J, a little boy we had long advocated for, but hadn't recognized as our son, until now. We've loved him for a long time, but now we're just so happy to know that he'll be in our arms soon. Sometimes the answer was right in front of us all along, and that certainly was the case for us with J.

In addition to our little J, we've been approved to adopt 19 month old Baby "E". 

4.  Tell us more about the child you are adopting. 

J is a 6 year old little boy with some very big special needs but an even bigger smile. He has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, microcephaly, blindness, and brain abnormalities. He is mostly immobile, tube fed, and nonverbal as well. We absolutely adore him already and can't wait to give him all the snuggles and love in the world. He is as close to perfect as we can imagine! E has Noonan syndrome, hydrocephalus, craniofacial abnormalities, significant delays in all areas, pulmonary valve stenosis, respiratory issues, and a deformity of his foot. 

Prayer Requests:

Please pray that J and E stay healthy while they wait to come home, and that they and the other children in their orphanages are shown true kindness, patience, compassion, and warmth. Please also pray as we attempt to bring home 2 unrelated children again, just like in 2020, because we've experienced issues with timing and red tape, but we are approved and attempting to make that happen if it's God's will for our family. Lastly, please pray that we will overcome these financial mountains soon! We do have a way to go, but the end is in sight. Please pray that people would be willing to help if they're able to.

UPDATE: The Suero family might be traveling as early as THIS month to Bulgaria for their first trip to meet their precious sons! Because they are adopting two children, their adoption fees have significantly increased. We will be donating $1 from every bag of our freshly roasted beans this month to their Connected Hearts Ministry fund, where 100% of the money goes directly to their adoption expenses, and we hope that YOU will partner with them too: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/suero-family-adoption/c527840

 

Meet our December 2023 Featured Charity: Love Without Boundaries

We have the privilege again to partner with Love Without Boundaries' Unity Program to help fund a surgery for a precious family in China and keep their family together. This is family preservation in action!

Learn more about precious Blair:

"Blair is a cute 2 1/2-year-old little girl who lives in rural Gansu Province with her parents and grandparents. She was born with congenital cleft palate. The doctors have said that her open palate is very wide, and it is affecting her diet and speech development. Her parents have been worried about her but haven’t been able to save or borrow enough money for her surgery. Blair’s grandparents both have health issues that require expensive medication and leave them unable to work. Blair’s father works in a local food market but barely makes enough to provide for the family’s basic needs. Her family was so happy to learn that LWB would be able to help pay for their daughter’s surgery and wrote, 'We hope she can be healthy. We will be very grateful for your help.' Your donation in any amount will be appreciated."

We will be donating $1 from every bag of coffee sold and 50% of tips to help fund Blair's $1,260 surgery...and we need YOUR help! Please donate directly today and make a difference in the life of this precious girl and her family: https://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/fundraiser/hao-bao-bao-coffee/ 

Thank you for continuing to join our "coffee for a cause" journey to help precious children ("hao bao bao" in Chinese) and their families!

 

Meet our November 2023 Featured Charity: Connected Hearts Ministry

Learn more about Connected Hearts Ministry's special fund for National Adoption Month:

"Now Through November 12th, we invite you to help us fill our adoption board to help us reach our goal of $11,000.  You can make a meaningful difference this National Adoption Month (November) we need passionate individuals and compassionate organizations to unite with us to help us reach more children than ever before. Our goal is to raise $11,000 between now and Orphan Sunday (November 12th). By uniting with us you are helping to bring love and hope to children in foster care, and orphans around the world.

 

Simply choose one or more numbers from the board, and donate that amount. Once a number is taken, it will no longer be available.

 

Thanks to your support, Connected Hearts has been able to provide funding for over 650 children to have a forever family, and thousands of essential items for children in foster care."

We will be donating $1 from every bag of coffee sold and 50% of tips from events and YOU can partner with us too! Learn more here: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/national-adoption-month/c533195. Thank you for continuing to join our "coffee for a cause" journey to help precious children ("hao bao bao" in Chinese) and their families!

 

Meet our October 2023 Featured Family: The Adkison Family

1. Tell us more about your family. 

Hi! We are Jake and Mallory Adkison from North Augusta, SC! We are in the process of adopting our first child from Liberia in West Africa. We are so excited to start our family and we cannot wait to meet our precious little one. We are in the process of filing immigration paperwork as we wait to begin the stage of being ‘matched’ with a child. We are truly honored to be called from God to adopt and we appreciate each person that follows our adoption journey!

2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption. 

We believe that God placed this call for us to grow our family through adoption. We specifically have a heart for Liberia as statistically, there are more children in need than there are adults to care for them. We have loved learning more about the Liberian culture and we cannot wait to spend several weeks in country and we plan to make many trips back with our child. 

3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far.

We are filing our I-600A in the next few days. We know there is a great need in Liberia considering the civil wars they have faced, as well as wide spread diseases. Unfortunately this has left families without means to care for their children and even children that have lost their parents to war and disease. Assuming all paperwork goes well, we plan to possibly bring our child home in 2024. 

4. Tell us more about the child you are adopting.

Unknown (waiting to be matched)

Prayer Request:

We have heard that there has been a delay in paperwork processing with the Liberian government, possibly prolonging waits by 7-10 months. Please pray that these issues will be resolved and paperwork will be processed quickly for all families waiting on court dates.

We'd love for you to partner with this family in bringing their precious child/children home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for adoption-related expenses:

 

Meet our September 2023 Featured Family: The Mitchell Family

1. Tell us more about your family. 

Gary and Carrie have been married for 20 years and currently have 5 children. Constance, Callie and Rhett are our biological children and Presley and Milko were adopted from Bulgaria. We live in Lenoir City, TN.

2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption.

We have had a heart for adoption for many years. God led us to Bulgaria, where we brought Presley home in 2017 and a couple years later we felt called to go back. We brought Milko home in 2020 and when we were on Milko’s trip 1 we saw another little girl in his orphanage that we felt so drawn to. She was listed for international adoption the following month and we advocated for her and prayed for her for several years. After 3 years we knew we had to go back “one more time” to bring her into our family.

3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far.

We are so excited to finally home our sweet girl. It has been over 3.5 years since we first met her and we cannot wait to make her our daughter. We expect to make our first trip in the next few months and our second trip to bring her home will be early 2024.

4.  Tell us more about the child you are adopting.

“Eastyn” is an 8 year old girl with spina bifida, hydrocephalus, and she has had a vesicostomy due to chronic UTIs and kidney infections.

Please pray with the Mitchell family:

 "Right now we’re praying for our I800A to come soon and to not get a RFE."

We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their precious child home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for this family's adoption expenses:

https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/mitchell-family-adoption-fund/c509010

Meet our June 2023 Feature Family Preservation Charity: Open Hearts for Orphans

Learn more about the family preservation work OHFO is doing in Uganda:

"Three homes are needed for three desperate families in Uganda. And we're hoping to meet our fundraising goal in three short weeks. The total goal is $30,000. (Update: ONE home is fully funded!) That's $10,000 to raise for each family. All are in need of land for constructing a home (approximately 1 acre), and the land will help them have food and a source of income. Each house will be constructed with a latrine, kitchen, solar, and a water tank. 

The first family is held together by Estelle, a refugee from Burundi. When she first came to Uganda, she stayed with a friend who was renting a small apartment. When her friend left suddenly, she and her children had no one to turn to. Homeless, she felt she had no choice but to send her three boys to an orphanage. Through our Empty the Orphanages campaign last year, we helped reunite the family for Christmas but their living situation isn't ideal. Our support has helped them rent a tiny apartment as an emergency measure. It's in poor condition, but it's keeping the family together as we plan for something more permanent. Estelle and her twin boys are living with a chronic illness. In addition to her three boys, she also has a two-year old daughter.

The second family sent two of their children to an orphanage and had plans to send their youngest out of further desperation. They lost their home and land to a family dispute and are now squatting in a building where they can be evicted at anytime. They've been living off handouts from neighbors and now, emergency support from our project partner, Home Free. A house will help reunite them with their two older children and keep the two youngest at home where they belong.

The mother and father of the third family are caring for nine children through birth and kinship. Two of the children are currently in an orphanage because of the poverty and crowding at home. The family lives in a two-roomed rental and seven children share a mattress on the floor of the bedroom. They are very loving and willing to reunite with their children, but there simply isn't room.

Please act quickly. Anything you give, no matter how big or small will help keep these families together, giving them the dose of hope they need to restore their lives. 

This IS family preservation."

We will be donating $1 from every bag of coffee sold and 50% of tips from our events this month to OHFO. Learn more and donate personally today: https://give.openheartsfororphans.org/campaign/three-for-three/c474335

 

Meet our May 2023 Featured Family: The J Family

1. Tell us about your family.

Kyle and I met in high school, started dating when entering college, and got married after we finished college. We like to marvel at the fact that we have now been best friends for 25 years! We currently have three children (11,9,5) two boys and a girl. We live and homeschool them in the city of Chicago. We love Star Wars, board games, and popcorn.

2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption. 

I (Lydia) had an older sister that had a heart for adoption, and that passion stirred an interest in my heart as well. Then, when we went through infertility before having our first, adoption again was something that came up, and we began to talk about it more seriously. We were blessed to have three biological children, and as we neared our forties, weren't sure what our family would look like after that. Two miscarriages led us again towards the idea of adoption, and as we prayed long and hard about it, we both began to feel affirmation from the Spirit that He was leading us towards adoption.

3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far.

Each country has requirements and eligibility parameters for adoptive families, so that helped us narrow things down (i.e. having three biological kids already in the home, length of time spent in the country when finalizing the adoption). I (Lydia) have worked (as an NP) with primarily Latin-American families for most of my career, and have always felt an affinity for this population. We were able to narrow it down to the country of Colombia and we have been enjoying learning more about the people and culture. We have not narrowed down to a special need, there is a long list of special needs that we are open to. We do not know how long it will be. So far, we are 7-8 months into the process. We completed our home study, and now just completed our dossier and are about to send it to Colombia! We are praying to get approved (and quickly!) and then will be placed on a waiting list with a specific orphanage, and then we just wait for a match. It is hard not knowing, but it is comforting knowing that God already knows who this child is, and we keep that in mind as we pray for her.

4. Tell us more about the child you are adopting.

Again, we do not know which child we are bringing home. We have said that we are open to a child (female preferred) aged 0-5 years, and a long list of mild to moderate special needs that we are open to accepting.

Please join us in prayer for this family and their precious child:

-The dossier to make it safely to Colombian authorities

-That we will be approved by Colombian authorities to adopt!

-That we will continue to see God provide for us financially through other believers in awesome ways!

-That we will not become scared or discouraged; that we will take our anxieties and worries to Him as we continue to step out in obedience and faith.

We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their precious child home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for this family's adoption expenses:

https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/jodrey-family-adoption-fund/c449531

 

Meet our April 2023 Featured Family: The Cramer Family

1. Tell us about your family.

We are an Active Duty military family currently stationed in the Mojave Desert in California-Fort Irwin. We met while deployed to Iraq in 2011 through the Army, married quickly (10 weeks) after meeting, and then didn't see each other for almost 7 months while Amanda moved on to a deployment in Afghanistan. We had wild God-led beginning, move every other year (which takes a toll on our adoption process), and have three beautiful children (Cali -8, Hailey-6, Danny -4). We can't wait to grow our family with the sweet little boy we were matched with in Liberia, who is also 4.

2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption. 

We both had hearts for adoption since we were young. Amanda’s seed was planted during an international mission trip as a teenager, while Brett’s was planted while he served as a “one-on-one mentor” at a children’s shelter during college. We met while deployed to Iraq in 2011 and always discussed our interest in adoption. We started growing our family a couple years after Amanda returned from Afghanistan with discussion that we’d adopt our third child. However, after becoming pregnant with our third, this plan changed and after Danny’s birth, our hearts were moved to pursue adoption. After Amanda stayed home for over five years, a job dropped into her lap (while not looking) during COVID. It happened to be located at our next duty station that we weren't sure we’d make it to given the state of the world, but she accepted in faith and the move worked out. As did finding our new home two doors down from an adoptive family and childcare for our three children (everything was shut down, Amanda couldn’t accept the job otherwise!). In a nut shell, it all fell together by the works of God because it was very complex getting to where we were! Not long after the move, our hearts were deeply moved to adopt. We felt someone was missing, so we started looking into adoption and started our journey. So far we have experienced the enemy at our heals as we follow our calling, but in October were matched with a little boy in Liberia.

3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far.

We landed on the Liberia Program after heavy prayer, considering fostering and domestic adoption, budget, and "interviewing"/researching various agencies. We realized as an Active Duty military family, we had to find an agency that could help us navigate moving in the middle of the process- and, just in case, capable of continuing the adoption process if we happened to get stationed in another country. This really narrowed down who would work with us. We also had to consider the expected length of time in country (three months just wasn't possible). This left us with a handful of programs, and we prayed on it. This all led us to the Liberia Program with Small World. We anticipate bringing him home around May/June.

4. Tell us more about the child you are adopting.

He just turned 4 in December and has an unknown condition causing a subtle disparity in limb growth. The age window we were approved for was 0-3 as we were trying to stay in birth order, however he was two months shy of aging out of that window when we met with the agency about the match. We were taken by surprise initially that he is only two months younger than our son and were concerned, so prayed hard about it for a few days. One morning I woke up, feeling like we had an answer to accept, and I went into our 4 year old's room to dress him. I casually started to bring it up and see what his response would be to bringing a boy his age home to be his brother, and asked if he wanted to know his name (he of course said "yes"). He then immediately innocently looked at me with his bright blue eyes and said "Moses is from Jesus". It was something I will never forget and solidified our answer from God to say yes. Out of the mouth a the one babe we were most concerned for.

We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their precious child home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for this family's adoption expenses: 

https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/cramer-family-adoption-puzzle-fundraiser/c466633

 

Meet our March 2023 Featured Family: The Ost Family

"We’re the Ost Family, Kelly 64 and Sindy 56 and we’ll be married 20 years in September. Since the day we met each other we had a strong desire to have a family. God blessed us with one biological son Hunter and he resides is in heaven. 
 
We knew we wanted to be parents and with my history of PCOS and pregnancy losses it was so natural for us to turn to adoption. Gods blessed us with five beautiful girls through adoption.
 
Four of our girls are from China and one is from Arizona. Our girls are Allison-16, Katie-15.5, Harper Skye-13 Jenna aka Moo-6.5 and Gracie-6.5 our littlest girls are 6 weeks apart.
 
We're currently in the process to adopt our 6th daughter who'll we'll name Lillie Pearl. She is 22 months old and has Treacher Collins Syndrome just like Auggie Pullman from the movie Wonder.
 
Our family is excited and we all feel very blessed to be able to provide Lillie Pearl a loving forever family with a stay at home mom, a great medical team, and everything she'll ever need.
 
We're currently fundraising for the travel portion of this adoption which will include two trips to Bulgaria and Lillie Pearls one way ticket home.
 
We cannot thank everyone enough for helping us bring home our beautiful daughter Lillie Pearl from Bulgaria."
We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their precious child home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for this family's adoption expenses: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/ost-family-adoption-fund/c469731

Meet our February 2023 Featured Family: The Johnson Family


1. Tell us about your family.

Lucas and I (Erin) met at Hope College back in 2013. We were married in 2016 and now live in Zeeland, MI with our two children, Dominic (4) and Louisa (2).

2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption. 

We have always known it would be a part of our journey together. We traveled to Hidden Treasures Home in China, a foster home for orphans with disabilities, several times. On each trip, we fell in love more and more with the country, people, and children of China. We felt our hearts being called to the orphan and to adoption.

3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far.

I (Erin) went to China in 2012 after graduating from high school. I had no expectations. It was my first time outside of the US. It was on this trip that I truly grasped the Father’s heart for all His children and the ministry that is adoption. It was also on this trip that I met one particular child, just under 2 at the time, who I instantly felt a deep spiritual connection with. I felt the Lord tell me this was my son. Timidly, I walked forward through the years longing to be reunited with this little boy. When I met my husband and decided we were serious about a future together, I shared more openly about this very specific call on my life and Lucas was eager to visit this home in China. We traveled there together as an engaged couple and again as a married couple. Each time, growing closer with the boy who was only growing older. We knew we wouldn’t be able to adopt him until we were 30 because of Chinese adoption law. No other families came forward to adopt this boy. He is 13 now, and we are continuing to pursue him faithfully, with open hands.

4. Tell us more about the child you are adopting.

He has Down syndrome and multiple other special needs.

Prayer Request:  China would open adoptions again and families travel would be expedited!

We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their precious child home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for this family's adoption expenses: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/johnson-family-adoption-fund/c449067

 

Meet our January 2023 Featured Family: Broh Family

1. Tell us about your family.

Our names are Samuel and Kaibeh Broh, and we are a living and God fearing family. We currently have 4 grown children and we look forward to continuing expanding our family. We met through our friends and we’ve been blissfully married for more than 5 years.

2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption.

We have a soft place in our hearts for the youth, and we make it our goal to lead by example and up-bring and guide the children in our lives according to the principles of God. We have raised children before and have not been childless. Our main motivation for adopting is knowing that with God first we can give children an opportunity to grow up and succeed in a healthy and loving environment.

3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far.

We have decided to adopt my late sister's children in Liberia. They are a sibling group consisting of an eldest brother, an older sister, and the youngest sister. These children are resilient and strong, not only have they lost their mother (my sister), but they also lost their father a few months after.

4. Tell us more about the children you are adopting.

Regardless of the heartbreaking situations and circumstances that they've experienced in their early stages, they continuously keep a smile on their faces and are filled with ambition and big dreams. We want to help them to accomplish their beautiful purpose and dreams. We know that if they were to remain in Liberia God will still see them through it all, however there more opportunities here to guide them and it's a huge blessings for us as well to welcome them into our home. We have gotten to a healed point in our life were we are ready to embrace and raise children in a healthy environment of love. We are also financially literate and are able to manage our finances well enough, in order to supply the needs and wants of each child. Finally, our rooted faith in God, is our driving source and peace of mind. All of these aspects and more taken into consideration, we can ensure with God first, we will take proper care in upbringing these precious children.

 

We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their THREE precious children home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for this family's adoption expenses: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/broh-family-adoption-fund/c429542

 

Meet our December 2022 Featured Charity: Love Without Boundaries

Learn more about this amazing non-profit that works around the world to bring hope and healing to families:

"Love Without Boundaries’ Unity Program helps provide surgeries for children of impoverished families. We have partnered with three hospitals that refer children to us. Each family applies, submits a poverty certificate, and writes a little about their history. We see many heart breaking stories and are so thankful that we can help change lives by providing medical care through your partnership.

We usually do 4 cleft-related surgeries and 8 heart surgeries every month, although pandemic lockdowns reduced these numbers this year."

Typical costs for the surgeries we do:

Cleft lip or palate: $1370

Heart surgery: $2930

We chose this charity again for the month of December as a way to honor our son, Asher, whom we are waiting to adopt from China. We believe that the greatest answer to the orphan crisis in China and around the world is family preservation and we are so humbled to partner with a specific family this month and raise the money needed for their child to receive surgery, keeping their family together and supported during this crisis. Check back soon for more specific details on the precious child and family we will be sponsoring!

 

Donate directly today at https://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/fundraiser/hao-bao-bao-coffee/

 

Meet our November 2022 Featured Charities: Connected Hearts Ministry & Holt International

This month we are partnering with Connected Hearts Ministry and Holt International to help raise funds for costs of home study updates for families adopting from China. Due to the pandemic, hundreds of families (including ours) have been waiting for almost three years to bring our children home and have incurred extra expenses during this heartbreaking delay. We personally know the emotional and financial toll it costs to continually update adoption paperwork, with no end to this wait in sight. Therefore, we want to partner with these families to help lift the financial load and encourage their hearts so that someday they can bring their "hao bao bao" ("precious baby" in Chinese) home!

Learn more about this unique and much-needed project...

"We at Connected Hearts are deeply moved by these families’ commitment to their children in China, and are calling on our generous donors to help cover the cost of their required homestudy updates ($500 per family). Although an unforeseen financial expense, these updates are needed to ensure that every family is prepared to support and care for a child who is now nearly three years older.

Will you help meet our $14,000 funding goal to ensure that as soon as the travel ban is lifted, every child still waiting in China can unite with their adoptive family in the U.S.?"

Our goal is to sponser at least one home study update this next month! YOU can partner with us too in financially supporting and encouraging waiting China families, so that they are all ready to bring their precious child home! Please pray about sponser one family's update ($500) or giving any amount towards an update here: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/chinas-waiting-children/c434975 

 

Meet our October 2022 Featured Family: The Helmer Family

#1. Tell us more about your family.

Jeff and I have been married for going on 7 years and we live in a small town named Morton. Currently, we do not have any children.

#2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption.

Jeff and I always dreamed of having a family and truth be told, we planned on adopting after we had a couple of biological children. However, after multiple miscarriages, our plans for adoption came much sooner than originally anticipated!

#3. Tell us about your adoption journey so far.

We are choosing to adopt a sibling group for a couple of reasons. We wanted them to have each other, in hopes to bring them more belonging by having their own blood in their family. If by a small chance we ended up having a biological child (something we are not actively trying for. We have whole heartily come to peace and accepted the fact that carrying a pregnancy to term is not very likely),  we don’t ever want our child to feel like the outcast of the family. We would like them to have a sense of belonging.

#4. Tell us more about the children you are adopting. 

We have not been matched with any children yet, but we are hoping to be matched with and  bring our children home by spring! 

We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their TWO precious children home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for this family's adoption expenses: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/helmer-family-adoption-fund/c422332

 

Meet our September 2022 Featured Family: The Dispenza Family

*This family might look a little familiar! We partnered with them in October 2021 to bring precious Liana home from Bulgaria. We are so excited to partner again with the Dispenza family, as they complete back-to-back adoptions to bring home another precious child with down syndrome...however this time it will be a SON! Learn more about their story:

 "Patrick and I have been married for 15 years and always knew we wanted to adopt. We began fostering soon after getting married and have continued to foster many kids, including our now adopted daughters. In 2020, we saw a little girl on Reece’s Rainbow and decided to no longer let finances stop us from adopting internationally. During the homestudy phase, that little girl was matched with another family. Even though our hearts were broken, we prayed and knew we needed to continue. After learning about the children with Down syndrome and likely outcomes we decided to adopt a little girl we call Liana. We now have a house full of girls, including one biological daughter, but feel we still have some love to give. This time, we will be bringing home our first BOY! We are so excited, but need lots of prayers and help to make it happen. With international adoption costing over $35,000 we can’t do it without you! Any help to bring this sweet boy home is greatly appreciated."

We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their precious child home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for this family's adoption expenses: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/dispenza-family-adoption-fund/c425827

 

Meet our August 2022 Featured Family: The Plazak Family

1. Tell us more about your family.

Hi, we're the Plazak family, and we're adopting an amazing brother and sister from Taiwan! We were college friends who turned sweethearts, and we've been married since 2008. We currently live in South Carolina with our dog and three cats, and we love spending time outside or working on house renovations.

#2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption. 

When we were first discussing marriage, adoption was a topic of mutual agreement. We both strongly felt that the Lord wanted us to adopt at some point in the future, but were not certain of "when." Once we were married, we were intimidated by the high cost of adoption, so the “plan” was to have a few biological children while saving for an international adoption. By 2020, after over twelve years of marriage, three miscarriages, and countless trips to doctors and fertility specialists, it became apparent that maybe our “plan” wasn’t in the same timeline that the Lord had! One of the reasons why we chose Taiwan was that at a very young age, Sarah had been inspired by the missionary Gladys Aylward, and she felt God calling her to Asia to work with the orphans. As Sarah grew up, her love for Asian people and their culture remained, but she wasn’t exactly sure what God’s call looked like for her. For a long time, she thought the calling could only mean full-time missions work in China, but then she spent time on a short-term missions trip in Southern China during college. She saw the tenacity and contagious faith of the Chinese believers. They were bold, and their faith was something for which they were literally willing to be arrested or to die. This humbled Sarah and made her take a very close look at God’s calling for her life. Through the years, Joshua and Sarah realized that, at least at this time, God wasn’t calling them to full-time missions work overseas, but the Lord has provided them countless opportunities to minister to the Asian community from here in the United States by Sarah teaching with VIPKid and by us hosting a foreign exchange student from China a few years ago.

#3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far. 

After much prayer and seeking, we began the adoption process from China on Mother’s Day 2020. We progressed through the China adoption process quickly at first, and even submitted our dossier (paperwork) to China in nine months. By that time, COVID-19 had completely stalled any next steps with China - no getting matched and no adoption travel. Again, after much prayer, we decided to switch to the Taiwan adoption program in the summer of 2021, a program that was showing movement through all of the adoption steps! Within a few short weeks of switching programs, we found our children, a biological brother (age 5) and sister (age 4). Our daughter has been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD and our son has a diagnosis of cognitive, developmental, and speech/language delays as well as functional cortex disorder. We are excited to bring them home quickly so they can get the proper medical care and various therapies to help them thrive. We can't wait to see what great works the Lord will do in and through them!

#4.  Tell us more about the child you are adopting. 

We initially saw our son's photo on our adoption agency's Waiting Children List in the early summer of 2021, and were immediately drawn to his vivacious smile; however, by this time, God had really placed it on our hearts to adopt siblings, so we didn't pursue his file. Every time we'd check the Waiting Children List, we were drawn back to his joyful face. After a few weeks, he suddenly moved from the individual children section of the list to the sibling section! There was no picture of his sister, but there was a brief write-up about her, and we immediately told our agency we wanted to pursue them! Our son is 5-years-old, and he is one the most joyful children we've ever met! Our daughter is 4-years-old, and she is discerning and intelligent!

We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their TWO precious children home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for this family's adoption expenses: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/plazak-family-adoption-fund/c407869

 

Meet our July 2022 Featured Family: The Lieu Family

1. Tell us more about your family.

We are Chris and Kasey Lieu. On May 24th, we celebrated 7 years of marriage! We met at church while we were both in graduate school in Charleston. We do not have any children. We enjoy spending time with family and friends, running half marathons, hiking, and traveling.

2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption.

Before we were even married, we talked about our mutual desire and hearts for adoption. Chris went on a mission trip to North Africa in graduate school, and Kasey spent a summer in Kenya at an orphanage in college. God placed adoption on our hearts individually, and we were drawn to it even more so as a couple. Adoption is also special to us because we have been personally adopted into God’s eternal family!

3. Tell us about your adoption journey so far.

We always thought that we would have biological children first and then adopt. After we walked down the road of infertility, we decided to pursue adoption. We began our journey in 2021 pursuing domestic adoption. Unfortunately, we faced failed adoptions and experienced significant financial loss due to an adoption disruption. We saw God close many doors on our domestic adoption pursuit; however, we have never doubted God’s call on our lives to continue pursuing adoption. We wanted to be good stewards of our time, money, and resources and move forward with an adoption path with less risk. We began praying about international adoption and felt God prompting our hearts in this direction.

We were scrolling through an agency’s photolistings when we saw these four brothers from Colombia. The photolisting page advocates for children who are more challenging to place usually due to special medical needs, older age of the child, or a large sibling set. While we could never have dreamed as first-time parents adopting FOUR children at once, these boys somehow stole our hearts. We were moved by their close bond and how they deeply desired to be adopted into a family and stay together. These brothers have been waiting for over two years to be adopted and desperately needed parents to love and care for them. We began praying that these children be adopted together whether that be us or another family. A few days later, we learned that the government was going to separate these children to increase their chances of adoption if a family did not come forward by the end of the week. We knew that God had been stirring our hearts for them, so we said “yes” without hesitation! If you had told us at the beginning of this long journey that we would be pursuing four boys, we would have looked at you like a crazy person. But here we are- learning, growing, trusting, and surrendering. Sometimes God takes you down a long and painful path to conform your heart and desires to His Sovereign will.

4. Tell us more about the children you are adopting.

These four brothers are range in age from 3 to 10 years old. By the time we bring them home, they will range from 4 years old to 11 years old. They have been waiting for several years for a family, and they have a close bond and deeply desire to be adopted together! Their close bond and desire to be adopted together is what drew us to them!

 

Please join us in praying for this family:

Our prayer is that God will prepare these boys hearts for adoption and equip us as parents to love and care for them well. We are asking the Lord to knit our hearts together as a family, and most importantly, that these boys would come to know Jesus Christ personally one day! Also, we are working quickly on paperwork, and our prayer is that we will have them home before Christmas!! We know things are out of our hands and control, and we ultimately will trust God’s perfect timing.

 

We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their FOUR precious sons home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for this family's adoption expenses: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/lieu-family-adoption-fund/c404902

 

Meet our June 2022 Featured Charity: Open Hearts for Orphans

Last June, we partnered with Open Hearts for Orphans to feed families affected by the Covid-19 crisis in Uganda, so that they could stay together during these difficult times. This year, we are again partnering with them to continue helping families in Uganda provide basic needs for their families and/or kinship/foster care, so that vulnerable children can have loving homes in their own communities.

Why Uganda?

"Uganda is home to over 20 million children, many of whom are orphaned, abandoned or vulnerable. The vast majority of Ugandans live in rural areas and earn their living from subsistence agriculture, with half the population living on less than $1 per day. The country’s health indicators are among the lowest in Africa, with almost 7% of children passing away before their fifth birthday. Due to a lack of resources and  access to health care, many children in Uganda suffer for years with  treatable medical conditions, which often worsen over time. Children who  are abandoned or orphaned often end up in crowded orphanages or living  on the streets. 

Our mission is to protect those children and keep families together as "orphan prevention." With trusted partners on the ground, we serve vulnerable children by meeting their basic needs, such as clothing, food, and shelter and we provide the means for medical intervention if necessary."

Learn more about Open Hearts for Orphan's ministry and see beautiful faces of families transformed by their care projects here.

This month we are partnering with them to help raise a total of $5,870 to make much needed repairs on this precious family's house:

"Mariat Namajimbi is 40 years old blessed with six children. Unfortunately, the father of the children abandoned them about five years ago when she was pregnant with the last born, the twin girls. The home condition is really rough.

The children are:
1. Mulema Hakamada, 20 yrs (lives on his own now)
2. Kayabula Najjibu, 16 yrs (stopped in grade 6)
3. Nakyanzi Faridah, 14 yrs (stopped in grade 5)
4. Nassazi Joweria, 10 yrs (never been to school)
5. Nabasumba Nakato, 5 yrs (hasn’t started school; twins)

6. Babirye Jalia, 5 yrs (hasn’t started school; twins)

 

The current house was the effort of the older son, Mulema. He built it for his mother and siblings. The house where the husband left the family was old and dilapidated. It collapsed on them. The boy didn’t have enough funds, that’s he didn’t put the windows. He used the iron sheets which were on the old house; some of them have holes and the house leaks during the rain season. 
The mom and the children work in people’s gardens to get some money for basic needs. The children are not going to school this year. They try to work but can’t make enough to pay school fees. Their sleeping condition - the mom and all the kids (girls and boys) jammed in one small room."
Proposed Intervention Plan: 
1. Beddings, utensils, and clothes: $1,350
2. House renovations: $2,160 (The house has one bedroom and too small for all the children. We propose to add a second bedroom; so they would have two bedrooms and a living room in the middle)
3. Latrine and bathing room: $920
4. Kitchen and store: $760
5. Rainwater tank and solar system: $530
6. Food supply: $150

Total: $5,870

 

We'd love for you to partner with this amazing organization to help this precious families in Uganda! Follow them on Facebook for more stores and updates at @openheartsfororphans and donate directly here (be sure to choose "Orphan Care-Basic Needs" or write "Uganda" in the comment section) 

 

Here are just a few of stories of how OHFO has already come along side of vulnerable families in Uganda:

   

"Our Uganda partner, URF, recently distributed our donated solar lanterns to vulnerable families who needed them. We're told these families are very grateful for this blessing of a solar light - they live in remote villages in homes without electricity, so they rely on kerosene. Because these families are very poor, they struggle to buy kerosene on a regular basis, often leaving them in the dark. Thank you so much for helping us provide the gift of light. This was huge for them."

 

"Mama Asunte is a 78-year-old grandmother caring for her six abandoned grandchildren. She feeds her family for less than a dollar a day, and they live on a meal a day. The skyrocketing food costs in Uganda have worsened their situation, and our partners knew - if not addressed - some of these children would likely suffer from malnutrition soon.

 

Thanks to your ongoing support of OHFO, we were able to say YES to meet the immediate needs of this family. They were so overjoyed with the blessings that came to their house last week - food packages, beds and bedding, and new clothes and shoes. The testimony our partners received is that no one has ever done something this kind for them. They prayed a blessing for each of our donors that have given to improve their lives. Mama Asunta and her children say thank you so much. And we thank you for your open hearts. Please don't stop...the needs keep coming!"
"When Ismael and Twaha were discovered living in a tent in Uganda last year, there seemed to be little hope for them. They were abandoned by their mother and left with their father who was showing only signs of negligence towards his boys. We worked to raise funds for them, and you delivered to purchase land and build them a fully-furnished house complete with water, solar, and kitchen with a shop window so that they can operate a business someday.

 

What we failed to realize, at the time, was that this act of kindness to set up Ismael and Twaha with a bright future would actually change the whole family. You see, when our partners went to check on them recently and deliver our gift of a solar lantern for studying, they discovered that Ismael and Twaha's father has utilized the land we purchased well. It’s a sizable piece of land, and he has planted green plantains, cassava, corn, passion fruit and also coffee. The boys help in the gardens during holidays when they are home from school, and our partners predict that soon they will be able to harvest enough food for the family to be completely independent!!

 

When our partners found him before - living in a tent - you could easily conclude that he was a lazy and irresponsible father consumed by alcohol. But now, their father is happy and he is working hard! It is evident that he was "crippled" by his family's poverty, and giving him a hand-up with a fresh start has allowed this an to completely transform into the father and role model these boys need. Friends, THANK YOU so much for transforming lives and giving HOPE! This is EVERYTHING!"

 

Meet Our May 2022 Featured Family: The Lefkof Family

1. Tell us more about your family. 
I am a single mom of 3 children, two who are in college and one 14 year old who lives in the home. We live in Frisco, Texas and our adult children go to school on the east coast, so we are a family of travelers. We have a dog named Gandalf who loves to play and hike.

2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption. 

I have had a heart for adoption since my oldest, who is now 22, was just a toddler. I read a magazine article (remember those?!) about a group who helped to fundraise for adoptive parents and they opened my eyes to orphans in other countries who were sick and dying in orphanages from lack of care. It showed me how essential it is for children to have homes and families. Ever since that time, I knew that adoption was God's plan for my life.

3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far. 
As a single mom, I need to be able to work and with my kids being older, I thought we could provide a good home for an older child. I have felt a connection with Africa since my teen years and even planned to attend a mission trip there as a young adult until I discovered that I was pregnant with my son. I had a lot of trouble choosing one particular country, but was matched with a waiting child in South Africa. I like to say that the country (and the child!) chose us.

4. Tell us more about the child you are adopting. 
He is an 8-year-old boy with developmental delays. The introduction my agency gave me about him was that he is a talkative, happy, and sassy little boy. From just those few first words I suspected that he would be a great fit for my family, and as I learn more about him, I become more and more sure that this is true!

 

Prayer Request: 

My prayer is for God's provision for travel. I have recently learned that my trip to South Africa, while originally expected to be 4-6 weeks in country, is now more likely to be 3-4 months. As the breadwinner of my family, and the only income we have, this presents quite a dilemma in how to pay my bills while I'm gone. I have learned to trust the process, and that God has a plan for my family, but it remains a huge stressor for me. Pray for God to calm my anxious heart, and that I would allow myself to see Him working for our good.

You can follow the Lefkof's journey on Facebook!

We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their precious children home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for this family's adoption expenses by clicking here

 

Meet Our April 2022 Featured Family: The Romero Family

1. Tell us about your family.
Brent and I have been married for almost 22 years. We have been in the ministry our whole marriage, first as youth ministers, then group home foster parents at the Florida Baptist Children's Home in Tallahassee (we've had 258 foster children), then as a pastor and wife. 

2. Tell us about your heart for adoption.
During our time at FBCH we adopted our two boys, Nathan (15 - adopted at birth) and Micah (15 - adopted from Ukraine in 2012). We also took 2 aged out girls into our family (they are now 27 and 29). Micah is autistic and non-verbal, which presents challenges but he is the sweetest and we can't imagine our lives without him. 

3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far.
We met Danil in 2019 when he came to our home as a host child during the holidays. We immediately fell in love. Shortly after he returned to Ukraine we decided to adopt him. However, COVID interrupted our plans. We finally were able to apply and complete our home study. During that time we found out he had a younger sister (11) and agreed to adopt her, also. We were approved as adopted parents by Ukraine on January 17th and anxiously awaited our appointment, which should have been at the end of February. When the war broke out, it was imperative that the kids be evacuated as they were situated in the Luhansk oblast. They were able to get to Lviv before it was too late. At that point, we went to Poland as we were under the impression they would leave Ukraine soon. They finally evacuated on 3/13 and went to Austria. We were able to visit with them (and meet our future daughter) for several days before returning home on 3/19. Now we are just waiting for the US and Ukraine to come to an agreement to allow children with American families to be moved to the US until it is safe for them to return or other arrangements are made.

4. Tell us about the child/children you are adopting.
Danil is 15 and has type 1 diabetes. He is charismatic and so caring. Radmilla is 11. She is very shy and I don't know much about her except that she likes rainbows.

 

 

Prayer requests:
-Please pray that children will be granted expedited medical visas so they can come to America soon!
-Pray for the caregivers of these evacuated children from orphanages, especially as they left their families and need wisdom how to comfort and care for these children as the situation unfolds.
-Pray that the Romeros will have all the finances they need so they are ready whenever they are allowed to adopt Danil and  Radmilla

 

We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their precious children home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for this family's adoption expenses: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/romero-family-adoption-fund/c352152

 

Meet Our March 2022 Featured Family: The Stanton Family


#1. Tell us more about your family.
Patrick and I met playing tennis at Mississippi College in 2006. We have been married for 11 years and have 4 biological children ages 9,9,7, and 5. We currently live in Upstate South Carolina and enjoy hiking around the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

 

#2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption. 
We have had a heart for vulnerable children for years and have continually prayed for and sought ways to care them. I (Patrick) first developed a love for children and other cultures while on trip to the Ukraine in high school. Since then, I have desired to have a large family and to one day adopt. I (Audra) started thinking about starting a family while living in Quintana Roo Mexico. I loved the beautiful families there and began to desire my own. We both felt God stirring us to give Him control over what our family would look like and we were quickly surprised with our twins (Noah and Levi) and Rollins and Joseph soon after. After our youngest (Joseph) was born we began to talk about how we might care for vulnerable children who are in need of a family. Once I (Patrick) was finished with graduate school and we had moved to South Carolina, we got licensed as foster parents. We have had the privilege of caring for 12 children in our home through foster care in the past two years. Through foster care, we learned of the great need for families to step forward to care for sibling sets who are offen separated and for older children who often age out of the system without a family. We decided that if and when we did adopt we wanted to provide a family for a child or children who are at risk of being unadopted. We thought this would come later in our life, but God had other plans for us. Giving God control over our family has been the greatest, hardest, and most joy-filled blessing. We have learned to fully trust Him and the plans He calls us to. We feel completely humbled and undeserving to be used by God in this way, but we are eternally grateful and we can’t wait to see His work in this! 

 

#3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far.
In May of 2021 we saw an advocacy photo of a 15 year old girl who strongly desired a family before she was to “age out”. We began to pray for her daily, and after a while our hearts were inclined to call Lifeline Adoption Agency about her. Upon calling, we discovered that she has a 13 year old sister. We knew we didn't want them to be separated, and after months of prayer and seeking advice we decided to say yes to what we believe God has placed before us. We are moving as quickly as possible in hopes of being able to travel and bring the girls home this summer.

 

#4. Tell us more about the child you are adopting.
We are adopting two teenage sisters who have been separated, but wish to be back together in a family.
 
We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their precious children home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for this family's adoption expenses:   https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/stanton-family-adoption-fund/c386188

 

 

Meet Our February 2022 Featured Family: The Rouse Family

 

#1. Tell us more about your family. We met while Emily was still in college through her roommate. We were best friends for a year before even thinking about dating each other. Justin would come over to the apartment to cook once a week. We would all bring different ingredients to make a meal together. Once we went on our first date, we knew we were meant to be together forever. We currently don't have any children, but we have two fur babies-- two labradoodle sisters named Olive Francesca and Iris Ava. We live in Tulsa, Oklahoma where Justin is a registered nurse in the operating room at one of Oklahoma's largest hospitals and Emily is an English Language Development teacher at the second largest school district in Oklahoma.

 

 

#2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption. 

One of the reasons why we feel so motivated to adopt a child is because we are two loving people who have an empty room in our home and an empty hole in our hearts. We have always known we would adopt a child from another country. We have such a deep love and connection to Asian cultures. We are fully prepared to take this next step in our lives to become adoptive parents. It is something we have talked about ever since we were dating. When I (Emily) was about 12 years old, my family started taking care of children in foster care. Over a span of 7 years, we had over 40 different children who had broken bones, burns and other medical problems. We loved each child from the moment we received a phone call to take them in to the moment they left our homes. I helped my parents take care of each child. It was always hard when the child left to go back to be with a family member or to be adopted by another family. I learned at an early age to help others in need. I learned to love and care for others, and I learned a lot about the harsh reality of the lives of some children. When I was 10 years old, my family hosted our first exchange student from South Korea. This was my first long-term exposure to another culture as she lived with us for a year. I remember being so fascinated by her, as I would listen to her talk on the phone with her family in Korean. I used this opportunity to explore her culture. I asked her questions about her family and culture and got to know her so well. She is one of the reasons for my deep love of other cultures. It was when I was around the age of five that a member of our family adopted a baby from South Korea, and then when I was eight, a different member of our family adopted a child from China. It was at this youthful age that I knew I would adopt a child from another country someday too. It always sounds strange when I tell people that I have always wanted to adopt internationally. I have thought about and hoped for this moment for many, many years. I also have several cousins who have adopted domestically, so adoption is something that is pretty big in our family.

 

#3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far.
We are adopting from an Asian country because of the exchange students we have hosted and because it is just something we knew we wanted to do. It hasn't even been a question of IF we will adopt from an Asian country, but WHICH Asian country it would be. We are not sure yet how long it will be until we get to bring our child home, but we are counting down the unknown days!

 
#4. Tell us more about the child you are adopting. 
We are currently waiting to be matched to a child. 

 

We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their precious child home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for this family's adoption expenses:  http://give.connectedheartsministry.org/rouse-family-adoption-fund

 

Meet Our January 2022 Featured Family: The Abdelmalak Family

#1. Tell us more about your family.

My husband and I are both immigrants. We came to the United States as teenagers and met in high school. We had to overcome many obstacles along our journey(long-distance relationship for 5 years, doing paperwork for citizenship, all while studying in college). We felt blessed to finally be able to get married in October 2010. Ever since we were dating, we have dreamed of adopting a child. We now have three biological children and are adopting a 12-year old boy from Colombia we hosted this summer. 

#2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption. 
Four years ago we found out about a hosting program after seeing an emotional video online of an older boy being adopted from Colombia. Until we saw this video, we had always thought we would adopt a baby or a young toddler, but after learning about older orphans who are in danger of “aging out’’ of the system without ever finding their family, we felt destined to adopt an older child. We were eager to learn all about the program, but we weren't able to participate at that time. As the challenging year of 2020 was coming to a close, it had taught us to live in the moment and to not wait for the ideal situation because it might never come. And so we decided to pursue our dream of hosting with the ultimate goal of adoption.
 

#3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far.
As soon as our boy left this summer, we all felt heartbroken. Our house felt empty and our kids still ask every day when their older brother is coming back. We are working on all of the adoption paperwork as hard as we can and are currently waiting for the USCIS suitability to adopt approval.

#4. Tell us more about the child you are adopting.
"J" brought so much joy and happiness to our family. We nearly instantly felt like we had always known him, and it was heart-breaking when he had to leave. We loved spending time together and he was adored by all. He seemed comfortable and bonded with each of us. He told us he had been waiting so long to find a family that would love and care for him. We want to support him throughout his life and make sure he achieves his dreams. We plan to always be there for him, care for him and give him the unconditional love he deserves.
 
We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their precious child home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for this family's adoption expenses: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/abdelmalak-family-adoption-fund/c364856

 

Meet December's Featured Organization: Love Without Boundaries

About LWB

"Love Without Boundaries is an authentic international charity that provides hope and healing to vulnerable children, and their underserved communities, through its education, nutrition, medical, and foster care programs.

LWB provides life-changing medical care, runs well monitored foster homes, operates schools, and supplies quality nutrition to impoverished and orphaned children. Our programs work together to best meet the needs of the children entrusted to our care and are only possible thanks to your support."

Learn more about Love Without Boundaries mission here.

About LWB's Unity Initiative Fund

LWB’s Unity Initiative Fund provides surgeries and medical care for children from impoverished families in China who are unable to afford the medical care needed for their children. It is our goal to help keep families together and our desire to help many more impoverished families with medical care in the future.

 

This month we are partnering with LWB to help one precious boy and his family to receive the life-saving treatment he needs: 

"Curtis has an ASD and has been sickly throughout his young life. He was recently diagnosed with Kawasaki disease and his heart surgery had to be delayed until January. We now need to raise the remaining balance of funds ($2525) to pay for the surgery. In the event that additional funds are raised in honor of Curtis, those funds will go towards the next child needing heart surgery through our Unity Fund."

 

Please join us in raising the remaining funds to Curtis's heart surgery by donating at https://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/sponsorship/medical-care-sponsorship-curtis/
 

 

Meet November's Featured Organization: Connected Hearts Ministry

History:

Connected Hearts Ministry was founded in 2013 by Brandon and Misty Hudson. In 2012 the Hudsons began volunteering with World Visions’ Artist Associates program. During that time they learned about the orphan crisis. They knew that God was calling them to adopt. However, when they stepped out to adopt they were shocked by the high cost of adoption. They quickly learned that many people who were interested in adoption never moved forward because of the cost. As the Hudsons began raising funds for their own adoption, they decided to start Connected Hearts Ministry to help other families who are in the adoption process. In 2013 they adopted their daughter, and helped raise funds for one other family to adopt their 2 sons from Africa. Today, Connected Hearts Ministry has helped raise over 1 million dollars to bring home over 300 children from 22 different countries around the world.

Purpose: 

At Connected Hearts Ministry, we don’t feel lack of funding should stand in the way of a family being able to adopt. We provide personalized adoption funding coaching, and help families fundraise, so they can adopt the child (or children)  God called them to.

 

Our mission is to raise funds and care for orphans who are most often overlooked for adoption.  This includes children with special needs, older children and sibling groups.

You too can partner with Connected Hearts Ministry! Donate today to help vulnerable orphans at https://www.connectedheartsministry.org/donate.

 

Meet October's Featured Family: The Dispenza Family


#1. Tell us more about your family.

Patrick and I have been married for 12 years. We spent the first 5 years trying to have a baby of our own to no availability. During our 2nd year we began fostering and fell in love with a precious little boy. Although our hearts were open and we loved him his whole first year, another family member spoke up and he was placed with them. Our hearts were shattered and decided to attempt IVF instead. On our second attempt we got pregnant and shortly miscarried. Thanks to insurance coverage we were able to try a third time and were excited to be welcoming twin girls. However, at just 33 weeks we found out our girls had twin to twin transfusion syndrome and Lanie no longer had a heartbeat. We had an emergency delivery and after many weeks in the NICU we brought home our daughter Lexie. Lexie has many challenges but has overcome so much and her hospital stay encouraged me to become a nurse myself. I use my experience to help other moms going through one of the hardest experiences to bring hope and that God still uses even the worst of experiences for good. I have learned so much about the value of life.

 

#2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption. 

Our family is dedicated to serving the Lord and following the callings he has placed on our life including fostering and adoption. So, when Lexie got a little bit older, we began hosting exchange students. We hosted kids from countries all over the world. One day God spoke to our hearts and said it is time to help the kids in your own community. We soon reopened our home and have since loved 23 different kids. Although we are open and would love to adopt all our kids, that just hasn’t been the case for us.  Last August we got a phone call about a baby that was born severely drug addicted with multiple diagnosis including cerebral palsy that no one else wanted. We immediately said yes and after 15 months we finally gained guardianship of her.

 

#3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far.

We still knew our family wasn’t complete though and at a conference this past year the Holy Spirit spoke to me and asked to trust him and be faithful to our calling of true adoption despite our fear of cost. We prayed and began the process for a little girl we saw on a waiting child site. We applied for her, but during our home study process another family committed to her. We were devastated. We prayed again and God clearing spoke to us and said don’t be discouraged, now there is not only one orphan with a home but there will be two. We continued our process and being a nurse and having two special needs daughters already I knew our family could love another child with different abilities. Our social worker shared with us the horrific outcomes for most down syndrome children and we immediately knew this was God’s calling for us. We are so excited to add another little princess to our family and we know God will be faithful to provide for every financial need. 

With me only being able to work part time, Patrick provides most of our income. This year has been a very trying year for all salespeople. Patrick’s income consists of a lot of commission and this year sales have been at record low. We are doing all the fundraisers we can within the covid guidelines and will do whatever we can to help bring our daughter home. So far, we have sold cards for a cause, pampered chef, t-shirts, cause-ology jewelry, photo sessions, puzzle pieces, and had 2 garage sales. We are currently selling chocolate covered strawberries and collecting items for an online auction. With just a  few months left though, we are really praying for a grant to at least help with some of the burden. We have applied for several, but so far, we have only heard back from one in which we were not chosen and another which our agency is not affiliated with and did not qualify. We are running out of options, and our friends and family have helped so much already with our fundraisers but bringing our girl home is far too important to quit. With church being mostly online this year, connect groups canceled, and basically minimal contact, social media has been about our only option. We have tried crowd funding through adopt together and recently started a Reese’s Rainbow page, but so far it has been minimal help. I know it’s a tough time for everyone right now, but my baby deserves to come home as soon as possible and not wait any longer alone and without her family due to financial strain. Our family has waited long enough.

#4. Tell us more about the child you are adopting.

Our daughter will be named Liana Faith Dispenza she is 2 years old and has Down Syndrome. We are so excited to bring her home and are currently praying for a quick court date and expecting to travel sometime in November.

Thank you so much for listening to our story and know one day we will share our adoption story of how God was so faithful and love really doesn’t count chromosomes. 

We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their precious child home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for this family's adoption expenses: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/dispenza-family-adoption-fund/c324357

 Meet September's Featured Family: The Burnette Family

#1. Tell us more about your family.

Hello! We are Joshua and Kate Burnette! We live in Columbia, SC! We are excited to become parents and grow our family through adoption from Taiwan!

#2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption. 

Kate teaches English to kids in China and feels very closely tied to China. In the Spring of 2020, she felt God leading her to adopt from China. Together we started praying about adoption. We feel strongly that children belong in forever families where they are loved, cherished, and supported to reach their potential. Kate was filled with an urgency to start the process right away, but she did not yet meet the age requirement to adopt from China (age 30). We started saving while we prayed for guidance about what to do. The feeling of urgency did not go away, so we started the process of adoption from Taiwan, Republic of China in November of 2020. We feel that all Believers are called to love and serve orphans in some way. We are excited to become parents and grow our family through adoption.

#3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far.

We started our adoption process in November of 2020 with the urgency in our hearts that our child was out there waiting for a family. We liked that the Taiwan adoption program is very child-centered, helping place children in homes that are the best fit for them. It has been a joy to meet families who have adopted or are in the process. We have enjoyed learning about Taiwan. We were matched in August with a cute little boy, who turns 5 years old this month!

#4. Tell us more about the child you are adopting. 

We are matched with a boy who is celebrating his 5th birthday this month! He likes puzzles, dinosaurs, and blocks. We can't wait to meet him!

We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their precious child home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for this family's adoption expenses:  https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/burnette-family-adoption-fund/c347324

 

Meet August's Featured Family: The Ray Family

#1. Tell us more about your family.

My husband and I have been married ten years this September. We have a son Caden that we adopted domestically so this time is different with an it being an international adoption. We live in Greencastle, IN and have lived here our whole lives, except for the six years my husband was in the Army and we were stationed in Fort Hood, TX.

#2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption.

We cannot have any biological children so we fostered and met our son. We soon realized adoption was definitely not a plan B to have a child but the best plan A and we wouldn’t want it any other way. I know some people do not wish to adopt because it is just not right for them but it is for us and we cannot wait to do it again, but so very different this time which is exciting, yet scary.

#3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far. 

We are adopting from Burkina Faso, Africa because I from a young child have always been intrigued by this area and have a strong heart for the people. We are open to blood disorders in our little girl and want to provide the best care possible that she most likely would not be able to receive where she currently is. 

#4.  Tell us more about the child you are adopting. 

We actually have not been placed with a specific child yet but we do know she will be aged 4 or younger, the child will be a girl, and she most likely will have a blood disorder.(HIV, sickle cell, Hep C, etc).

 

We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their precious child home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for this family's adoption expenses: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/ray-family-adoption-fund/c343889

 

Meet July's Featured Families: Urgent Needs in Uganda!

This month we are partnering with Open Hearts for Orphans for

Families Feeding Families!

"Uganda is back on Covid-19 lock down for 42 days. Tighter restrictions were just placed on 6/18 and food shortages are expected among vulnerable populations. We're helping our partners stay ahead of the issue NOW, in hopes that no one goes hungry. 

Maria cares for eight grandchildren and two foster children (pictured). She has been relying on the support of her daughters and well wishers, but with businesses closed, they can no longer send money home to help her care for the children. They desperately need food support. 

Many children have been sent home from schools, meaning extra mouths to feed. Our partners are planning to reach families in slum areas, too, who already lost their livelihoods due to the pandemic and are still really struggling. The biggest needs are groceries, medical care, and child protective services so they can step in to receive children in crisis who are at risk of abuse and family separation.

$40 will feed a family for one month. We are hoping that your family will sponsor a vulnerable family across the world! Our goal is to provide food relief for 200 families between three key partners.

 

Feeding a family with your $40 gift will get you an entry into our Sweet Summer bundle giveaway - including a YETI cooler, a Tommy Bahama beach chair, a copy of the book "Extraordinary" and an OHFO custom cap (not pictured). There is no limit to the number of entries - every additional $40 donated gets you an additional entry!" *Giveaway ends July 16th!

Hurry and give today: https://give.openheartsfororphans.org/campaign/families-feeding-families/c344860

 

Meet June's Featured Adoptive Family: The Carlisles

#1. Tell us more about your family. 
Phillip and I met in college at Campbell University. We lived in relatively close towns, but didn't meet one another until we were in grad school. We quickly hit it off and began dating. We were engaged about a year later, and got married in my home town in Eastern North Carolina, where we live now. We have one son, Camden whom we adopted in 2018.

#2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption.

I remember one day in high school where a social worker came and spoke at our school about her work at Christian Adoption Services. I was struck by the impactful work that she did “helping place vulnerable children in Christian families.” I thought through what that might mean in my life, and entertained the idea of being a social worker, but later realized that maybe God was planting a seed in my heart to give consideration to later grow my family through adoption. A few years later, I was diagnosed with Marfans Syndrome, a genetic connective tissue disease. While this is mild in my case and only has minor effects in my day to day life, it is not encouraged to become pregnant because of the possible impact on the cardiovascular system as well as the genetic component of this disease that could impact any future children. I felt like at that point, God truly settled in me the plan to later adopt children into my family, instead of having biological children.

As I later met Phillip in college and we began to talk about the future, I was pleasantly surprised to learn he had always been interested in adoption as well. When we became engaged and later married, this was not a difficult decision for us to decide that adoption would likely be the route we would take to bring children into our family. We researched several agencies, searching for one that would be ethical and above all support the expectant mom and share the Gospel with her. We landed on Christian Adoption Services, a Christian agency whose mission was as I’d heard all those years ago “To Connect Vulnerable Children with Christian Families.” We met with the very same case worker whom I’d heard speak at my high school in 2017 at an informational meeting.

We adopted our first son, Camden, through CAS in 2018. We continue to be amazed by all the ways in which we saw God weave together Camden's adoption story from birth to present day and are excited to begin a second adoption journey to welcome another sweet little one into our family.

We were given so many “God Winks” as our agency calls them, throughout the course of our first adoption. We received donor milk from dozens of moms we knew who were willing to help feed our son. We received small financial gifts from friends and family that added up. We were supported greatly by our wonderful church body, through prayer, meal trains, and financial contributions. Our son was born in nearly the same city as dear friends of ours, so we were welcomed with a beautiful nursery and home cooked meals for his first two weeks of life as we waited for paperwork. We were blown away by all we saw God do during the months leading up to and shortly after Camden’s birth, and looked forward to the ways in which we would continue to see God work.

As the years have passed and we’ve spent this precious time with Camden, we’ve begun to feel at peace about growing our family again. We plan to use this same agency, Christian Adoption Services, because we saw first hand the support and encouragement that they provide expectant mothers, as well as the ministry they are doing in North and South Carolina. We know that God has our future planned out before us and as Ephesians 3:20 says, that “God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think.” We are trusting in that promise as we open the door into the financial unknown of adoption yet again. It is our prayer that God will provide the resources for us to continue to grow our family through the blessing of adoption, and that He will use us in the lives of any expectant mothers we encounter to show His grace, love and mercy. We do not have a specific special needs placement at this time because we are not placed with a child at this point. We anticipate we will bring our child home within the year 2021.

#3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far. 

We are choosing to adopt through this specific agency because it is through them that Sara was first introduced to the concept of and ministry of adoption. We have prayed about where God wants us to adopt from, and domestic adoption in NC or SC is where we feel like God is directing us. We do not have a specific special needs placement at this time because we are not placed with a child at this point. We anticipate we will bring our child home within the year 2021.

 
#4. Tell us more about the child you are adopting.
We do not have a specific placement at this time. We are seeking to adopt a younger child to keep the birth order of our family, as our son who we adopted in 2018 is 2.5 years old.
 

We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their precious child home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for this family's adoption expenses: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/carlisle-family-adoption-fund/c321209

 

Meet May's Featured Adoptive Family: The Singletons


#1. Tell us more about your family.

I’m mama to John and James! John came into my life when he was a teenager, and he is now a proud Aggie studying Psychology at Texas A&M. He is also the most gifted musician I know. His joyful spirit and beautiful voice can melt anyone’s heart, and he loves sharing the Gospel through his music. James is from China and has been home for a year and a half. He has since then undergone four surgeries that have saved his life and drastically improved his quality of life. He is the bravest and sweetest kid I know. He is sensitive, kind, and caring, and always makes sure that everyone is taken care of. James shares his brother’s love for music, life, and food! You would never know that they didn’t grow up together. We have a lot of fun and laugh a lot! We are all super excited to bring precious Noah into our family to love forever.

#2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption. 
About a decade ago, I went on an orphan awareness mission trip to Africa. I met my oldest son John at his huge orphanage in Rwanda, and that was when the Lord began to cultivate a boundless love for orphans and an unprecedented desire to adopt. It is God who works in us both to will and work for His good pleasure. He continues to be at work in me creating both the desires and the actions that are pleasing to Him. I was keenly aware of how I was once a spiritual orphan and subsequently overwhelmed with gratitude that my Heavenly Father graciously adopted me into His eternal family. Adoption is a tangible way to show our children how we have been delivered from sin and death so that we can now share life giving truth with others. Several years after bringing John home, I came across an advocacy post for James who was living in an orphanage in China. Again, my heart was flooded with immediate love for this child that I knew was my son. John and James bring me inexplicable joy as well as some serious and much needed sanctification. I truly believe they bless me more than I bless them.


#3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far. 
Several months ago, I saw precious Noah's picture and felt God asking me to make room for one more. I know I am not married, not good enough, not rich enough, not strong enough, not anything enough, but God sees past my abundance of fears and failings and calls me to something way better than I could ever imagine. I am so excited to embark on this journey of adopting Noah. Children belong in families. I adopt because God commands us to take care of orphans and widows and because I myself have been rescued. I simply want to be a tool in my Master's hand.


#4. Tell us more about the child you are adopting.

Noah is about to be 8 years old and has hydrocephalus. As an infant, no one thought he would survive. But God had a bigger plan for Noah, and I believe part of that plan is to be in our forever family. Thank you for considering being a part of this with me. I’m excited to once again see how God does the impossible to bring His precious children into families. Psalm 68:5-6  says “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families…”.


We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their precious child home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/singleton-family-adoption-fund/c333965

 

Meet April's Featured Adoptive Family: The Amigos 

#1. Tell us more about your family.

My wife, Brooke, and I have been married for almost 8 years. We adopted our first son, Samuel, from India two years ago. I've made a lot of wrong decisions in life, but the post best decisions I've ever made were marrying my wife and adopting Sammy. Although it hasn't always been smooth sailing, there is no one else I'd rather be on the journey with. When we brought Sammy home he had a rare heart condition called Holmes heart. Initially, they didn't believe there was anything they could do for him; his life expectancy was unknown but it would have been a blessing to get to double digits. The doctors put him on a experiential medication that raised his oxygen levels to a number that made open-heart surgery possible. His procedure was over 8 hours but when he was a huge success! The doctors essentially were able to re-wire his heart to operate how it should. It was a miracle and something we thank God for every day. 

#2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption. 

We are looking to grow our family and adoption is one of the ways to that God has put on our hearts to do so. Recently, we felt the yearning to grow our family even more and God led us to adopt again. We're extremely excited, but no one is more excited than Sammy to get a little brother.

#3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far. 

We are adoption from India. It's where we adopted from before. We were first led to India by the movie "Lion." At the end it had statistics about the number of orphans and at that moment my wife and I decided to adopt from India.

#4. Tell us more about the child you are adopting.

We are not matched with a child yet, but will be adoption from India a boy under the age of 5 (our son is currently 5). Last time we never actually got matched, my wife saw our son on a list as he wasn't adopted for some time (maybe due to his heart condition). So, truth be told we are open and really let God direct us in finding the child he has for us. It breaks my heart now just knowing he's out there somewhere.

 

We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their precious child home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/amigo-family-adoption-fund/c323858

 

Meet March’s Featured Adoptive Family: The Jones

 #1. Tell us more about your family.
My wife and I met 12 years ago on a blind date that our friends set up. We currently have no children but have know for some years that we planned to adopt. We live in a small home in Salt Lake City, Utah.

 

#2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption.
When Emily and I met 12 years ago, she told me that she knew she wanted to adopt a child ever since she was young. My wife and I had the opportunity to volunteer in a few orphanages in Thailand while we lived there for two years. After many discussions and much prayer, we made the decision to start the process and make this life changing dream come true.

 

#3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far. 
Emily and I met so many incredible children while volunteering in the Thailand orphanages. Many of the children are older and are going to age out and therefore not be eligible for adoption. This broke our hearts and also made us want to help this particular age group. Because we are in the homestudy process currently, we estimate it will be one year from now until we are able to bring our sweet child home.

 

#4. Tell us more about the child you are adopting. 
We are adopting a mixed race older Thai child who is the product of the notorious prostitution problem in Southeast Asia. We have not been matched yet with the exact child but most of the children in this orphanage are a product of this terrible problem. We feel strongly that if we can break the cycle for just one of these beautiful children, it will be the most meaningful thing we will ever do.

 

We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their precious child home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link:  https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/jones-family-adoption-fund/c320684

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Meet February's Featured Adoptive Family: The Perrymans

 

#1. Tell us more about your family.

We met in High School. We have been married for 27 years been together 29 we have 3 beautiful Bio children & one beautiful special needs little boy from China. We live in Rader, Missouri on a small farm.

#2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption.

We have a heart for Down Syndrome/Special needs children. A few years ago God gave a tug on our hearts and we knew he was calling us to adopt special beautiful little souls. 

#3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far.

My bride was looking on Reece's Rainbow at all the children that need forever families and came across a little face that tugged at her heart then she showed me her picture and I felt that was our daughter. So here we go again. We have a heart for Down Syndrome/ Special needs children. Not sure on time line just yet.

#4. Tell us more about the child you are adopting.

She is a beautiful little 5 year old with Down Syndrome-She's rocking an extra chromosome.

We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their daughter home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/perryman-family-adoption-fund/c311041

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Meet January's Featured Adoptive Family: The Bauer Family

 

1. Tell us about yourselves. 
We are Stacie & Sam Bauer. We've been married for 17 years. We live in southwest PA. We have one 4 year old little girl who we adopted domestically at birth. She is super excited to bring her sissy home.

2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption. 

 We always knew we wanted to adopt. We always thought it would be in addition to biological children but after struggling with infertility, we realized that biological children was not our calling. We are happy to answer the calling that God has given us.

3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far. 

 We chose Bulgaria because the requirements aren't as harsh as other countries & the travel times aren't as long. We didn't really choose a specific special need. We felt drawn to the little one we chose & we choose to accept her special needs. Considering all goes as planned, we are hoping to bring her home April/May.

4. Tell us more about the child you are adopting.

 Not quite sure what drew us to her. We saw her picture & just felt she was "the one" & we knew we had to try for her.

 

We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their daughter home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/bauer-family-adoption-fund/c270416 

 

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Meet December's Featured Adoptive Family: The Waldens

1. Tell us about yourselves.

Hi! We are the Walden Family...Jeffrey, Jena, Jaret, JaLynn, Jackson and Jayla. We live in a small town in Illinois. Adoption is a common word in our vocabulary because 3 of our 4 children are adopted. Our oldest 2 children were adopted through foster care in 2017. We had them for 3 years before we were able to officially make them a Walden. In the middle of that roller coaster ride, we had our biological son, Jackson. We were certain our family was complete, but God had other plans. At the end of 2018, we started exploring international adoption and by October of 2019, we were home with our daughter Jayla from China. Jayla is a gift from God with an extra 21st chromosome! When we were in China, God started working on our hearts to one day go back. The goal was to go back when our kids were older, but again, God had other plans. When we saw our little boy's picture on an advocacy page we just "knew." So, here we are!! Jeffrey and I actually live in neighboring towns and knew of each other but never really knew each other. We were paired, last minute, to walk together in a wedding. At that time, we were both in relationships. However, a couple months later, situations changed and we started talking on MySpace...and the rest is history!

2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption.

We had a failed adoption attempt and a failed pregnancy early on in our marriage, so we decided to go the foster care route. Again, God knew what he was doing! From there, our love for adoption has blossomed and grown!

3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far.

We chose China because that is where we went the last time and the time frame is pretty much set in stone. With our other kids, we want to be gone the least amount of time as possible. We chose Down Syndrome again, because Jayla has been such a blessing in our lives in just the year we have had her and we can't wait to have another homie with an extra chromie!!

4. Tell us about the child you are adopting.

The child we are adopting is a little boy, 2, from China. He has Down Syndrome and no other health issues that they know of. I saw his picture on an advocacy page and it just made my heart jump! We just knew he was meant to be ours!

 

We'd love for you to partner with this sweet family in bringing their son home! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link: 

http://give.connectedheartsministry.org/walden-family-adoption-fund

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Meet November's Featured Adoptive Family: The Kesslers

1. Tell us about yourselves 

We are Emily and Robert Kessler and we live in Ruston, Louisiana. We have two girls at home, LandryKate (5) and Cora (3). LK is doing Kindergarten as a homeschooler, which has been such a learning and growing experience for all of us! She loves dinosaurs, critters of all kinds, and her sisters. Cora has been mostly learning from her sister during COVID - amongst her new abilities is walking independently, and talking/signing lots more! She loves baths, salty/crunchy snacks, and keeping up with her big sister. Cora was born in China and joined our family in 2018, just shy of 2 years old. Her entrance into our family welcomed us into the wonderful worlds of Down syndrome and adoption! 

2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption.

If I'm trying to be brief, it boils down to this: our family grew by adoption when we brought Cora home. It took us a couple years to get to the place where we were ready to adopt but God worked it out that we got to bring home our girl! When we were in-country to pick her up, we took a day to visit her orphanage. Our time to visit was relatively brief but it impacted us in enormous ways. There is something about seeing the waiting children's faces that puts the weight of the NEED for families on your heart. There are so many children, especially with Down syndrome, who are ready for a family to say yes. We had room in our family and heart for another child, so we're stepping out in faith to bring another daughter with Down syndrome home from China! 

3. Tell us about your adoption journey so far. 

COVID. (Shouldn't that say it all?!? Just kidding! But it feels like it's affecting everything, doesn't it?) We began the process in September 2019, and an exceptionally long homestudy process had us on a slower path than we anticipated. But God was working and our paperwork ended up being at the perfect speed: processing through both countries at just the right times for COVID closures and re-openings. When we began the process, we'd anticipated having our child home over the summer of 2020. We've reached the point that the only thing we are waiting for is the approval to travel. It's been a long and crazy process, but we are grateful that we've gone as far as we can in this season. In God's timing, Callie will join our family!

4. Tell us more about the child you are adopting.

In March, we were matched with Callie, who turned 4 in July. She was one of the children waiting to be adopted when we brought Cora home two years ago, and she's never been far from my mind since then! I've prayed for a family to adopt her, and, in God's gracious mercy, He has given us the privilege of being that family! Callie also has Down syndrome and, according to her update, is healthy and growing. We are so excited to finally meet her and have her join her sisters in our home!

The exciting part about this month's featured family is that all donations will be DOUBLED! The Kessler's need $1,000 more to meet their matching grant through RODS (Racing for Orphans with Down Syndrome). Check out their page and please give so that we all can help them bring Callie home: https://rods.org/athlete/emilykessler-2250/!

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Meet October's Featured Adoptive Family: The Carosones 

1. Tell us about yourselves.

Hello! We are the Carosone Clan and live in Ankeny, Iowa. We have been married for almost 25 years and have 4 children: Alex (18), Eddie (14), Gigi (5), and Howie (3). Howie and Gigi were adopted from China in 2017 and 2018. We are currently in the process of adopting an almost 7 year- old girl who we are naming Evelynn Fei. Our heart is with her and we cannot wait for her to join our family. Currently we are only waiting on China to grant us travel approval-then we will be on our way!

 

2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption.

Shortly after the birth of our second child God planted a seed in our hearts to adopt. We were not able to have any more biological children but we still wanted to grow our family. At that time God brought to our attention the need for families to adopt internationally. We let the process and financial piece scare us – FOR YEARS. After praying "How, God?", "When, God?", and "Lord, are you SURE?" we finally gave in to His call and were blessed with our little Gigi who has been in our family for 3 years now.

Selfishly, as we look back, we just really wanted a daughter, but Gigi was the who and the what God used to show us His plan and desire for our family makeup. He used her and her adoption process to show us that He would, indeed, provide for her adoption and that we could, indeed, carry this out WITH HIS HELP. He used her adoption to teach us in yet another way what Gospel love looks like and what it means to live that Gospel love out on a daily, hourly, and sometimes minute-by-minute basis.

After being home with Gigi for a few months, we knew God wasn't done with this part of our lives yet. You see, once you put faces and names to the abstract idea of orphans, once you touch them with your hands, once you stroke their little faces with your finger - your life is changed forever. You simply cannot get the pictures out of your mind of those who remain without families.

We moved forward to adopt our little Howie on the one-year anniversary date of Gigi's adoption. We worked hard to complete the process and raise the funds needed to complete his adoption. Once again the Lord was faithful and blessed that entire journey. Howie was the perfect addition to our family and has been home with us for about a year and a half now.

After adopting Howie we just KNEW we were done. He was our "bookend" child. We had done our part, right? We’d adopted not just one, but TWO children in two years. End of the story. Period.

But then…God. To our surprise, the Lord has yet again another child planned for our family. This time an older child with more severe needs. But the Lord has graciously given us a peace and calmness and sense of rest with this adoption. We know he will provide and will carry us through the adoption process as well as throughout our parenting of this sweet girl, our Evelynn Fei.

The short answer to your question above? We are simply trying to be obedient by following God’s calling for our lives. As we said with the prior two adoptions: we may feel too old, our house may seem too crowded, and our finances seem to meager but THIS is His calling and we are to obey. His call for our lives may not be easy, or "convenient", but we find rest in that He has a reason and a plan. This is for His glory.  

  

3. Tell us about your adoption journey so far. 

We were led to China for our first adoption. During that journey we fell in love with the people and children of China. We honestly feel as if part of our hearts are on the other side of the ocean. China is a special needs adoption program. We didn't "choose" Evelynn based upon her special need (Cerebral Palsy), but instead God chose her for us. We saw her as our child and her needs go along with that. :-) We are only waiting for China to grant us approval to travel. At that point we will book our plane tickets and go! We are praying travel will open up in the next month or two.  

 

4. Tell us more about the child you are adopting. 

Evelynn Fei is almost 7 years old. God showed us her beautiful smile, gentle spirit, and kindness which is what drew us to her. She has Cerebral Palsy and will definitely benefit from medical care and therapies in the US but that is not our sole reason or driving force to bring her home with us. Our first and foremost goal is to give Evelynn the love of a family and to love her and show her the Gospel love on a daily basis so she might grow to love and serve Jesus.

 

Learn more about this amazing family and give directly to help them bring Evelynn home: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/carosone-family-adoption-fund/c300506

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Meet September's Featured Adoptive Family: The Tings!

1. Tell us about yourselves:

We have been married for 8 years, our first 4 we spent living in Hong Kong and traveling Asia, which depended our desire to adopt internationally. We currently have 3 boys, ages 5, 3 and 1.

 

2. What led you to adoption?

We both were interested in adopting when we first met. While our children are still quite young, we feel so blessed that we both have work from home jobs that we can pour so much time in to our kids and bless another. Knowing that so many children grow up without a family has always pulled at our hearts.

 

3. What country are you adopting from and why?

We knew we wanted to adopt from Asia as we are a Chinese-American family. With three young children in our home already we either had to wait a few years or adopt from a country that we would be qualified for. Thailand met that and we saw that their were a lot of older children, which we already had a heart from. After seeing long listings of older children who due to their age were harder to find families for, we had such a heart for them. And after 3 boys, what a great fit to adopt a daughter! It will take 1-1.5 years for us to bring our daughter home! With each holiday and month passing we are more an more excited for her time to have a forever family.

 

4. What child are you seeking to adopt?

We are waiting for approval of an older girl. 

 

Prayer requests: Please pray that we will receive approval from Thailand to adopt our precious daughter and all the paperwork involved would go quickly. 

Check out their Connected Hearts Ministry link for more information and to donate to this sweet family: 

https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/ting-family-adoption-fund/c296477