Resources: Adoption & Foster Care

Before You Were Mine: Discovering Your Adopted Child’s Lifestory by Susan Tebos and Carissa Woodwyk 
Documenting your adopted child’s past can bring you closer together as a family. Weave a biblical foundation into the center of your child’s story.

Castaway Kid: One Man’s Search for Hope and Home by Rob Mitchell 
As an orphan, Mitchell didn’t have friends, just “co-survivors.” He became a Christian as a teenager and finally found himself at home in his relationship with God.

Chosen for Greatness by Paul Batura 
“How Adoption Changes the World”

The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family by Dr. Karyn Purvis, Dr. David Cross, and Wendy Sunshine 
“For parents who have welcomed children: from other countries and cultures, from troubled backgrounds, with special behavioral or emotional needs”

Do I Belong?: Reassuring Kids Adopted from Foster Care by Carey Koenig
“Carey Koenig, along with her adopted children Reid and Halley want to help children realize that being adopted is awesome!”

Dorie: The Girl Nobody Loved by Doris Van Stone
“Dorie was rejected by her mother, was sent to live in an orphanage where she was regularly beaten by the orphanage director, was beaten time and again by cruel foster parents …” But as she accepted God’s love, life began to change.

Faith to Foster by TJ and Jenn Menn 
The Menns share their journey of foster care—the joys and challenges. They encourage readers to consider how God might be calling them to come alongside hurting children.

Farmer Herman and the Flooding Barn by Jason Weber 
This children’s book brings hope to those waiting for a forever family. It’s based on the true story of “344 people working together to solve a big, big, big problem.”

Handbook on Thriving As an Adoptive Family by Focus on the Family
Gain insight into vital issues such as attachment and bonding, sibling and extended family relationships, past abuse, nurture and discipline, and how to develop a support network.

Orphanology: Awakening to Gospel-Centered Adoption and Orphan Care by Tony Merida and Rick Morton         
Along with sharing their families’ adoption stories, Merida and Morton offer steps for adopting, assisting orphans in transition, engaging in foster care, partnering with faith-based fostering agencies, and becoming orphan hosts.

Small Town, Big Miracle by Bishop W.C. Martin
“God challenged the members of Bennett Chapel to adopt seventy-two of the toughest kids in the foster care system. [The community was] determined to give the kids something they had never experienced—the power of redemptive love.”

Undone: A Story of Making Peace With an Unexpected Life by Michele Cushatt
Cushatt describes her journey through a broken marriage, single parenting, remarriage, blending a family, cancer, and adopting three children—all to point to a sovereign Lord who offers peace to those who seek Him.

Upside Down by Shannon Guerra
“Understanding and Supporting Attachment in Adoptive Families”

Wait No More: One Family’s Amazing Adoption Journey by John and Kelly Rosati 
The Rosatis’ journey to adopt four children from foster care demonstrates God’s faithfulness in growing a family from the pain of child abuse, neglect, and abandonment. They share how their beliefs enriched and transformed their family’s life.

Walk to Beautiful by Jimmy Wayne 
“The Power of Love and a Homeless Kid Who Found the Way”

When Invisible Children Sing by Dr. Chi Huang 
“A True Story of Five Street Children, an Idealistic Young Doctor, and Their Dangerous Hope”

Adoption: Families Stepping Out in Faith (various) 
Hear answers to some of the questions and fears about adoption. Be encouraged to consider how you can care for children in foster care—either by adopting or by supporting others who do.

Adoption: Making a Difference in the Life of a Child (Mike and Kristin Berry) 
The Berrys share their story of adopting eight children. They talk about the joys and challenges of raising their children, how to begin the process, and the importance of community to surround and support adoptive families.

Adopting in the Empty Nest Years (Terrie Morrow)
Morrow shares her battle to adopt a young girl named Abbey out of foster care and a system that failed her. She also describes the challenges she and her husband faced by adopting later in life. But God is faithful.

Adopting Through Foster Care (Gail Wahl, Amanda Olivero) 
As a former Court Appointed Special Advocate, Gail witnessed the difficulties children often face in foster care, and she was drawn to Amanda, who simply wanted a forever family. Gail and her husband began to foster Amanda—and here she and Amanda tell their story leading up to the Wahls adopting Amanda just 12 days before she aged out of the system.

Adventures in Odyssey® #47: Into the Light 
In “The Chosen One,” Kelly faces an absent father, an abusive mother with several boyfriends, and schools that have kicked her out. And the Washingtons have a difficult choice to make when Whit suggests that they might be suited to mentor Kelly.

Bringing New Hope to Kids Through Adoption (John and Kelly Rosati) 
The Rosatis openly share the joys and struggles of adopting four children. They encourage you to ask God how you can get involved in rescuing children—whether it’s by personally caring for a child or by supporting other families who do.

Changing the World Through Adoption (Paul Batura)
Batura describes how adopting three sons has changed his life for the better. He also highlights some of the amazing people in history who were successful because of their adoption—not in spite of it.

The Chapmans: A Heart for Orphans (Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman) 
The Chapmans encourage others to support orphan-care ministries, and they share their journey of adopting three daughters from China. Be inspired to help families who choose adoption.

Connecting With Your Child (Dr. Karyn Purvis)
Purvis offers advice on how parent-child attachments are designed to work, what happens when that connection is broken, and how to give children a voice for their thoughts and feelings.

Dorie: The Girl Nobody Loved (Dorie Van Stone)
Van Stone shares her testimony of being a neglected and abused orphan—an outwardly mean child overlooked by adoptive families. But she clung to the promise of God’s love and eventually served with her husband as missionaries in New Guinea. 

The Drop Box: Saving Babies, Changing Lives (Brian Ivie, Kelly Rosati) 
Ivie shares about his conversion as a result of filming The Drop Box, which documents a South Korean pastor’s efforts to rescue hundreds of abandoned babies.

Embracing God in the Midst of Hardship (Michele Cushatt) 
Cushatt shares of being diagnosed with tongue cancer. She relates an earlier broken marriage, then re-marrying and blending a family. And as she and her husband were approaching an empty nest, they adopted three children. She describes her struggle to deconstruct false beliefs about God, why He allows suffering, and how she’s learning to trust Him in the midst of fear.

Finding Families for Abandoned Children (Robert Glover, Dr. Sharen Ford)
Glover discusses efforts inside China to place orphans in foster care homes. He and Ford encourage all Christians to follow God’s lead and consider how they can come alongside adoptive and foster-care families.

Finding Respite for Families in Adoption and Foster Care (panel)
The journey for foster and adoptive parents is mentally and physically exhausting. Learn how you can provide refreshment to families who’ve invested so much in caring for children in need.

Foster Parenting: Providing Homes for Waiting Kids (Dan and Joy Loney) 
After raising five biological children, the Loneys began to foster children, eventually adopting four. Here they share about some of the difficulties they encountered—but also the great joy these children have brought to their family.

Giving Hope to a Child in Foster Care (Bishop Aaron and Mrs. Mary Blake, Wayne Tesch) 
Guests share their concerns for children in foster care. They found the courage to help just one child, and God opened the door to serve children around the world. 

Healing Childhood Traumas (Stephanie Fast)
Fast describes the horrors of her life as a mixed-race orphan in Korea after the Korean War—and about her rescue by a World Vision worker. She relates her adoption by missionaries, her salvation at age 15, and her emotional and spiritual healing, including her struggle with anger and hatred. Be encouraged to not rush God’s purpose during the healing process.

Helping Adoptive Families Thrive (Dr. Debi Grebenik) 
Parents adopt with high hopes, but the unique challenges they face can often be surprising and discouraging. Grebenik shares from her experience as a counselor to adoptive families and offers suggestions for successful and satisfying parenting.

Helping Hurting Kids Through Foster Care (TJ and Jenn Menn)
The Menns discuss the joys and challenges of caring for 24 children over a 10-year period. They describe shaping young lives, bringing healing, and being a witness of God’s love to these children. 

Impacting the Culture by Walking With Jesus (Lisa Harper)
Harper discusses some of the difficult life challenges she’s experienced—including the joy of adopting her daughter from Haiti—and how she’s learned to depend on God, accept His love, and live out her faith.

Loving Kids in Foster Care (Jimmy Wayne)
Singer-songwriter Wayne discusses his passion for helping kids in the foster care system. Consider how you can make a difference.

Making Room in Your Life for a Child in Need (John and Tricia Goyer, Dr. Sharen Ford)
Guests discuss the plight of children in America’s foster care system and encourage listeners to consider how they might help.

My Adopted Son: A Single Woman’s Story (Carolyn Koons) 
Antonio was a young boy in a harsh children’s prison in Mexico and had been falsely accused and sentenced to life for murder. He was found innocent but was then sold into slavery. Two-and-a-half years later he was found, and Carolyn adopted him. She shares about the difficult journey and realizing the depth of God’s love and care.

Obeying God’s Call to Rescue Orphans (Dr. Charles Mully)
Mully shares his testimony of growing up as an orphan in Kenya, becoming a wealthy businessman, and rescuing children living on the streets. Since 1989, Mully Children’s Family has provided housing, clothing, food, medicine, and spiritual training to thousands of former orphans.

Offering Hope to Others As a Family (Michael and Linda Fichera)
The Ficheras describe how they’ve helped their three adopted daughters develop a strong foundation of faith and heart for ministry outreach.

Oliver Twist (Focus on the Family’s Radio Theatre^®)
In this full-cast audio production of Charles Dickens’ timeless tale set in 1830s London, you’ll be drawn into the drama of compassion, corruption, and redemption as one orphan changes the lives of everyone around him. The set also includes a video documentary with behind-the-scenes footage and stories of real, modern-day “Olivers.”

Opening Your Home to those in Need (Francis and Lisa Chan) 
The Chans challenge the Church to think beyond our own needs and comforts to follow God’s command to care for and serve others. They describe the joys and challenges of being foster parents, and how that relationship has strengthened their faith.

Orphan Care: Accepting the Call (Kay Warren) 
Warren shares how God got her attention concerning the plight of orphans worldwide. She challenges believers and churches to make the invisible God visible in the lives of those who may never know His love unless we make Him known.

The Plight of the Modern-Day Orphan (Paul McCusker, Kelly Rosati) 
Hear excerpts from Focus on the Family’s Radio Theatre^® version of Oliver Twist, and learn how families and churches can provide homes to children in foster care.

Standing in the Gap for Kids in Foster Care (Dr. Sharen Ford) 
Ford is a 30-year veteran of Colorado’s Department of Human Services (as of 2015) and is Focus on the Family’s Adoption Consultant. She explains the plight of children in the foster-care system, and she encourages Christians to help—whether by praying, providing respite care, or finding other ways to come alongside foster families.

Supporting Children in Foster Care (Gail Wahl) 
Wahl shares her heart for kids in the foster care system and encourages us to ask God how we might become involved in meeting the needs of vulnerable children.

Understanding Attachment Challenges in Adoptive Families (Shannon Guerra)
Bonding can be a challenge—and it often takes more than love to overcome the struggles. Guerra offers insight from her family’s experience and suggests ways we all can support adoptive families.

Understanding the Impact of Adoption on the World (Paul Batura)
Batura talks about adopted individuals highlighted in his book Chosen for Greatness who made a difference in history: Babe Ruth, Art Linkletter, Nelson Mandela, and Jesus Christ.

Voices of Adoption (call-in)
Listeners share their personal stories of adoption—as birth parents, adopted children, or adoptive parents. Jill Savage also shares how her biological children adjusted to their brother who was adopted from Russia.

DVDs

• The Drop Box 
  This documentary highlights a South Korean pastor’s efforts to protect abandoned children. It’s a story about the forgotten, the disabled, the discarded—and the man who gives everything to protect them.

• Mully 
  “Changing the World One Child at a Time”

• A Servant’s Heart: Supporting Adoptive Families in Your Community 
  Learn to care for adoptive and foster families in your community. The DVD includes discussion questions, video content about real-life experiences, and practical ideas for implementing a four-week service project to come alongside adoptive families.

Booklets

• Adoption and Orphan Care Resource Kit
  This guide can help you make a difference in the life of a waiting child.

• Attachment in Adoption
  Emotional, psychological, behavioral, or learning difficulties in children who were adopted or in foster care are nearly always related to issues of attachment—especially when there’s been neglect or abuse.

• Hope & Healing for Sensory Deprivation
  Understand how to parent children with a history of trauma.

• Hope & Healing Through Animal-Assisted Therapy
  Use children’s love of animals to help them overcome a history of trauma.

• Love and Loss in Foster Care
  Learn to navigate the fear, heartache, and joy inherent to the uncertain journey of foster care and adoption.

• Preparing for a Transracial Adoption
  Keep in mind special considerations when adopting a child of another race.

• Foster & Adoptive Families Need Your L.O.V.E.
  There are many ways to minister God’s love to children in foster care—and to the families who welcome them home.

• Your Guide to Adoption
  Are you considering adopting from foster care but aren’t sure where to start? This booklet guides families thinking about foster care adoption.

Webpages

• Wait No More®
  Our outreach offers information about starting the adoption and foster care process, resource recommendations, and post-placement support.
• Wait No More State Requirements
  Find information about adopting from foster care in all 50 states.
• Parenting: Adoptive Families
  Browse resources and articles for parents who have adopted or are considering adoption.

Resource Lists

• Fostering or Adopting Children From Difficult Backgrounds

Q&As      

Focus on the Family Counseling Consultation Line
If you need someone to talk to, Focus on the Family offers a free phone counseling consultation with a licensed or pastoral counselor. Call 1-855-771-HELP (4357), Monday through Friday, 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM (MT). 

Focus on the Family’s Christian Counselor Network
Search for licensed Christian counselors in your area.

Focus on the Family’s Wait No More®
Find information about the adoption and foster care process, resource recommendations, and post-placement support.

Abba Fund
This ministry provides adoption assistance for Christian families.

Abiding Love Charities
An adoption movement dedicated to loving and supporting ALL members involved in the adoption journey by providing post-placement resources for birth mothers, adoptive families, and adoptees.

Care Portal
“Connecting Churches to Local Children and Families in Crisis”

Chinese Children Adoption International
CCAI supports orphan care in China and provides international and domestic adoption services and resources.

Christian Adoptions Alliance
An organization dedicated to helping birth mothers/families and prospective parents through education, training, networking, and referrals. The Alliance provides a searchable listing of accredited Christian adoption agencies across America.

Christian Alliance for Orphans
The website includes referrals for member churches as well as agencies and ministries involved in adoption, foster care, global orphan care, and advocacy.

Embrace
Embrace supports children and foster/adoptive families in north Texas. They also equip churches across the United States to develop similar ministries.

Holt International Children’s Services
This Christian organization specializes in international adoption and provides post-placements services.

Lifesong for Orphans
Lifesong mobilizes the Church to care for orphans, and they help families with the financial implications of adoption.

Loving Shepherd Ministries
This organization offers no-cost assistance to families considering domestic and international adoption.

National Council for Adoption
This adoption advocacy nonprofit promotes a culture of adoption through education, research, and legislative action. They maintain a member list of agencies across the United States.

Show Hope
Show Hope cares for orphans and helps families navigate the financial challenges of adoption.

Focus on the Family doesn’t necessarily endorse all of the outside organizations you might find through the links above; they’re listed for informational purposes only. If you have any questions or concerns about a particular organization, we encourage you to contact them directly.