Love. Acceptance. A safe space. A place to belong . . . It's what we all hope for in this life, right? The same is true of every child. Every child wants to be known. Every child longs to feel loved. And every child deserves a forever family.
Jesus loves the children, and here at Berean, we love kids too! That's why a core mission of the Berean Foundation and His Kids Grant Fund is to support and partner with families pursuing adoption to make sure that every child has a place to call home.
How does the Berean Foundation work?
There are different reasons why a family might pursue adoption. In some cases, a family may want to embrace children into their home because they have not been able to do so apart from adoption. Other times, a family may want to add children to their family when they see a child who is in need of a loving home. But even though many families feel called to pursue adoption, there is often a big challenge. In virtually all cases, the financial burden is very large.
That's why the Berean Foundation exists - to help bridge the gap and to make dreams possible! When the financial burden might otherwise cause a family to forego or halt the adoption process, the Foundation is able to help.
So, how is all of this possible? Well, the Berean Foundation is designed to convert donations into long-term investments, with investment earnings then directed to the His Kids Grant Fund. This fund then uses such investment earnings, along with funds received directly from friends and families of adoptive couples, to provide financial support to those couples.
God has been so good! Since 2007, the Berean Foundation, along with the grant fund, have collectively provided approximately $330,000 to 23 adopting families. This means that they have helped to bring a total of 39 children into the Berean community and surrounding neighborhoods.
How has God used the Foundation to help specific families?
Every person has a story, and it is no doubt the personal stories that best capture what the Berean Foundation and adoption fund are all about. While every family situation is unique, I hope you'll take a few moments to read the following story of one family's journey through the adoption process:
“Early on in adulthood, the Lord gave me an awareness and desire to adopt a child, even if I were able to bear biological children someday. When I was at Bible College, a missionary from Eastern Europe shared about the orphans in that part of the world, and how neglect in infancy had caused them such severe emotional damage. Upon hearing how they would cry in their cribs, and then eventually stop crying altogether due to lack of response and neglect, my heart became broken, and I became determined to visit someday and hopefully adopt a child or children from there. Fast forward years later, my husband and I were dating at the time, and had that important 'children talk.' We knew that we would be facing some fertility issues, but we were undecided about how to proceed early in marriage. After trying to conceive without assistance for a few years (3 total), we sought medical intervention and learned that I was not an ideal candidate for fertility treatment due to health issues. We then had to face the decision to try and pursue childbearing through medical intervention or pursue adoption.
The choice was clear, and the Lord quickly confirmed our decision to adopt through prayer, Scripture, and a sermon preached at our church on Stephen (from the book of Acts) and his legacy. The sermon challenged us to think about what our legacy would be, and how we were sharing the gospel in our everyday, ordinary lives. Though I had always felt a calling towards adoption, the choice for us as a couple was clear as well, and we knew that adoption was to be a significant part of our legacy. There was never any doubt in our minds or hearts that this was how we would grow our family. It just seemed like what the Lord had intended all along.
Throughout the adoption process (the beginning stages, such as the home study), the Lord continued to speak to my heart through a letter John Piper wrote to his wife when they adopted a daughter. In it, he outlined what adoption meant in their lives personally, comparing it with what adoption meant to the Father (God) as he adopted us into his family through Jesus Christ. The part that stuck out the most to me was that adoption does not come without a cost. For Christ, it cost his life. Our cost is far less, yet the joy and rewards that come from it are no less beautiful.
Adoption is a beautiful model of what God has already done welcoming us into his family. He has modeled perfect parenthood for us, and throughout our adoption process, he speaks to me of how he is the Father of heavenly lights, from whom all perfect presents come. Being able to be adoptive parents is his gift to us, and we pray we can bless our child the same way someday.
I’ve gained a whole new perspective that I never fully grasped before – that of God as our Father. So many times when I parent Theo, I can see how foolish we must look to our Heavenly Father, and how much he loves us despite that. Simple things, like watching Theo fight what is good for him (sleep, a coat, vegetables), remind me of my own stubborn attitudes in the face of God’s direction.
The process of adopting a child not biologically my own, and loving him from the moment I first saw him, echoes God’s love for us. Looking back, so much of the adoption experience seems forged directly from God’s own hand. There were more experiences than we could count that seemed like divine intervention - from being funded through the His Kids Fund, to being chosen by his birth mother and family for open adoption, to people we met along the journey who touched our lives in an impactful way. None of it was a coincidence, but part of God’s story for Theodore, and we can’t wait to share it with him someday.
Without a doubt, being a parent is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it’s also the most rewarding. There is joy and fullness of life that comes with having a toddler in the house, even when it is exhausting. I have marveled at the strength and patience God has supplied during those tough parenting times, even on the longest, most sleepless nights. And when I look at my son, and I see the light in his eyes, I am so glad that adoption was the path God had for us. I wouldn’t trade our adoption journey for any other story out there!”
Will you consider supporting adoption?
Think about the home in which you grew up. Did you have a forever family? Did you feel safe? Were you surrounded by people who cared about you? If so, just think about all the ways that being surrounded by love helped you to grow and thrive and become the person that you are today. So many children are in need of a loving home like that too.
Think about the opportunities you may have missed if it hadn't been for your forever family, and then think about all the opportunities that could happen if some of these children were given a forever family too. Would you consider supporting adoption today? Every child deserves hope. Your partnership is needed, not just financially but also in prayer!
Interested in learning more about the berean foundation?
Want to hear some additional testimonies?
- https://vimeo.com/241091159 (Password: bby)
- https://vimeo.com/694670349 (Password: hiskids)
Interested in making a contribution?
- Those interested in supporting adoption (either through a legacy gift or through a gift to a specific adoption) can contact the Berean Foundation Board at
.