Angie: It’s always been on my heart to pray for children who have been abandoned or neglected. My own mother abandoned me at the age of 13 and it was only after years of counseling and time that I forgave my mother before she passed away from a long battle of M.S. Another key experience for me is that I was raised deeply in the Catholic Church – in that journey I studied and learned about Mother Theresa, and was inspired by her passion, calling, and her love for God. Mother Theresa’s journey helped me in my spiritual walk and still teaches me what type of woman and mother I want to be. Her journey as a humanitarian, how she cared for so many children who were abandoned, and the cycle of poverty she addressed, all deeply inspired me.
Steve: I was lucky enough to experience adoption in a lot of small ways as I was on ministry staff with Young Life but the impression would stay long after I would leave Young Life.
Jim was a Young Life senior staff and mentor to many. Jim already had 2 grown boys off to college, and a daughter in high school. Jim and his wife were in their fifties and decided their family still had plenty of love to share. So they adopted a couple toddler boys! Jim is a special guy that lead by example and you just wanted to be around him – he had so much to teach and so much to give. I respected Jim because of the good work he had done for years on staff but once I met his family and saw him with his kids, I knew adoption was something I was very interested in doing some day.
