Stories of Hope

When Jessica Hopper-Landrum was ten years old, she watched the Miss America pageant on TV and recognized something that called to her. “I knew it fit me,” she says. “I felt that connection. But then I immediately looked around my living room, saying, ‘Oh, I can’t.’”...

The need for foster parents in her home state of Indiana is enormous, but Hands of Hope’s own Rachel Bristol is the first to admit that answering the call is not something anyone can take lightly.  It was in 2012 that Rachel and her husband first decided to take...

When it comes to international work, Hands of Hope’s philosophy is to go deep rather than wide, choosing to partner with a few organizations that are embedded in their communities doing excellent, long-term work. One of those partnerships was the impetus behind the...

Kari always wanted to be a mom, but after battles with infertility and the end of her marriage, shewondered if God was closing the door on that dream. Little did she know, He would fulfill her desires inways she could never have imagined. As a teacher in a Title 1...

Abby and Bradley knew that fostering to adopt would be an enormous undertaking and that they couldn’t do it alone. When they were ready to foster, they both sought out support groups, and when they received their first placement two years ago, they were connected with...

While Care Communities most often provide a template for churches to surround and care for their members who have called to fostering and adoption, the love and support offered by a Care Community is also a beautiful testimony to those not connected to our...

When we are in need, God is the one who sees us and who meets us where we are. ForMelody Gandy, that truth was made beautifully clear through the actions of God’s people in hercommunity, who were the hands and feet of Jesus to her family. In June of 2020, Melody and...

“Do you know how many gallons of water it takes to flush a toilet?” The woman on the other end of the line asked. Jane Wiley went silent.  “It’s two gallons,” the woman said, answering her own question.  Jane, a CarePortal volunteer at her church in Fishers,...

If you ask Stephanie Colclasure about being a foster mom, she will tell you it’s all about expecting the unexpected. Her own journey has not been a clear path laid out before her, but a walk of faith with each step revealed in its time.  In early 2018, Stephanie...

*All names are indicated by a single letter for privacy purposes.In the fall of 2019, seventeen-year-old K was eight months pregnant and desperate to find a foster home where she and her baby would be safe to start their life together. She had recently left an...

In 2017, Gabby Glaser became a foster parent for the first time. As a social worker for the Department of Child Services, she knew first-hand the struggle to find safe, loving homes for vulnerable kids in her community.  “I was seeing kids sleeping in offices,”...

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever! -Psalm 107 Thanks to donations, we were able to connect with a young man displaced from his home and living with grandparents. He was in need of clothes for school and we were able to...

Since the onset of war in Ukraine, Hands of Hope supporters have continued to care for vulnerable Ukrainian children through our partnership with Wide Awake International. Located in Western Ukraine, Wide Awake pursues the deinstitutionalizing and care of physically...

In 2004, Patti Rubino had just welcomed her daughter home through adoption. Amid adjusting to life as a new family, Patti quickly noticed a lack of services in her community for children and families impacted by trauma. “I thought, ‘Lord, we need something here,’”...

Years ago, Megan and her husband, Brett, thought their family was complete. They had three biological sons, and their youngest was just learning to walk. Then, Megan began to feel a strong leading from God to move toward adoption.

Around January each year, foster mom Tiffany McKnatt hops online and starts searching for summer fun for her girls. Tiffany fosters teenaged girls—20 over the last 11 years—and she is a fierce advocate for finding healing opportunities for the kids in her care. “One...

“I was just a kid, but I knew something was wrong,” Takkeem Morgan shares.* Growing up in North Philadelphia in the ‘90s, Takkeem was acutely aware of the struggles entangling his beloved neighborhood. “Every imperfection caught my attention,” he says. “The drugs,...

Dave jumped first, telling Michelle, “I don’t know where I fit in, but I have a truck, so let’s help.” The couple signed up to deliver resources and found themselves thrilled at the unique opportunity to serve their neighbors face-to-face.

Before she entered kindergarten, Isabela* found herself alone in El Salvador. After spending time in a government-run orphanage, she eventually became one of the first children to move into a new home in the city of Oloculita – Exodo Childrens’ Home. Once at Exodo,...

When Kriste Smith jumped into working with a child welfare agency in Chicago in the ‘90s, she did so because of her desire to serve others.