My wife, Kelsey, and I have been active in the pro life movement since 2006. For us, to be pro life was to be pro child, and the more we read, the more we realized there were children in the United States who were victims of circumstance that often left them without a family. That pro life stance led us to adopt Zoe, a newborn girl, in October of 2006. In 2008, we adopted a newborn set of twins, Anna and Mercy. In January of 2012, we received a phone call telling us that Anna and Mercy’s birth mother was expecting another set of twins. In March of 2012, Creed and Cadence were born and we adopted them too.
Somewhere along the line, we had four biological children as well, meaning our family of nine kids had grown into quite the tribe. Everywhere we went, we found people asking us about adoption. We knew there was a need for information and funding, so we founded the Zoe Foundation, an advocacy and financial source for adoptive parents. We challenged people to ‘scootch over!’ and make room for one more at their dinner table. For those families that took the challenge, we tried to offer small grants to help with travel expenses or finalization costs.
This spring, our adoption ministry has taken off on two levels. Early in the year, a new non-profit called Zoe’s House was formed to launch an adoption agency that would serve Christian families at substantially discounted expense. This agency has been backed by a businessman with a heart for the unborn and a desire to make a difference. He and a trusted advisor have helped pave the way for a healthy structure that will receive donations and use those funds to give top notch care to birth mothers as well as adoptive parents.
As all of this was developing, we received another phone call. The birth mother to our twins had just had a baby boy. Our children had a sibling. We were into launching an adoption agency up to our elbows and this was a wrinkle we did not expect. After five minutes of deliberation, Kelsey and I knew what we had to do. We promote adoption, but we are also practitioners. If our children had a sibling, we wanted him to be raised with his sisters and brother, so even as we were working to launch an adoption agency, we dove headlong into the task of bringing one more home.
Later this summer, Zoe’s House Adoptions will be licensed to serve birth mothers in Kansas and adoptive families across the nation. Just as importantly, our son will be growing up with his biological siblings in a home where mom and dad do the things they challenge others to do.
**Modern Day is proud to partner with the Bohlenders to handle donations for their family.
If you would like to make a financial contribution to the Bohlender family, CLICK HERE..
