Explore adoption
Explore adoption
The right fit
Many women choose adoption because they want their baby to have a life they feel they can’t provide. If you make an adoption plan with Bethany, you’ll get to choose a family that’s a good fit for you and your child.
Will I stay in my baby's life?
You choose the family
Explore our waiting families and read bios to get to know them
You decide the relationship
Open or closed, you can discuss with a pregnancy counselor
You choose the communication level
You can guide the level you have with your child and their adoptive family
Find a family that fits
Loren and Lorena
Read MoreErich and Amy
Hello! The fact that you're even reading this right now means that you're a pretty awesome person. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to do what you're doing, and we so appreciate you! A little about us: Amy I were married in the same exact chapel where we met at a Japanese-American church service on the campus of Hope College. Amy had just graduated from college, and I was returning from a few years of missionary service in North Africa. I wanted to become a missionary in Japan, so I asked her to be my Japanese tutor. A few months later, I asked her to be my wife. This past September, we celebrated our 10th anniversary by returning to that same little chapel again to take photos and dream about what our family will be like when we finally have a little baby in our home. Nearly 5 years ago, when we discovered we wouldn't be able to have our own biological children, it was like someone had dropped a bomb on our lives. We were devastated, but through it all, we held onto our hope that God had a wonderful plan for us. We started to pray for a miracle, and while we're still waiting, we really hope that the miracle can be you and your child. The same way we vowed to stick by each other in sickness and health, we vow to raise your child in stable, Christian home. We promise to raise them in the way they should go, provide for them, give them every opportunity, and connect them to the God who brought them into this world. We can't wait to meet you! - Erich & Amy
Read MoreKevin and Jill
Read MoreBrian and Cherish
We are absolutely honored and humbled that you are including our family in your decision making process. We understand that this decision is one of the biggest ones that you will ever make, and we want to let you know about our family, the love, and the encouragement that your child will receive when they become part of our family. We are Brian and Cherish, and our twin daughters Lindsey and Chelsea, who are in high school. Cherish also has an adult son, Tyler, who lives about 45 minutes away from us with his young family. Brian owns a marketing company and Cherish is a substitute teacher; she is enrolled in a Graduate program to earn her Masters Degree in Elementary Education. Volunteerism is important to us. Cherish has served on the board of the local Twins Club, Brian has served as a mentor at the local high school in their Small Business Incubator program, and runs the Trailmates program that Lindsey and Chelsea are in. Additionally, five years ago, we founded our own nonprofit, the Basket Brigade of Suburban Chicago where we pack and deliver complete Thanksgiving meals to local area families-in-need.
Read MoreTyler and Lauren
It is not easy to compress all of the experiences in our lives and the love we have to give in one short summary, but here is a bit of relevant information about ourselves: we both work in a high school, Tyler as an English teacher and coach and Lauren as a school counselor and leader of cultural exchange trips overseas (previously a world language teacher). We both come from mid-sized, worldly, active, and loving families who are very much personal, positive parts of our daily lives. We have two intelligent, kind, beautiful, energetic, and humorous daughters, and they bring light and life to our lives each and every day: Quinn, our thirteen-year-old, is with us for shared parenting time (our daughter from Tyler’s previous marriage); and Brielle, our five year-old, was welcomed into our family through adoption. As for Lauren’s life journey leading to this letter, she has known since her teenage years that she is medically unable to bear children. Because of that, we have always known that adoption was in our future, and we have embraced that reality. Our goal has been to create a family that has the similarly beautiful energy, love, and sibling relationships that both of us experienced while growing up. We are very fortunate to have a positive relationship with Brielle’s birth family as well, and that only adds to the love that encompasses our family and our children. Overall, we consider ourselves kind, down-to-earth, active, generous, religious, open-minded, and humorous (we think?) individuals. We love to travel, love to learn, and love to experience and immerse ourselves in other cultures. Above all, we love to watch our daughters grow, and we love to nurture and help others. We certainly are incredibly excited to do the same with another beloved child in our lives.
Read MoreJamie
Hi. My name is Jamie. The only words I can think of is Thank You. I feel love for you and will pray for you always. You are a Brave person to possibly place your child for Adoption. The decision you are going to make is not easy. I am looking to share my love, life, family and everything else with a child joining my family, and friends. I have been thinking about adoption for years. I have a huge support system behind me that is encouraging me. I will be a single mother but I have so much love, kindness and patience to give. I want to share with children my blessings and adventures. I would encourage them to be the "more" that they could be, have, and enjoy. May God guide you in your decision, give you the grace through the process and comfort you through your future steps.
Read MoreChristopher and Shaunna
This year marks 15 years together and 11 years married for us. While starting the family that we have always wanted hasn’t gone as expected, we aren’t giving up. Instead, we are taking a different path and are hoping to add to our family via adoption. We look forward to seeing where this new path leads and are excited at the possibility that it will lead to you.
Read MoreDaniel and Alisha
Dear Expecting Parent(s), We have so much respect for the brave and loving choice you are making by considering adoption for your child. We would be honored to be considered as a family for your child. It is our hope with this letter to show what life with our family would be like for your baby. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to introduce our family to you. About Us Alisha was invited to Dan’s church (by a family member) one beautiful Sunday morning in November 2010. Alisha was seated in a pew near Dan, where we struck up a conversation very easily after the service. The next week, we went on a spontaneous lunch date and never looked back. We found out we had a lot in common and knew from that day forward that we were meant for each other. As our relationship progressed, we became soul mates and best friends. God blessed us with marriage two years later in the church where we met. One of the great things about us as a couple is that we have a lot in common and share the same values. But we also respect our differences and interests. Dan’s interests are bicycling, landscaping, woodworking, model trains and coin collecting. Alisha’s interests are crafts, cooking, gardening, boating and fishing. We both enjoy church activities, picnics, farm festivals, daytrips, vacations, community activities, and sporting events (Steelers, Penguins, Pirates). We also enjoy traveling together, as well as going out to share special times with friends and family. Dan graduated from college with a degree in Accounting and works as an Accountant at a manufacturing company. Alisha graduated from college with a degree in nursing and works at a hospital as an Intensive Care Nurse. After being married for about a year, we decided we wanted to start a family. Unfortunately, after trying on our own for quite some time and multiple fertility treatments, having children on our own was not successful. After much thought and consideration, we were called to the adoption process and found our way to Bethany Christian Services. Our Home and Neighborhood We live in a family friendly neighborhood close to parks, fitness activities, schools, church, and stores. We have family and friends living nearby who are excited to welcome a new member into our lives. Our church community is like a family. We have strong ties in our church community, which is about a ten minute drive from our home. We live in a single family home with a deck overlooking a nice sized back yard where there is plenty of space for a child to play. Our nursery is completely setup with a crib, changing table, and dresser, with a beautiful view of the back yard. We have a spacious kitchen, where we really enjoy cooking as a family. Our Values Our family values include setting a good example for children through our daily actions, including God in our daily lives through prayer, and attending church on Sundays. We intend on providing a child with a good education, team sports and activities, a safe neighborhood, holiday family get-togethers, fun child friendly events (zoo and science center), vacations and, when the child is older, continuing education towards a career path. Our Promise Thank you again for taking the time to learn about our family and for considering us as a family for your baby. We plan to be very open with your child about how he or she came to be part of our family and that this was made possible because of your courageous and selfless decision. Know that we are for open adoption and for you being updated on the child’s milestones and that your child will grow up with lots of love and support from us as parents and our extended family. Should your heart steer you in our direction for an adoptive family, may you find comfort in knowing that your baby will live with laughter and love. With heartfelt blessings, Dan and Alisha
Read MoreKevin and Lorraine
Hello! We feel so honored that you are taking the time to look at our profile and hope it will give you a realistic look into our lives. Having children has always been a dream of ours and we are eager to be parents. Infertility has been an unexpected chapter of our lives but we believe God has led us to adoption for a reason. We have so much love to give and can't wait to share that with children of our own. We want you to know that if we are fortunate enough to be chosen as adoptive parents, your child will have a life filled with unconditional love, laughter, and support, not only from us, but also our wonderful friends and family. With Love, Kevin and Lorraine
Read MoreBilly and Sarah
Hi, we are Billy and Sarah! We met while on a dance team in college back in 2007 and started dating shortly after that. We dated throughout college and were married in 2010. Our family grew quickly after that, with the arrival of a son in 2011, a daughter in 2013, and a second son in 2016. We have always wanted a big family, and adoption has been on our hearts since we started dating. Over the past few years, we have felt like God was calling us to expand our family through adoption. We have prayed long and hard about many things throughout this process- for confirmation, for you, for our future child and for open hearts. Our children hope and pray for the day their new sibling arrives. They cannot wait to snuggle, hold, play with and love on your little one!
Read MoreJason and Holly
Hello, we are Jason and Holly. Thank you for considering gracing us with your most precious gift. We admire your strength and self-sacrifice. Though we have not met, we pray for your health and wellbeing each day, and trust that God will lead you along your journey. We hope the next few pages will allow you to get to know us better. A child can never have too much love and support. We look forward to growing a relationship with you. We are committed to acknowledging you as an integral and cherished part of the child’s story. We pledge to always be flexible with the relationship between you and the child throughout the course of the child’s life.
Read MoreRobert and Jana
Hello, As we write this letter we are excited to share our hearts and our family with another child. It seems as though adoption has been a constant part of our lives through childhood friends being adopted and walking through the process with several close friends and my (Jana) brother and sister-in-law. Robert and I have been married for 14 years and have had the privilege of traveling all over the world. Robert is an active duty Marine and I am a graphic designer and photographer. We have two sons, Jack and Bennett. We love to travel and have adventures. We are an active family and love to be outside, have fun and laugh...A LOT! Our home is a house of joy. There's lots of play time and there's always a little superhero running around protecting us. We hope this book will show you the love our family has, the love we give each other and the love we hope to give to our future child and you. Robert & Jana
Read MoreHave questions?
We’d love to talk with you and answer your questions about adoption. We’re here for you. Fill out a contact form or speak to a Bethany counselor at 1.800.BETHANY