June 19, 2024

Sandra’s Story: “God Prepared My Heart All My Life”

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“God prepared my heart all my life.” — Sandra 

Even as a little girl, God began preparing Sandra’s heart for adoption. Having experienced a tough upbringing in an impoverished community, she had always gravitated towards the children around her: “This early exposure [to poverty] made me care for children, always.” As she grew up, Sandra continued to feel this call tug on her heart; she always knew fostering or adopting would be a part of her story. 

Sandra had always dreamed of building a family with her husband—initially thinking of adding more children to their family through fostering and adopting after they had a few biological children. But God had something different in mind. 

There are moments in life when God meets with us, heart to heart, to activate a call from long ago. For Sandra, it was on a Sunday morning during Foster Care Awareness Month at her church. When she walked through the doors of Community of Hope in South Florida, she was met with a message centered on caring for the orphans in their community. Her ears perked up when she heard her pastor share the stories of Hannah and Sarah—women who longed and desired to be mothers—and God’s faithfulness to fulfill that calling on their lives. The pastor closed his message with Jesus’s call to care for the orphans and invited the congregation to attend an upcoming event—The No More Orphans Experience—that would be hosted at their church later that month. Excited and expectant, Sandra signed up to learn more.

Then, COVID happened. 

But God is faithful. Pivoting to accommodate COVID restrictions, The No More Orphans Experience went virtual, allowing those who would have attended in person to watch online. With her husband out of the country for work, Sandra sat in her home with her dogs, singing, praising, and praying through the entire event while she learned about The No More Foundation and the available avenues in her community to foster, adopt, advocate, and serve children and families in need. Leaning into the Holy Spirit’s prompting towards adoption, Sandra signed into a breakout session for those opportunities and was immediately connected to a wonderful Florida-based adoption agency called Finally Home Christian Adoption Services. Sandra and her husband walked through the necessary steps to become licensed adoptive parents. 

A short while after this, they received a call. They had matched with a birth mom and it was finally time to meet their beautiful son, Baby R! When asked what those first moments were like holding her son, Sandra tearfully expressed, “It’s just incredible. You want this little love for so long and then there he is, right in front of you. He’s the most beautiful baby in the world. Nothing else in the world mattered from that moment on. I’m so grateful for him.” 

After Baby R joined their family, Sandra was brought back to when she was a little girl, wanting to love and care for the children around her in her community. “It’s funny how God prepares you without you even realizing it.” 

This past December, three and a half years after Baby R’s adoption, Sandra and her husband received another call; they had again matched with a birth mom. Preparing for a second baby, her relatives, friends, and church community rallied around her family to raise the funds they needed to adopt Baby #2. However, upon the birth of this baby, the birth mom decided to keep her child. Though this was difficult news to receive, Sandra and her family recognized God’s sovereignty in their lives and were excited that the birth mom decided to keep and raise her child. 

But it wasn’t long before Sandra and her husband received a third call. They matched with another birth mom; Baby #2 was on his way and due in May. Through the funds they raised previously in December, God had already prepared Sandra’s family financially for the adoption of their second son.

As Sandra and her husband have prepared for this second baby, she’s been loving how Baby R—being 3½ years old now—shows his excitement that his little brother is coming. When they pray together as a family, Baby R declares, “Thank You God for mommy and daddy, for Luna (their dog), and for baby brother.” 

“He’s so excited,” Sandra says. 

In our interview with Sandra, she expressed her gratitude to organizations like The No More Foundation and those that partner and participate in The No More Orphans Experience. She said, 

“Even during the time of COVID, where it felt like so much was against everyone and it seemed impossible [to foster or adopt], especially in our situation [with my husband working overseas at that time], if The No More Foundation hadn’t hosted that event, our family wouldn’t be what it is today and it’s incredible how God used you to be a part of our story. God is so good!”

For those who are unsure about moving forward with fostering or adopting, Sandra encourages prayer and being open to taking every opportunity that you can. Her advice is to “just trust and completely submit yourself to it, things will happen and opportunities will come up.” 

It’s beautiful to see how God carefully weaved all these storylines together, as only He can do. This is what He does. He authors. He provides—He is Jehovah Jireh. He’s incredibly personal. He meets us. He sees us. He provides a way, even when it seems impossible. 

Whether you’re new to the idea of fostering and adopting or this is something God has been leading you towards for some time, this is an invitation to take your next step. The No More Orphans Experience takes place several times throughout the year throughout the state of Florida and across the nation. For more information on upcoming events, CLICK HERE. Interested in learning how your church can host an event? Contact our Program Manager, Melissa Love HERE!

Will you join us in our mission? Your support makes it possible for people like Sandra and her family to experience the joy of adoption. We invite you today to be a part of this with us, so we can reach millions of people with His message of hope, love, healing, and peace. Become a monthly mission partner today! For just $12 a month, you can help children who have suffered abuse or neglect find the love and support of a family. Join the $12 Club Today & declare, “No More!” 

Stay tuned for an update on Sandra’s story as Baby #2 joins their family! 


This article was written by Kait Poppa, The No More Foundation’s Anti-Trafficking Director.


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