Courtney is the Founder and Executive Director of Faithful Adoption Consultants, a faith-based adoption referral service based in Atlanta, Georgia. They assist adoptive families nationwide who are seeking an infant through domestic adoption. As the Executive Director Courtney assumes many roles within FAC. As an adoption consultant she walks alongside adoptive families throughout their adoption journey, assisting with each step along the way.
Courtney has been married to her best friend, Emory, for 11 years. They have walked the painful road of multiple miscarriages, but the Lord has blessed them with 7 beautiful children through the miracle of both birth and adoption. They know how hard infertility is... even when your house is full of little footsteps. Their passion for adoption originated from their strong pro-life convictions as well as their desire to honor the biblical mandate to care for the least of these. Having adopted both special needs and transracially, the Lott's passion is clear and they have a unique perspective to offer our Choose Joy attendees.
Kristen is a stay at home wife and mommy of four: three biological and one soon to be adopted through the foster system. Although adoption was always in the plans for her family, foster care was not. Despite their fears about Foster care, they willingly jumped on board when they felt God was calling them to this path.
Since taking in their first placement, she has become an advocate for Foster care and adoption, often addressing the same fears that almost stopped her from fostering to begin with.
Coffee, sewing, and baking are a few of the ways that she slows down in the midst of the chaos of homeschooling, Autism therapy and life with four littles. You can also find her on Instagram...often @vesselhandmade or once in a blue moon blogging at www.vesselhandmade.com
Meet Marjorie HernMarjorie has been married to her handsome red-headed husband for over six years. They struggled with unexplained infertility for 4 1/2 of them, before finally discovering that Marjorie has Endometriosis. Although they were the perfect candidates for IVF, God had already been working in their hearts and leading them to adopt through the foster care system.
They felt they were supposed to provide a loving Christ-centered family for children who needed it most, and set aside what they had once planned and envisioned. However, they never could’ve imagined what came next!
Saying “yes” to what God had in-store for them brought a series of logistical miracles and the placement of five beautiful siblings (ages 8, 7, 5, 3 & 1) who they are now in the process of fostering-to-adopt. They have experienced more of His provision, grace and direct answers to prayers through this process than they have in our entire marriage leading up to it!
They hope their story will be an encouragement to others praying about fostering or fostering-to-adopt.
More than anything, Bobbi wants to be a living example of what it means to completely surrender everything to Christ. She lives in sunny California with her hubby Matt, daughter RJ and pup Bosco. She is the blogger behind nHerShoes, and is one busy woman trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle in a crazy, busy world.
She wears several different hats every day as a wife, mother, cook, runner, blogger, small business owner, coffee fanatic, wine lover and kickboxing instructor!
She recently adopted a sweet baby girl named Rylee Joy and has a huge heart for foster/adoption.
Kara is a wife to her high school sweetheart and momma to three kids ages 4, 3 & 1, all adopted through the local foster care system. She lives in Southern CA and is passionate about kids in need of foster & adoptive homes!
When she's not feeding, wiping or cleaning up after her babes you can find her sipping coffee, reading or browsing Instagram. She has a very neglected blog sunrisesunsetblog.com but you can always find her on instagram: @karamurano
Kate and Ashley Gregg are sisters-in-law because they married brothers, but more like sisters because those brothers are best friends. Although they have had unique twists and turns in their individual journeys, their experiences have been similar because of the source of their infertility.Their husbands have a genetic disease that results in male factor infertility.
Ashley is primarily a stay-at-home mom to Hannah who is 5 years old. She was conceived through In-vitro Fertilization. The farther they have walked down the road of trying to have another baby the more they have realized how miraculous her little life truly is.
Ashley is a lover of all things related to water...swimming in it, laying by it, traveling to it and especially the color of it. Creating, cooking, eating and spending time with her family are a few of my favorite things.
Kate is a busy School Teacher who loves to be involved in the lives of all 32 of her 4th grade students. She has tried to integrate the many IVF doctor appointments in between teaching at a new school, earning her Masters degree, and volunteering in the church nursery. She is crazy about kids of all ages. When she's not working with kids, she and her husband are usually out golfing or enjoying a glass of wine with friends.
Nick and Mindy adopted their son, Silas, in August of 2013, after seven years of marriage and two years of unexplained infertility. They always planned on adoption being a way they would grow their family, but they never anticipated coming to it by way of the pain and struggle of infertility. Silas is a daily reminder that God’s work is mysterious, good, and something neither of them could have scripted for their family.
Infertility and adoption have taught them about God's sustaining grace and given them a greater understanding of God's love for his people. Experiencing this first hand is a comfort and a blessing as they contemplate the next step for their family. Through their journey, they have become passionate about sharing the joys of adoption with others and about walking alongside people in pain.
Mindy and Nick live in Southern California. Nick is a pastor and elder at ROCKHARBOR church. Mindy is a part-time fourth grade teacher and a full-time mom to Silas. She also hosts an infertility and adoption group each month, where she gets to do life with women who share her deepest pain and her greatest passion. She blogs at www.melinda-ann.blogspot.com.
Beth is a wife and mom who has traveled the long and winding roads of infertility and adoption.
Beth and her husband Dan navigated the tumultuous waters of infertility for four years before entering into the adoption process. At first their hearts felt led to adopt siblings from Russia. But, after the Russian government closed the door on all American adoptions in 2006 and 2007, they shifted gears and began the domestic adoption process. Beth and Dan endured one painful failed adoption before the birth of their daughter, Dani Hope, in September of 2007. Still desiring one more child to complete their family, they set out again to adopt domestically in 2008. After two more failed adoptions, they welcomed their youngest daughter, Charli Grace, into their family in August of 2010. While their path to parenthood was long and difficult, they both know that their two daughters were sovereignly chosen by God to be in their home. All the heartache was worth it to wind up with the two little girls they get to parent today!
Before she became a mommy, Beth spent eleven years as an elementary school teacher in Southern Orange County. She now has the immense pleasure of being a full-time stay-at-home mom. In addition to raising up her daughters in the ways of the Lord, she is a helpmate to her husband Dan. Dan and Beth moved to Huntington Beach in June to help plant a new church, Compass Bible Church-Huntington Beach. As a Home Fellowship Group leader Beth has the privilege of evangelizing and discipling women.
It is Beth’s hope that her story will minister to the women who attend the Choose Joy Event. She longs to be a woman who obeys 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
Allyn Ann is a married mom of one precious, tenacious, beautiful 2 1/2 year old. She and her husband, Jeremy have been married almost 10 years and have lived in Orange County for 5 1/2 years. They welcomed their miracle IVF baby, Georgia, in September 2012. She currently works as a Nurse Practitioner at OC Fertility in Newport Beach.
Ally Ann has a passion for infertility not only because she started working in the field as an RN in 2007 and became a Nurse Practitioner in 2012, but because she is also a patient. She spent 3 years, 10 medication cycles, 5 IUI's, 2 surgeries, and 2 rounds of IVF to conceive her daughter. It was a very hard time for her physically, emotionally, and spiritually. She didn't feel like there was much guidance out there for Christians when navigating the infertility world. She is thrilled to be speaking at Choose Joy to talk about the ethical side of infertility treatments and hopefully shed some light on some confusing and difficult topics.
Matt and Brianne Kopp have been married for almost 14 years and are blessed with 5 children ages 4-8 ~ two biological and three adopted from Ethiopia through three separate adoptions. Their home is crazy and busy - but they wouldn’t change a thing!
Matt and Brianne were open to adoption as an option for building their family, but it wasn’t until they more fully understood the heart of God in their own spiritual adoption that God moved their hearts to adopt first a healthy younger boy, and then later two older girls with medical/special needs. Passionate about Orphan Care (and Pre-Orphan Care), Matt and Brianne also lead the Orphan Care ministry at their church and participate in various other Orphan Care Ministries including Safe Families for Children.
Sean and Dena have walked the joys and sorrows of both pregnancy and adoption. Their lives have been an example of what it means when people say "adoption is a roller coaster of emotions."
After a pregnancy plagued with severe complications, Dena knew that there would be a slim chance of ever having another pregnancy and that they would have to grow their family through a private adoption. Their adoption journey got turned upside down when their first adoption failed after loving on their son for 5 weeks. Instead of walking away from adoption with broken hearts and an empty nursery, they decided to pursue adoption again and were matched with their precious son.
After several years they decided it was time to add baby number #3 to the family and this time decided to pursue Foster/Adopt through Olive Crest Foster and Adopt Agency. Once again this journey has been a difficult road. They have been able to love on 9 foster children over the past year and currently have a long-term placement with a sweet baby boy that was placed in their home at 3 months of age. Their family is learning to not only love on these foster babies but also on their broken and hurting biological parents. They are learning that there are times God has a bigger plan then we ever thought possible.
Sean and Dena live in Southern California with their eight year old daughter (biological) and four year old son (adopted) and current foster baby. Dena enjoys her part-time work as a Certified Nurse Midwife and fun family activities like stand-up paddleboarding, crafts, and photography. Sean is an avid runner and also loves photography. They are excited to share their journey at the Choose Joy Event and how it is possible to find HOPE even after heartbreak.
Brian and Jen are high school sweet hearts, who married straight out of college. They had their whole life ahead of them, "the american dream." First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes... Well, when they encountered the third part of this ideal, they were met with some serious obstacles.
Brian and Jen are the perfect storm of infertility. Two people completely incapable, medically speaking, to have biological children, who met, married, and were thrust into the muddy waters of infertility.
They look forward to sharing their beautifully broken journey through the heart wrenching battle of infertility. Before even marrying, God had placed adoption on their hearts, and it was through the catalyst of infertility that they understood that adoption was God's Plan A for their life together. Three years ago they adopted a beautiful daughter, named Eliana Faith, and are blessed by an open adoption with her birth mom. At the beginning of 2015 they brought home their son, Elisha Justice, after a long journey towards #2 with a failed adoption, a failed match, and other heartbreak. The Lord has been faithful to their family because love always wins. "He makes everything beautiful in His time." Ecclesiastes 3:11
The Dyers have been married for 11 years and are blessed with two children. After a miscarriage and high risk pregnancy, their amazing biological son came into their lives 10 years ago. They discovered that Amber had some medical complications that would make future pregnancies difficult and were unsuccessful at conceiving again.
Two surgeries later Amber ended up needing a hysterectomy. They went through many emotions and hadn't really thought much about adoption. They didn't have any close friends or family who had adopted and it just wasn't something they were familiar with.
After an offer from a relative to be a gestational surrogate, they did two rounds of IVF that were both unsuccessful. Their hearts were completely broken and they were both having a difficult time understanding why God had them on such a painful path. They went back to trying to live happily as a family of three but their hearts were still longing for one more child.
They started the adoption process and had no idea what a ride they were in for! Their hearts were filled with love for birth mothers and they instantly fell in love with a beautiful baby girl they watched come into the world. Unfortunately, this was not the baby God had in His plans for the Dyers and she went home with her mother and they stayed a family of three a while longer.
Six months later their beautiful daughter joined their family. She is now two years old and God has shown them His Glory in the beautiful story He wrote for them. Every tear and heartache they endured was worth it and makes sense. His plan was always better than the one they had for themselves. Not only did they gain a daughter but they have gained a bigger extended family. Their daughter's birth family is now their family too. They let love conquer fear in their relationship and all of them are rewarded with the joy of this special girl. They feel it is an honor to be able to encourage others to consider an open relationship when possible.
Matthew and Kristi have been married for 10 years and live in San Diego with their son Levi and two dogs. Matthew is a band teacher and Kristi is a new stay at home mom. They love having people over for dinners and watching Lawrence Welk on Netflix while
eating popcorn after all is quiet in the house.
Infertility had made itself a part of their marriage from the very beginning and even though they have completed their adoption, it is still very much a part of their story. They are learning that having a child doesn't mean you don't struggle with the same questions of "why me" or still get the sting when you hear "I'm pregnant" or even get jealous when you are making a quick trip into Babies R Us and see all the pregnant women.
The truth is they are still learning to support each other through infertility. Looking back at the early years they now know what they didn't do to support each other because they were both hurting and had some pretty unreal expectations of how their spouse should "fix" their hurt.
They are excited to be speaking together at the Choose Joy event and can't wait to share what they have learned with you. They are also excited to hear your stories so that it may encourage them. Infertility and adoption bonds people together and they are thankful for the friends they made at the past two Choose Joy events and know that this year will be even better.
Ashley was 18 when she was given the rare diagnosis that affects her ability to carry children. Between ages 18 and 25, she struggled with self worth, loneliness, physical disability, & depression resulting in multiple suicide attempts. But at 25 Jesus crashed into her dark world...
She's now married to Matthew, mama to their precious toddler John that they adopted as a newborn and foster mama to two littles under one year. Days are long, medical issues still unresolved, and life can get messy around their home. But she chooses joy.
She cannot wait to meet you at the conference but until then you can find her in Las Vegas, Nevada, blogging about her messy life over at littleobrienfamily.blogspot.com, overgramming on Instagram at @MrsAshleyOBrien, drinking coffee and wondering if it's nap time yet.
Lesli Westfall is no stranger to infertility. She has experienced all the range of emotions, hearing the painful words, “there’s no hope for you to conceive” which led to asking God endless questions in particular, “What in the heck are you up to?” Yet looking back on her journey, she realizes God was turning disappointments into appointments with Him, healing her from the grief of infertility. Yet the most significant being the call to offer hope and inspiration to the wounded heart of the barren soul.
While leading a Christian infertility support group a deep compassion formed and an empathetic voice was raised to those hurting. Through her own experience and those shared from others she founded an online ministry created in 2009, Dancing Upon Barren Land - Spiritual Nourishment for the Infertility. Now she ministers to women around the world through the website and oversees local support groups, which have formed in other churches too.
Lesli enjoys life. She loves spending time with her husband, Larry, and enjoys riding his entrepreneurial wave as well as her own, teaching cooking and etiquette to children. She loves hanging with friends and family, and traveling, especially road trips. She’s learned to live life while waiting with peace and joy and constantly reminds God (while eating dark chocolate) “there’s still hope, I’m not pickled yet!”
Megan, being an adoptee herself, has always been an advocate for adoption. With three little ones at home the Lord made it really clear that He was calling their family to adopt. After an 18 month journey their daughter, Shiloh, came home from the DRC in April of 2013.
Now, in 2015, Megan is a mom to 5 and is running her online small business, She Does Justice, with her husband Tom in Phoenix, AZ.
Megan is a former California girl currently living in Colorado with her husband, Pete and two children. She loves to knit, craft, cook and has a severe case of wanderlust. She is the owner of her own handmade business Spunk & Love.
Her heart for adoption stems from emotionally supporting several close friends who have built their families in this way. She believes that God calls every one of us to adoption, and that her role in that is to be an amazing support system for the adoptive families around her.
Meet Lyndsay BoultonLyndsay Boulton has been married to Bart Boulton, her high school sweetheart, since 1993. They have 7 children ranging in age from 21 to 1. Until 2009 they were perfectly content with their 4 biological children and thought their family was complete. But after a 2 week mission trip to India their eyes were opened and their hearts broken to the realities of the orphan crisis in the world.
Since that time they have completed 3 adoptions, both domestic and international. Initially, they were drawn to the plight of the orphan in Ethiopia and specifically children who lost their parents due to AIDS. They started the process to adopt a child with HIV from Ethiopia and in August of 2011 they brought home their beautiful daughter Batri. 12 months later they were blessed with a sweet little girl with Down syndrome named Ruby and then 10 months later Conner joined the crew, also with Down syndrome.
Since 2010 Lyndsay has been on staff with Project HOPEFUL, a not for profit organization that advocates for, and educates people regarding, the most overlooked orphans all over the world. Lyndsay is passionate about educating families concerning the truths of HIV and Down syndrome, sharing her family’s life changing adoption stories, and encouraging other families in their adoption journey.
Brooke’s plan was to be too busy for this talk because of the toddlers she expected to be chasing. Instead, after ten nearly-perfect years of marriage, she and her husband, Jason, remain childless.
An avid adventurer, Brooke finally got brave enough to adventure deep into the sacredness of loss and meeting her God in both joy and sorrow, learning how to have a full life amidst emptiness. She’s discovered that sad is not bad, and that loss doesn’t have the last word.
Brooke is "Aunty Boo" to 15 littles, 3 of whom are adopted, and wears a lot of professional hats as an Attorney, Real Estate Broker, and the SoCal Director for Finally Home Foundation. But some of her favorite days are when she gets to advocate through writing or speaking, calling out the brave in us all. She is a member of the CAFO Speakers Bureau and blogs at www.brookemardell.com.
