“I want to break the cycle.”

Those six, powerful words came from a frightened young woman. Jill* was a college student pregnant by a man she saw no future with, her education derailed and her ability to provide for herself now in jeopardy. Even more devastating for her, she saw her present situation as a generational problem.

She had lived this situation before.

Jill had been born to a 19 year old, unmarried woman who chose to parent. Her mother’s choice charted the course for decades of difficulty, financial struggle and relational chaos. She loved her mother but she didn’t want to replicate her mom’s life. She had grown up in dysfunction. It wasn’t the path she wanted for her child.

Our staff helped Jill think about what adoption could look like. She didn’t realize that she could make a plan for her baby and still have some idea of what her baby’s life was like through letters and photos. Our staff also helped her verbalize her dreams and formulate a plan. We gave her clothes that were appropriate for job interviews and helped her work out the other details of life.

Months later, we placed her baby in a loving home with a family Jill chose. They keep her informed on her baby’s progress. Today, she is working and taking classes, feeling like she broke the cycle for her own child and for herself. She has hope that she didn’t have a year ago.

Recently, Jill had a reunion with the adoptive parents and the baby. It’s a relationship that is evolving for the good. As her child grows, they will know that she made her choice for love.

After she left, she texted one of our staffers:

“…They let me feed him and he was looking all around, till I started humming the song I would sing him when he was fussy in my tummy. That instant he locked eyes with me, and held them….It was in that instant I knew everything would be okay. Everything was right, everything was just the way God intended it. He will always be my firstborn, my love, my heart. But he is theirs too….it was overwhelmingly happy, and emotional, and raw, and beautiful. I’m just so happy.”

Often times adoption stories focus on the baby or the new family. At Zoe’s House, we spend a lot of hours with the brave young women making adoption plans. That care extends far beyond the birth and legal process, because their life matters greatly to God.

Everyone deserves a chance to break the cycle. Will you help?

Zoe’s House Adoptions has been awarded a matching grant for the month of September. Every dollar you donate will be doubled up to $25,000. This money will go toward replicating stories like Jill’s.

Will you help us make the most of this grant?  Go HERE TO DONATE

*Jill’s name changed to protect her privacy