Every child supported. Every family surrounded. Every church engaged.
Currently in Kansas City, brilliant green grass grows alongside the first hints of burnt-orange leaves, as two seasons dance together in transition. At Zoe’s House, we are leaning into the change we have known was coming…and is now upon us.
The past several months have been very full, walking alongside birth moms and adoptive families, being present in the hospital rooms, holding women through hard decisions, tears, prayers, and beautiful new beginnings. Your generosity has allowed us to show up for our clients and families, and we have felt your partnership in it all!
On August 31, Zoe’s House Adoption Agency made our final placement of a sweet baby girl in a “pop-up adoption”. This unexpected situation was a meaningful ending to a chapter we will always treasure.
Now, we stand at the threshold of a new season, turning our attention toward another vulnerable moment in a child’s life: the day they are removed from their home and enter foster care.
The state’s decision to remove a child from a challenging home situation might provide safety, but even experts concede it’s never simple. Even if the home is violent or abusive, removal day adds trauma to a child’s story. Imagine a police officer asking you to put your most treasured belongings in a trash bag and taking you from the only home you’ve ever known.
Recently, we discussed this trauma with a local child welfare worker. She told us more than one story about a child waiting in her office as she made call after call, describing the situation and asking families to take the child. Meanwhile, the child sits nearby, overhearing one side of the conversation and often hearing a “no.” In the words of the social worker, “sometimes I feel like I am selling a used car” to family after family. Hearing these conversations reinforces in children the pain of feeling unwanted and abandoned.
In the words of the social worker,
“sometimes I feel like I am selling a used car”
If a placement cannot be found quickly, a child may spend hours in an office while workers search for somewhere for them to go. Missouri Children’s Division workers have reported staying overnight in offices with children, with some children sleeping on office chairs or pallets on the floor. When appropriate placements aren’t available, Missouri has also used hotels. These aren’t just stories from years ago. In October 2025, a Missouri foster care agency director said his office had recently cared for children for “straight two weeks” while staff tried to find placements (KRPS, Oct. 29, 2025).
We don’t think the first day will ever be easy,
but we do believe that day can be better.
To be clear, no one likes how this plays out; not the child, and not the state. It’s simply what happens for lack of options. The state of Missouri is very eager for our help in this area.
What if the Church in a city showed up for these kids on one of the worst days of their lives and helped make that day a little less painful? What if they didn’t need to wait in an office, but could be brought to a home and eat a hot meal around a table or sleep in a comfortable bed? What if phone calls were made privately while children played with volunteers? We envision a Zoe’s House where we can serve children, families, and caseworkers with dignity and the love of Christ.
When a child’s life is turned upside down,
the Church can show up.
In the months ahead, plans will materialize for a literal Zoe’s House, a physical home where children can land on one of the hardest days of their lives. We envision a peaceful, welcoming environment where they can be cared for, comforted, and reminded that they are not alone. Children can to spend up to 72 hours (or “3 sleeps”) in this refuge while state workers work to find the best long term solution without the pressure of wondering where they’ll spend that night.
Staffed by trained volunteers, the new Zoe’s House will provide the closest thing to normal life for a child transitioning into foster care. Social workers will have a private place to call prospective foster families – and a homemade meal for themselves too! Children will experience the gift of a place to be and breathe for a moment. Warm cookies, a friendly grandma, and board games will not fix this day for them, but they will make the day a little less traumatic.
Isaiah 61 and Luke 4 declare:
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed Me
to preach good tidings to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted.”
Who needs good news and healing more than children who are scared and confused on one of the worst days of their lives? One day, Jesus will make all wrong things right for children. Until then, the Church can band together to make hard days bearable, but it will take all of us doing our part.
We’re asking you now to consider what your part might be. We will need an army of compassionate faces, strong backs and sacrificial givers if we are to begin the healing of the brokenhearted in our community. There will be an opportunity and a need for everyone to fill.
Much remains to be built and prepared, and we are moving forward prayerfully and inviting you to join us as we build in this next season. Soon you will be hearing about specific financial needs for the home itself, as well as an operating budget to enable us to staff and supply this home.
In the meantime, would you consider supporting Zoe’s House
in this prayerful building and planning phase?
Thank you for making this work possible and for continuing to walk with us into this next chapter. We are deeply grateful for you.
With hope and faith for the future,
Kelsey Bohlender
Executive Director