— MISSION STATEMENT —
To care for orphans by engaging the Church and reducing barriers to adoption
From Our Founders
Show Hope By the Numbers
ADOPTION AID
MEDICAL CARE
PRE+POST ADOPTION SUPPORT
STUDENT INITIATIVES
From Our Executive Director
Remembering Maria
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Show Hope. To think, a little dream we had so many years ago is now a flourishing tree rooted deep in God’s still faithfulness is really quite astounding. And this year, as we celebrate and remember the past, we also look forward, with hope-filled expectation, to what God will do in the next 20 years.
We look to Show Hope’s cornerstone work, Adoption Aid, and stand amazed at the more than 8,400 children and families impacted. Our desire was to help 100 children and families, but God, as only He can, cast a much wider, deeper net. And we know that He is not yet finished. Show Hope’s Medical Care grants continue to take root as we rejoice with families like the Mauldins, who recently received another much-needed grant on behalf of their darling daughter, Lizzy Claire. And we continue to have the privilege of connecting with Show Hope’s Care Centers families and dream together of reunions to come. These families and the children they represent will always be precious to our Show Hope family.
We look to Show Hope’s integral Pre+Post Adoption Support work, where the third annual Hope for the Journey Conference premiered just last month (and is available through June 30!). We are in awe of the parents, caregivers, church communities, and professionals who are digging in to cultivate stronger connections with the children and teens entrusted to their care. We SEE you, and we admire you. It is hard but still worthy work! And as God continues to stir the hearts of today’s young leaders through Show Hope’s Pause Campaign, we are incredibly grateful for Him crossing our paths with Bethany Briley. She joined our Show Hope team almost a year ago and is leading the charge in engaging students in classrooms, on campuses, and through churches. It’s a small but mighty work and profoundly important for the future.
In closing, we are grateful to count you in our Show Hope family. Without your prayers and support, this work would not be possible, and with you by our side, we will SEE another 20 years of Show Hope! Thank you.
Together, we “shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!” (Psalm 27:13).
MARY BETH & STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN FOUNDERS, SHOW HOPE8,400+ CHILDREN impacted by Adoption Aid grants
60+ COUNTRIES
$38M+ AWARDED in Adoption Aid grants
70+ MEDICAL CARE grants awarded
$510,000+
AWARDED in Medical Care grants
124,000+ Hope for the Journey CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS
2,000
SCHOLARSHIPS awarded to professionals for Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®) Practitioner training
23,000+ STUDENTS engaged
The Ethiopian government was suspending all intercountry adoptions. Yet amid their confusion and heartbreak, Kayla and Marcus prayed for guidance.
“We still wanted to adopt, and we still felt God saying, You have a son somewhere,” Kayla said. “Eventually, we felt God say, OK, it’s time.”
Kayla and Marcus formally withdrew from Ethiopia’s program and applied to India’s, trusting that God was not confused or surprised by their changing circumstances.
“The day we withdrew from one process and got accepted to the other was the same day that our son was declared [eligible for adoption] in India,” Kayla said. “If we would have left the Ethiopian process sooner, or held on a little bit longer, Judah wouldn’t be our son. God orchestrated all of those steps.”
While they were thrilled the process in India was moving quickly, it also meant the Mackeys’ adoption funds were due much sooner than anticipated. And after the long wait in Ethiopia, their savings were spent. But Show Hope.
“Through Show Hope, God gave us hope on a tough day. Our son’s first birthday was in April 2018. It was a difficult day since we were unable to celebrate this milestone with him. Show Hope notified us of our Adoption Aid grant award on our son’s first birthday. That financial gift was just what we needed to cover the rest of our adoption expenses!
“Our son’s and our lives will never be the same because of Show Hope and the people who have given to that,” Marcus said. “It’s not just a cool charity to give to; it changes people’s lives forever, in a powerful way.”
Four years into their process to adopt from Ethiopia, Kayla and Marcus Mackey received difficult news.
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IT’S NOT JUST A COOL CHARITY TO GIVE TO; IT CHANGES PEOPLE’S LIVES FOREVER, IN A POWERFUL WAY.
— MARCUS MACKEY
POWERED BY :
Some 20-plus years ago, as they welcomed their daughter Shaoey into their family through the miracle of adoption, Show Hope Founders Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman longed to help other families, who had placed their faith in Jesus, welcome home their children as well. Then, that dream looked like serving just 100 families, yet “many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the L ord that will stand”
(Proverbs 19:21).
Today, Show Hope’s cornerstone Adoption Aid grants reach deep to impact thousands upon
thousands of children and families—both directly and indirectly, beyond the Chapmans’ wildest dreams. In an effort to further reduce barriers to adoption, Show Hope created the online resource HowToAdopt.org, where individuals, parents, and families are met with practical guidance, answers, and insight on the adoption process. Whether you are simply curious about adoption, are in the midst of it, or find yourself on the other side of adoption finalization, HowToAdopt.org will equip you with the tools necessary to navigate the journey, beginning with the very first steps.
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In this past year alone, Show Hope’s work in reducing barriers to adoption has reached the countries of Ukraine, Uganda, and China, with roots all tracing back to our Adoption Aid work. In regard to the yearlong war in Ukraine, Show Hope has had the privilege of playing a part in a story that is bringing hope and healing to children, parents, caregivers, and families. Through the prayer, support, and generosity of our faithful donors, we have been able to donate more than $100,000 to on-the-ground relief efforts in partnership with A Family for Every Orphan, a faith-based organization that helps children who have been orphaned find care in safe and loving families in their home countries.
Last summer, Show Hope also partnered with BEB (Both Ends Believing), another like-minded ministry, and has the privilege of helping Ugandan children come home to families in their home country.
“Show Hope is honored to partner with BEB in directly impacting children and families in Uganda,” Executive Director Kristin Parks shared. “Historically, our Adoption Aid grants have primarily impacted families within the U.S., who are adopting domestically and internationally, so this partnership is a significant step for us in expanding our mission of reducing barriers to adoption.”
Although the international adoption process has been stalled with the country of China for more than three years now, hope and help are still not lost. As families continue to wait, inevitable costs arise, from renewed home studies to the refiling of paperwork. In February of this year, Show Hope was able to award a $60,000 grant to Lifeline Children’s Services (Lifeline) in support of families who are a part of their China program—some of whom are a part of our Adoption Aid grant work.
“To be able to answer the call from Lifeline is such a gift to us! As many of you know, China holds a special place in our hearts, as the homeland of our three beautiful daughters” Mary Beth shared. “Through this financial support, we are locking arms with others, ensuring families within Lifeline’s China program will not assume additional costs as they continue to wait patiently for their children to come home.”
As Show Hope looks to the future, we do so with eyes wide open and full of hope. The barriers to adoption are only increasing, yet it was God who took the original vision of 100 children and families and multiplied it to include more than 8,400. He is the same God now as then, and we continue to place our trust in him.
IT WAS GOD WHO TOOK THE ORIGINAL VISION OF 100 CHILDREN AND FAMILIES AND MULTIPLIED IT TO INCLUDE MORE THAN 8,400. HE IS THE SAME GOD NOW AS THEN, AND WE CONTINUE TO PLACE OUR TRUST IN HIM.
Lizzy was born with hip contractures, knee issues, and bilateral clubbed feet, a condition the Mauldins had already experienced with their son, Cameron. But prior to even meeting Cameron, his orphanage had provided excellent medical care, allowing him to heal and eventually learn to walk.
Lizzy’s orphanage experience was far different. While it was full of what Taylor described as extraordinary love, it lacked funds to help with Lizzy’s medical needs. The Mauldins knew once they brought Lizzy home, she would need multiple surgeries, leg castings, physical therapy, and other extensive care, but they were certain she would one day walk, just like her brother.
"We definitely had fear because there was so much unknown,” Taylor said. “But we really did think in our mind, This is the child the Lord has called us to, and we have confidence in that. Even though we are scared, we are still moving forward. We are still putting one foot in front of us because the Lord said to. And we trust him.
“But we really did think in the bottom of our heart, We are going to get home; and we’re going to do all these things; and we're going to help her. And before you know it, and a few years down the road, she’s going to be up running around, and all these things will be a distant memory,” Taylor continued.
When Taylor and TJ Mauldin welcomed home their daughter, Lizzy, from India in 2020, they knew she had a long medical road ahead of her, but they never anticipated what would ultimately become her diagnosis.
During Lizzy’s first medical visit back in the U.S., the Mauldins learned Lizzy was paraplegic and would never walk. With this diagnosis, and still needing to address her clubbed feet, medical bills came flooding hard and fast, and insurance covered very little for Lizzy.
“We did not anticipate our insurance rejecting so much and not being willing to help as much as what they have,” Taylor said. “And we have had just thousands upon thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of medical bills and debt for surgeries and castings and for medical equipment, physical therapy in itself.”
The Mauldins spent countless hours trying to work with insurance and find alternative ways to pay for medical necessities, so when they learned Show Hope had entered into post-adoption needs with Medical Care grants, they were overjoyed.
Show Hope most recently awarded the Mauldins with their second Medical Care grant that is helping
cover the cost of Lizzy’s paraplegic surgeries and physical therapy.
“Now that we have this grant, knowing that Show Hope has our back in a way to where I’m like, ‘She needs this. The answer is yes.’ And it is covered,” Taylor said. “And we don’t have to hesitate. We don’t have to be anxious. We don’t have to try and manipulate to make things happen. We can just focus on our daughter. We can just focus on helping her. We can just focus on her recovery and healing.”
While the Mauldins never anticipated all of Lizzy’s medical needs, Taylor said their daughter’s story has led them on the most incredible journey of their lives.
“There are times where my husband and I get so emotional thinking, What if we would have let fear rule our hearts? And what if we would have looked at her file and just have said no? And what if we would’ve missed out on all of this? ” Taylor said. “And it is just overwhelming and brings us to tears to think. She is just incredible. She is just a bright light for us.”
Not only is Lizzy a bright light for her family, Taylor said she’s a spark of joy to anyone she meets. Taylor and her husband call Lizzy (whose full name is Elizabeth) “The Queen,” as in Queen Elizabeth because everyone flocks to her.
“I just wish that everybody had the opportunity to meet our daughter,” Taylor said. “The Lord has given her this gift that I have never experienced with any other child in my entire life. She just has this joy that is unconditional. She has more joy in her big toe than all of us combined.”
Taylor cannot wait to see how the Lord will use Lizzy for his kingdom, not just through her physical diagnosis but through who God has made her. The Mauldins are so grateful to Show Hope and their supporters for making Lizzy’s medical journey easier.
“It is the Lord’s story,” Taylor said. “And we just get like this front-row seat to watching it play out. It is nothing in us or of us that we have done. We are continually humbled that we get to watch it play out.”
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NOW THAT WE HAVE THIS GRANT ... WE CAN JUST FOCUS ON OUR DAUGHTER ... ON HELPING HER ... ON HER RECOVERY AND HEALING.
— TAYLOR MAULDIN
— BY TRACY TAPLIN —
God has woven our family together over the last 30 years into a hand-stitched patchwork quilt of bright, beautiful differences—both in genetics and preferred ice cream. A down-toearth sensibility is ever present to put the work in, and we dust ourselves off after we fall, limping and determined to keep on keeping on. God is at the center of who we are and what we do. We possess an ample amount of laughter and competitiveness and are absolutely imperfect. There are currently two “chicks” with one foot in the nest and a couple who have flown into adulthood. And yes, my husband and I have purchased matching recliners but have no plans to become glued to them or to resemble our next dog.
I am a mom, blessed both biologically and through adoption, who is in the parenting trenches, having navigated special needs and multiracial family life as well as created and maintained balance with birth parents. All the while, I continually thank Jesus for grace and new mercies each day. As a child advocate, I currently serve as an Orphan Care ministry leader and Community Outreach Director at a local church with a passion for faith communities to (continue to) rise up, welcome, equip, and serve children and families who are vulnerable as they move through the loss, trauma, hurt, and impermanence that has brought them to where they are and a commitment not to leave them there.
This passion for trauma-informed care within the local church for me—best crafted with a hyperlocal focus and impact with regional, statewide, and global connectivity—is a way to serve in my own community while accessing best practices, collaboration, and tools from those smarter than I am. This leads to a continual pursuit of the messiness of life—a setting aside of schedule and helping potential parents to use “waiting time” to heal, learn, pray, and research before their children come home—and encouraging lifelong learning once they are home while celebrating the wins and mourning the losses together.
I was a prospective adoptive parent back in the last century, ill-equipped for my calling and also confident that it was not accidental. Bruised by disappointments and heartbreaks several years later, I trudged on as an adoptive parent, holding education degrees yet without the tools I desperately needed to parent well. God’s patience and a community in desperate need of healing kept me pursuing ministry to others like me and my family. I am not the healer, but I know him.
“ MINISTRY IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT PRE+POST ADOPTION SUPPORT AND TOOLS THAT SHOW HOPE PROVIDES. THIS GIVES MEANING TO THE “ONE ANOTHER” COMMANDS THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE.
— TRACY TAPLIN
Partnering with Show Hope encourages me on hard days, like this Tuesday or other days ending in “y.” My story is offered to encourage those as yet unscathed by the parenting path they are called to pursue, staying vulnerable and vigilant and also to those already acquainted with what I’m describing. Such ministry is nearly impossible without Pre+Post Adoption
Support and tools that Show Hope provides. This gives meaning to the “one another” commands throughout the Bible. We aren’t meant to do this alone.
Years of prayer to stay willing and available for how God might use the gifts he has bestowed upon me opened the doors for a Show Hope scholarship in 2022 to attend TBRI (Trust-Based Relational Intervention) Practitioner
Training while engaging in a statewide governmental initiative with other faith communities responding to the call to care for children in need of safe, loving homes. This training along with ongoing ministry support such as Show Hope’s Hope for the Journey Conference have allowed our church to throw open the doors to our neighbors, saying, “Welcome!
We are FOR you and your family. God loves you and so do we.” This selfless giving that Show Hope pours out for those who will receive it is changing generational and eternal trajectories while equipping people across the globe as they welcome children from hard places. This is the good stuff.
Show Hope has also allowed me to take time, through trainings, to consider my childhood, how I was parented, and how I have parented. Twofold, I have been empowered to accept grace and forgiveness in plowing forward with renewed passion and increased empathy while searching for others who desperately need tools for their continued parental sanctification as they die to self and serve Jesus with trauma-informed intentionality.
To the many faithful donors whose generosity allows families—both pre- and post-adoption— access to quality resources, financial assistance, reliable teachings, and a reduction of barriers, I say, “Thank you.” You not only allow preparation and hope in the waiting, you also give sustenance in the form of encouragement—a
collective holding up of our adoptive parental arms when we simply do not have the strength to do it alone.
TRACY TAPLIN is an experienced educator and ministry leader, an advocate and speaker for children impacted by adoption and foster care, a TBRI Practitioner, a former Court Appointed Special Advocate® (CASA) for children in foster care, and recently served as a panel member for The Gospel + TBRI module of Show Hope’s Hope for the Journey Conference. She and her husband, Dru, were high school sweethearts and “are happiest when we serve together.” Tracy and Dru are also the proud parents of four children.
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SHOW HOPE’S HOPE FOR THE JOURNEY CONFERENCE HAS ALLOWED OUR CHURCH TO THROW OPEN THE DOORS TO OUR NEIGHBORS, SAYING, “WELCOME! WE ARE FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO WE.”
— TRACY TAPLIN
Truthfully, there are many ways to answer this question. However, the most succinct way to explain the importance of Show Hope investing, equipping, and mobilizing students can be found in Show Hope’s logo. The Show Hope tree does not stop at the base of the trunk; it includes the roots as well. Humbly, we realize that no matter how tall the tree grows or how well we harvest and steward its fruits, the longevity and sustainability of the tree directly depends on how deep and healthy its roots are.
So how is Show Hope investing in students to deepen our roots? While we have had many Student Initiatives over the years, our current initiative is Pause Campaign (Pause). The goal is to educate students on the needs of children who are vulnerable and provide those students with opportunities to pray and reflect on how they can make a difference in the lives of others. A favorite quote of mine is from Maya Angelou: “When you know better, do better.” We can’t expect students to care about something they are unaware of. By educating students on the need, we hope to stir their compassion at an early age that will continue to shape the way they spend their time and resources today as well as in the future. During my time of working with students in different roles, I’ve discovered that students will get involved when they understand the why and know where to begin. Pause gives students the opportunity to get started today, which makes a difference in the now and in the not yet.
While our greatest prayer and deepest desire is for every child to know the love, security, and permanency of a family, we also acknowledge the reality that we live in a broken world. The needs of children who have been orphaned will not end with our generation. Yet when we invest in the students of 2023, we care for the orphans of 2053.
For this reason, Show Hope considers it a great honor to be a part of raising up the next generation of adoptive and foster care parents, trauma-informed caregivers, social workers, educators, ministry leaders, and advocates. While we are excited about the many ways the Show Hope tree is growing and flourishing, we are also excited about the work that is going on below the surface, deepening roots to ensure that the shade of Show Hope’s tree continues to bless children and families for generations to come.
“ WHEN WE INVEST IN THE STUDENTS OF 2023, WE CARE FOR THE ORPHANS OF 2053.
— BETHANY BRILEY
It’s been one year since our Founders and Board of Directors graciously welcomed me into the role of Show Hope’s Executive Director—and what a year it has been! In that span of time, the Lord has provided a permanent home for Show Hope with our new office space. He has opened doors for us to partner with another like-minded ministry in helping Ugandan children come home to families in their home country. And he has expanded the impact of our Pre+Post Adoption Support work, guiding us in surpassing the goal of awarding 250 TBRI Practitioner Training scholarships and increasing the reach of our annual Hope for the Journey Conference.
This time last year, I shared how our Medical Care grants hold a special place in my heart. From the vision cast by Mary Beth and Steven to stories like that of Lizzy Claire Mauldin and her parents, Taylor and TJ, I am completely humbled that the God of the universe is allowing me to be a part of his love for children and families. You, too, are a part of the story he is telling through the work of Show Hope. Without your prayers and support, this work would not be possible.
As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Show Hope this year, we also pause to honor the life of Maria Sue Chapman, who would have celebrated her 20th birthday this year. So much of Show Hope’s story carries Maria’s legacy, from our historical support of the Care Centers to now our Medical Care grants, and I count it a privilege to play a small part in ensuring her legacy continues.
In a few short weeks, I will be inviting you to join us in furthering the impact of Show Hope’s Medical Care grants with a financial gift to Maria’s Miracle Fund. Established in honor of Maria, this fund originally helped sustain and further Show Hope’s support of the Care Centers in China, namely Maria’s Big House of Hope. Two years ago, it was decided that Maria’s Miracle Fund would now support the work of our Medical Care grants endeavor.
So, today, will you begin praying, asking God how he might use you in his work through Show Hope’s Medical Care grants? Together, we will continue to reduce the financial and medical barriers to adoption.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
— Hebrews 11:1
By faith,
KRISTIN E. PARKS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SHOW HOPE
2003–2008
This month, as we celebrate Mother’s Day, graduations, the end-of-school, the beginning of summer, and more, may we pause to honor the life of Maria Sue Chapman.
Though in the eyes of man her life may be counted as short, we SEE an eternal impact in the stories of children and families who are being met with hope and healing on this side of the veil.
All glory to God for his mysterious ways, and much love, comfort, and peace to the Chapman family.
