Keynote Speakers:  Gwen Oatsvall and Suzanne Mayernick, 147 Million Orphans

Gwen and Suzanne are two moms who love orphans! They met six years ago as they were both going through their first adoptions (one domestic and one international) … Thirteen kids and seven adoptions later, Christ has bound them together as family. They love doing life together and accepting the call to bring light into the darkness. They want to help as many people as possible to see the 147 million orphans worldwide as their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Gwen and Suzanne began 147millionorphans.com to help fund Amazima Ministries in Uganda and also help support adoptive families.   They also run the sponsorship programs for Amazima Ministries in the States.

Elective Speakers:

Amy Arnold

Amy and her husband Brad have been married for 16 years and have 5 children.  They have three boys that are biological, ages 15, 13 and 11.  In 2005 they were led into orphan care by the Lord through fostering.  Their first child was placed in June of 2006.  She was 13 months old when she came into their care and stayed with them for 18 months.  They began to desire to have a more long term opportunity and began to pursue international adoption.  After looking at many countries, agencies, and programs they settled on China Special Needs.  Their first daughter (Libi Faith – 3), has significant development delays and hypotonia.  They have just recently returned from China in December with their second adoptive child (Haddie Hope – 7).  She has a repaired cleft lip and palette and is Hepatitis B positive.  Amy is grateful to have a chance to share some of what God has done in their lives through orphan care with you today.

Andrew and Karen Beaty

Andrew and Karen have been foster parents for over a decade in both Illinois and South Dakota. They have adopted one foster daughter and are in the process of adopting one little boy and are fostering a precious preemie little boy. They have five biological children and have fostered around 20 children over the years from birth to high schoolers. The Beatys have served together in full-time ministry for over twenty years. Andrew currently works as a high school counselor at The Baby Fold’s Hammitt Jr./Sr. High School here in Normal. Karen home schools and keeps all of the paperwork flowing for their foster kids.

Jessica Dearlove, Africa Hope

Jessica studied deaf education at Illinois State University and joined New Mission Systems, Inc. (NMSI) after her 2004 summer internship to Kenya. From 2005 through 2008 Jessica worked with Africa Hope in Narok, Kenya as the Youth Development Director and assisting with Nasha’s street children’s program.

Caring for orphans and providing HIV/AIDS education was Jessica’s initial call to Kenya, but upon arriving realized that calling encompassed so much more.  Meeting physical, spiritual and emotional needs has become our method of empowering individuals, families, and communities for a strong generation to come.

David and Marianne Gross

David is the youth pastor at Grace Church, Normal, IL, where he and Marianne minister to teens.  They became orphan and adoption advocates through the process of adopting their 2 year old, daughter Sarah.  Marianne serves as the Orphan Care Ministry coordinator at their church.  They love serving the Lord together through their passions of youth and the fatherless.

Jami Kaeb  

Jami loves being wife to her husband Clint and mommy to their three young children.  After being blessed with two daughters by birth, Clint and Jami felt called to adoption.  They adopted their sweet son from Guatemala over two years ago and are currently in the process of a domestic adoption.  She describes their most recent adoption journey “a roller coaster ride” as they have been through many twists and turns along the way.  They started the adoption process with the intent to adopt an infant but when God opened their eyes to the need of “ the waiting child” – those children waiting to be adopted in U.S. the foster care system – they knew they had to follow His leading.   

Jami is passionate about her love for the Lord and loves to share Him with others.  As a graduate of the Proverbs 31 Ministries She Speaks Conference, Jami speaks frequently to women’s groups about how to live the abundant life in Jesus.  She believes it is our responsibility and privilege as Christians to be His hands and feet to the world and she feels called to be an advocate for the “least of these,” specifically those in the U.S. foster care system.  Clint and Jami make their home in Bloomington, IL.  For more information, check out Jami’s blog at www.livelaughlove5.blogspot.com.

Andy Lehman 

Andy is an orphan advocate and serves as Vice President of Lifesong for Orphans (www.lifesongfororphans.org) – an orphan ministry “bringing joy and purpose to orphans”. Lifesong creates in-country solutions to orphan crisis in Ukraine, India, Zambia, India, Ethiopia and Liberia as well as providing adoption financial solutions to adoptive families and Churches through innovative tools of Matching Grants & Interest-Free loans. Andy serves as a founding Board Member of the Christian Alliance for Orphans (www.christianalliancefororphans.org)

Prior to his role at Lifesong, Andy served as a human resource professional in a Fortune 20 company, and also served as house-parents at Gateway Woods, a Christian children’s home in Indiana for at-risk youth. Andy and his lovely wife Jill are adoptive parents, and currently have 4 children – Travor, Haley, Caleb, and Hope.

Dave Loomis

David is Associate Professor of Economics at Illinois State University.  He has been an Elder at Christ Church in Normal, IL for almost ten years.  This May, he will celebrate his twenty-fifth wedding anniversary with his wife Nita.  David and Nita have three biological children – Ethan, 19, Bryan 17, Katrina, 13 – and one adopted daughter – Samantha, 8.  David and his whole family traveled to China to adopt Samantha when she was 11 months old and has been offering counsel to families seeking funds for adoptions for several years now through the Connecting Hearts Conference and in his church.  David received his Ph.D. from Temple University.

Bob and Katherine Sanford

Bob and Katherine are the blessed parents of 14 children; three by birth and eleven by adoption. Through two domestic and two international adoptions, their experiences include: older children and toddler adoptions, two adoptions due to disruption, special needs adoptions, hosting to adopt, foster care domestically and internationally, birth-order changes, bonding and attachment issues, language barriers, teaching ESL, learning difficulties, physical delay, mental delay, sexual abuse, physical abuse, mental abuse, death of a birth-parent, siblings raised separately, birth-children factor, and homeschooling 14 children.

The Sanfords are contacted weekly for information or advice from adoptive parents from across the United States. They have spoken on radio and television including the BBC, written articles for magazines, and are in the process of writing two books. The Sanfords reside on six-acres in Downs, IL. The family enjoys a good game of baseball or Ultimate Frisbee, taking walks, playing games, camping in two very large tents, family worship, listening to good books read by Dad, pizza with a DVD, Skypeing their Air Force son and his wife in Italy, and their Marine son in Japan. The Sanfords are members of Providence Church, CPC where Bob also serves as Deacon.

Dale Strassheim

Dale is Director and CEO of The Baby Fold in Normal, IL and member of the stewardship committee at the Pregnancy Resource Center in Normal.  The following is adapted from The Baby Fold’s website (www.thebabyfold.org):  Over the decades, The Baby Fold has responded to the challenges in our society that threaten the well-being of children and families.  From the East Coast orphan trains that brought abandoned children to the Midwest to today’s challenges with autism and other severe emotional and behavioral disorders, The Baby Fold has been a source of transformational love for children. They focus on improving the lives of children and families by building safe, loving, healthy environments through adoption services, foster care, residential care, special education and family and community services. 

 Dale and The Baby Fold’s heartbeat: “From infants to teens–we never give up on a child.”