Over the span of 8 years, the Andersons have adopted three of their children through our Mary Kendall Adoption Program.

Mindy and Daniel Anderson grew up in California and went to the same high school. Mindy moved to Kentucky for college, and after reconnecting after college, Daniel moved to Kentucky where they eventually got married.

When they wanted to start a family, adoption had always been at the front of their minds. Mindy grew up with half her cousins being adopted, so adoption was part of her norm.

Through family connections, they met Jeannie Howard, director of Kentucky United Methodist Children’s Homes’ Mary Kendall Adoption Program. Jeannie walks with adoptive families as they navigate the complex process of bringing a new member of their family home.

When it came to the adoption process, “there were so many unknowns and questions,” says Mindy, “[but we knew] God was going to help us through this.”

The Andersons started their adoption journey in October 2015 and met their first son, Caleb, in February 2016.

Caleb was born in Arizona, five weeks early. He spent two weeks in the NICU. Mindy and Daniel traveled from Kentucky to Arizona to meet him.

“I’ll never forget walking in for Caleb and seeing this tiny little guy. He was being fed and they just handed him to me to continue feeding him. It was amazing,” says Mindy.

They decided to adopt again January 2019 and wanted to work with Jeannie once again. They were matched with a birth mother from Arizona in February, and waited with expectation for their daughter to be born.

A few months later in May, the Andersons decided to take a road trip from Kentucky to Disneyland in California. As they were driving through Arizona, they received a surprising phone call from Jeannie -- their daughter, Zoe, had been born early, and she was only a few hours away! By the end of the day, they were at the hospital to meet her.

Right when Mindy met Zoe, there was an “immediate love and protective side” that she felt for her new daughter. Zoe also spent a couple of weeks in the NICU, and the Andersons cancelled their vacation to be with her.

After a few years, they decided to adopt another child. This time, it took more patience to be matched. They started the adoption process in the summer of 2022 and their third child, Ryder, was born in Louisiana in May of 2023. Because of the different adoption laws in the state of Louisiana, it would be months before they would finally bring him home.

Unlike Caleb and Zoe’s adoptions, Mindy and Daniel got to meet Ryder’s birth mother.

“The love of the birth mom and the sacrifice she’s giving you is humbling,” says Mindy, “[You] realize what gift you are getting.”

Jeannie was there every step of the way. Whenever Mindy and Daniel’s family members from the west coast couldn’t make it to adoption finalizations in court, Jeannie was there as their family.

“Jeannie was probably one of the greatest friendships that has come out of this over the last 10 years,” says Mindy, “She is someone we really admire and care for... I would almost adopt again just to spend more time with her.”

Today, the Andersons live in Bowling Green, and life is chaotic in all the best possible ways. Caleb (10) is the protective older brother and is very active in school. Zoe (7) is feisty and is the perfect girl to be between two brothers. And even though they are not biologically related, Ryder (3) is the mix of both his siblings.

“It wasn’t an easy journey,” says Mindy, “But I am so grateful we did it. I would fill the paperwork all over again.”

Because of your support, Caleb, Zoe and Ryder have found their forever home. As they grow up, no matter what life throws at them, they will always have each other.

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