Together by AGCI

We feel so incredibly blessed to be celebrating the one-year anniversary of the official opening of the AGCI & Tim Tebow FoundationHouse of Hope in Ethiopia! In the last year, the House of Hope has served 34girls and successfully reunified 14 girls with their families. On today’s episode, we get to talk to AGCI’sEthiopia Program Director, Angelyn Salyer, and hear stories about the difference t...

Melissa and Marisa are joined by a very special guest—Jep Robertson! You might know Jep from Duck Dynasty fame but we know him for his incredible heart for vulnerable children and families. In today’s episode, Jep shares why AGCI’s work matters to him on a personal level, and how the people he’s met and the stories he’s watched unfold have changed the trajectory of his life.

An estimated 2 million children in Colombia are victims of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse and neglect each year but our AGCI Colombia team and family preservation partners are working every day to provide life-saving therapy for children who have survived sexual violence. We are joined today by AGCI’s Latin America Executive Director, Andrea Leon. She shares about what they are currently see...

Adoption is beautiful. It’s also really, really hard. For many families, the first year home is particularly challenging. Our very own Marisa Butterworth welcomed her third child home through adoption just over 10 years ago. In today’s episode, Marisa shares her tips for surviving the first year home. If you’re IN IT right now, take a deep breath—the first step to surviving a trying time is to giv...

There is a definite art to traveling to the developing world and who better to hear from than locals! Whether you’re in the adoption process or planning a trip to another part of the world, AGCI’s Stefania Montaña and HectorChacon have you covered with everything from how to prepare, what questions to ask, and what food to try if you ever find yourself in their native countries of Colombia andEcua...

Today we’re chatting with AGCI’s Director of Adoption: Latin America and the Caribbean, SamMoore. We are so excited to share our conversation about waiting children. We dove into every aspect of this important topic, including what it means for a child to be classified as waiting, and the incredible hope that we have for these amazing kids.

Today Together by AGCI co-hosts Marisa Butterworth and Melissa Rush are talking about our recent travels to Colombia. After several years away it was such a gift to be back with our Colombia team and see the kids and life-changing work firsthand. It was also at times, really really hard.    We hope you enjoy our open, honest conversation. Spoiler: we both cry a little bit so thank you in advance f...

Description: In honor of Father’s Day, adoptive dad David Maibach shares with us about the joys of becoming a father through adoption. He shares some of his family’s journey, what he’s most proud of, and his best advice for any new or future adoptive dads. You don’t want to miss this inspirational episode. 

Do you have children struggling with challenging behaviors? Are you a foster or adoptive parent and feel at your wits end? There is so much hope in our conversation with David Randall, AGCI’s Director of Social Services. In this episode, we’re talking about all things TBRI—what it is, how to begin implementing it, and why it’s an incredibly powerful tool for caregivers. If this is your first intro...

Do you have children struggling with challenging behaviors? Are you a foster or adoptive parent and feel at your wits end? There is so much hope in our conversation with David Randall, AGCI’s Director of Social Services. In this episode, we’re talking about all things TBRI—what it is, how to begin implementing it, and why it’s an incredibly powerful tool for caregivers.    If this is your first in...

There are so many ways to bless an adoptive family, no matter where they are at in the process. Listen in as parents from all over the country share how God used everyday people to help in big ways. 

Today, we're talking about all things mom. This Mother’s Day episode is a celebration of moms everywhere. Whether you’re an adoptive mom, bio mom, mom-to-be, or praying that motherhood is part of your journey, this episode is a celebration of you! In this episode, we chatted with Brook, AGCI's adoptive mother 6 about her motherhood journey.

AGCI President Hollen Frazier shares a bit about how AGCI was founded by herfamilyand shares her own personal calling. Join us in taking an inspiring look at the Spiritual Calling of AGCI and how our team navigates where we serve and what God has for us next

Have you ever wondered why adoption can be so expensive? We chatted with AGCI’s Director of Adoption, Sam Moore, to break down the cost of adoption. In this episode, we dive into why adoption costs what it does and all of the important pieces that go into ensuring that children receive the care they need and families are prepared to parent them.

As a child-centered orphan care ministry, we are deeply dedicated to ensuring that everything we do is in the best interest of the children we serve—even when it’s not the easiest. We’ll be the first to say it—adoption should never be our first choice for children. At AGCI, it never is. While adoption is beautiful, it’s also inherently traumatic. It’s the result of deep loss—the adopted child will...

Post adoption depression is extremely common but rarely discussed. While up to 32% of adoptive parents struggle with this condition, stigma and lack of information and support can make post adoption depression feel incredibly isolating. Our very own Marisa Butterworth struggled with post adoption depression after her daughter, Harper, came home from Ethiopia. In this enlightening episode, Marisa s...

We chatted with AGCI’s VP of International Programs, Kiersten Luginbill, about how AGCI knows where we’re needed next. If you’ve ever wondered how we decide what countries to serve in and what programs to implement, this is the episode for you! 

God makes families in such vibrant ways and when a family opens themselves up to adopt, they are often opening their lives up to another culture as well. We spoke with adoptive mom and passionate advocate, Erica Manz to talk about her family’s inspiring journey to adoption and how their entire family has opened the hearts to their children’s culture and country. 

We spoke with Dr. Sarah Yee about how to advocate for your adopted and biological kids within the public school system. Dr. Yee is a former K-8 educator and currently serves on the education team at the Center for Equity and Inclusion in Portland, OR. Tune in and listen today. 

Bringing a new child into your family—however you do it—is never easy. Often, this transition is particularly difficult for “resident” children. We chatted with Gail Heaton, Founder of Suddenly Siblings about how to make this transition a little easier. Whether you’re preparing to bring a child home, or your adoption was finalized a decade ago, you don’t want to miss this enlightening episode. 

After visiting a government run orphanage in Ethiopia, God took Jesse’s personal heartbreak for the kids he met and opened him up to share the need with his immediate community and beyond. This week, learn about how becoming an adoptive father ended up leading to an entire movement. We hope that this story inspires you today. 

The AGCI & Tim Tebow Foundation House of Hope has opened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and we get to hear about the home, why AGCI opened it, who it serves, and how we think that this home and model of care will bring hope and healing to vulnerable children and families both in Ethiopia, and all around the world. We hope you will tune in to find out how together, we can create pathways to faith, fa...

Adoption requires adoptive parents to hold space for a lot of unknowns and adopting an older child can often add another layer of complexity. Thankfully, we can learn from other parents and Jacqui has so much wisdom to offer to this conversation. We are so excited for you to hear a bit about the Gustafson family’s adoption story and how they have been intentional in championing their children’s un...

November is National Adoption Month! We are celebrating by sharing the stories of AGCI adoptive families. Ashley and Stan Felts followed God’s call to adopt their daughter from the Philippines—even when they didn’t know how all the pieces were going to come together. Adoption has completely transformed the Felts family! Listen to their story of tremendous faith and obedience—we know you’ll be insp...

Ethiopia is a country in crisis after being hit with the Covid crisis, locust infestation, and now a war. Tune in now for a special update from AGCI’s Angelyn Salyer, the Ethiopia Program Director, on what is going on in Ethiopia and how AGCI has been able to help vulnerable children and families throughout the country because of our partners and their continued support. Tune in and find out more...