Education

How Patience and Promptings Built an Eternal Family in Open Adoption

Nov 26, 2025
By, Donna Pope

When Elizabeth felt prompted to adopt seven years ago, she went to her husband Richard with what she thought was exciting news. His response surprised her: no. He hadn't prayed about it, hadn't considered it, and frankly didn't want to. The financial cost concerned him. The idea of inviting strangers into their private, reserved family life felt uncomfortable. And somewhere deep down, he knew that if he did pray about it, he'd get an answer he wasn't ready to accept.

Elizabeth waited. For seven years, she held onto the prompting she'd received while Richard slowly worked through his hesitations. They started with international adoption, which fell through. They paused. They had two more biological sons. And then, in May 2024, everything changed when a young woman named Kaylee sent Elizabeth a text message. This episode of Eternal Family Adoptions tells the adoptive parents' side of an adoption story. For listeners who heard Kaylee share her experience as a birth mother, this is the other half of that sacred journey.

When One Spouse Feels Called

Elizabeth describes herself as someone who acts when she feels prompted. If Heavenly Father tells her to do something, she does it. But Richard needed time. He needed to work through his concerns about finances, about the home study process, and especially about the relationship with birth parents. Richard and Elizabeth are self-described reserved people. They like staying home with their family. The idea of inviting new people into their circle felt foreign and uncomfortable. Richard worried about the ongoing relationship that adoption would create with people outside their immediate family.

Utah has historically had the nation's highest child adoption rate, largely due to the influence of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to the National Committee for Adoption. Yet even in a state where adoption is celebrated, many couples face the same internal struggle Richard experienced. President Gordon B. Hinckley taught about patience in marriage and family decisions. The seven years Richard needed weren't wasted. They were preparation. Elizabeth learned to follow her husband's lead even when she wanted to push forward.

The Text That Changed Everything

In May 2024, Elizabeth received a text from Kaylee. Her first thought was that it must be a scam. Every previous contact had been. But something felt different, so she FaceTimed Kaylee immediately to verify she was real. What followed were months of careful, sincere conversations. They met at restaurants with Kaylee and her mother. They invited Kaylee to their home to meet their boys. Every meeting ended the same way: Richard upbeat and excited, Elizabeth crying on the drive home, terrified that Kaylee would choose another family.

Elizabeth kept her guard up because she'd been hurt before. Failed matches had taught her to protect her heart. But Kaylee kept showing up, kept asking hard questions, and kept being honest about her fears. On July 17th, at a park, Kaylee started crying. Elizabeth assumed the worst. But Kaylee wasn't rejecting them. She was telling them that they were her family. They were her choice. Elizabeth covered her face and sobbed. She'd been certain this was the end. Instead, it was the beginning.

The Birth and Beautiful Goodbye

When Kaylee went into labor on October 3rd, Richard and Elizabeth were at their sons' elementary school Halloween parade. They rushed to the hospital, where Kaylee had already told them she wanted them present during labor. What struck Richard and Elizabeth most wasn't the birth itself. It was watching Kaylee's parents care for their daughter through the hardest experience of her life. Her father gave her a blessing. Her mother held her hand. Despite the circumstances, their love for Kaylee hadn't changed. Elizabeth describes it as the greatest display of parental love she has ever witnessed.

When baby Posey was born, Richard and Elizabeth didn't rush to hold her. Their focus was entirely on Kaylee. Richard cut the umbilical cord, fighting his usual queasiness, because he wanted to be part of this moment. The next day, Kaylee signed the papers. She asked to hold Posey one more time, then carry her to the lobby. At the car, all three hugged with Posey in the middle. Then Kaylee placed the baby in Elizabeth's arms. According to the Church's Adoption Reunification guide, the relationships formed through adoption can become sources of ongoing support and connection. Richard and Elizabeth experienced this firsthand. Even through the hardest moments, they kept reminding Kaylee: nothing was going to change. She was family.

The Temple Sealing

Because Kaylee had her temple recommend throughout the pregnancy, she and Richard and Elizabeth attended temple sessions together while she was still carrying Posey. They went to multiple temples, preparing spiritually for what was coming. When it came time for Posey's sealing, they learned someone needed to hold the baby at the altar. They asked Kaylee casually over burgers at JCWs, not realizing what a significant request it was. Kaylee burst into tears. She'd been hoping they would ask. On sealing day, Kaylee walked into the temple with them. She held Posey at the altar as the baby was sealed to her adoptive parents forever. Every mother in the room was crying. The circle felt complete.

President Gordon B. Hinckley spoke about the eternal nature of family sealings and how adoption fits within the plan of salvation: "When marriage is not possible, experience has shown that adoption, difficult though this may be for the young mother, may afford a greater opportunity for the child to live a life of happiness," as shared in the Ensign article "Why Adoption?" For Richard and Elizabeth, the sealing represented the culmination of seven years of waiting. For Kaylee, it represented the completion of a gift she'd chosen to give.

Advice for Hesitant Families

Richard's advice for families where one spouse is hesitant: it's okay to feel apprehension, but don't let it override the overall goal. Elizabeth had a prompting, and even though it took Richard years to come around, he's grateful he stayed open. Taking baby steps allowed him to completely change.

Elizabeth's advice: trust Heavenly Father even when the journey is hard. There were moments when she felt abandoned, when matches fell through, when she wondered if the prompting had been real. But staying close to her Heavenly Father carried her through. Elizabeth describes Kaylee as an angel throughout the entire process. She has become a joy in their lives.

A Family Transformed

Richard went from saying no to adoption seven years ago to advocating that everyone should experience it. He believes adoption offers opportunities for growth, connection, and spiritual experiences that nothing else provides. The family that once described themselves as reserved now has an open door for Kaylee. She comes over to watch TV with them. She attended Posey's blessing and court finalization. She's not an outsider. She's family.

For anyone considering adoption, Richard and Elizabeth's story offers hope: hearts can change, timing matters, and the relationships formed through adoption can become the most rewarding you'll ever have.

Ready to hear the full story? Listen to this episode of Eternal Family Adoptions, and don't miss Kaylee's companion episode sharing her perspective as a birth mother. For adoption support and resources, visit Heart To Heart Adoptions or call their 24/7 support line at (801) 563-1000.

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