Pure Gift of God welcomes Yoders as co-executive directors

Pure Gift of God, an adoption support group based in Sugarcreek, recently announced Larry and Amanda Yoder as the nonprofit’s co-executive directors.

Pure Gift of God is an organization created in 2013 to help families that want to walk the adoption journey. No one understands that journey better than Larry and Amanda Yoder.

While the Yoders were living in Baltimore, Maryland with their two biological children, Judah, 8, and Troy, 7, Amanda Yoder began feeling the nudge to adopt. The Yoders talked about adoption from the beginning of their relationship, but throughout the years, their passion and desire to adopt grew. In 2016 the timing felt right to move forward. After completing the lengthy requirements for adoption, they were approved and began waiting for a phone call.

During a visit with family in Ohio, the Yoders received the call from their social worker saying they were matched with a 3-week-old girl. Leaving excited family and friends behind in Ohio, they hurried back to Baltimore to meet their new daughter, Eva.

Ten months later with three children age 0-6, the Yoders began to miss being near family and felt a longing to get back to their roots. That meant selling the house in Baltimore. As they were preparing for that, they received another phone call. Eva’s birth mother was pregnant, and Larry and Amanda were asked if they would adopt again.

While moving to a new state, raising three children and recovering financially from the first adoption, another adoption felt overwhelming. Through prayer and searching, Amanda found an organization and received an adoption grant for financial support to make this second adoption possible. In April 2019, Victor was added to the Yoder family.

The Yoders connected with Pure Gift of God when they moved back to Ohio and developed a prayer support system for adoptive families. They have a passion for the organization, and their experience and understanding of the world of adoption and the experience they have had in their careers will make adoption possible for many other families.