Stories, guides, children’s books, and trusted resources for families adopting and donating.
We published this book to share with you the stories of hope and inspiration families have experienced through our program, Embryo Adoption & Donation Services of Cedar Park, Inc. Read this inspiring collection of 12 real stories from couples who have donated their frozen embryos and the families who have adopted them! Foreword by former Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee.
I heartily endorse this book, with it's heartwarming and very real collection of personal experiences with embryo adoption. I am a physician researcher, and lecturer. I have spent much of the last seven years advocating, explaining, researching and publishing on the subject of embryo adoption. Yet, I can tell you that no scientific information nor facts nor figures can substitute for real human experiences – that those who have had them are willing to share publicly. Maria Lancaster is both a colleague and personal friend. I have advocated for Embryo Adoption & Donation Services of Cedar Park, Inc. in many different settings, explaining that Cedar Park is the nation's only church-based embryo adoption endeavor. Open this book, and read about real-life experiences. You will have a new perspective on the beginning of human life.
We ask every family in our program to read this book along with Souls on Ice. It is a clear, practical walk through the embryo donation and adoption journey — what to expect, the questions to ask, and the decisions ahead — written to prepare both donating and adopting families.
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While We Waited For You isn't just a story — it's a tender reflection of what it feels like to long for a child you haven't met yet. Written in playful rhyme and filled with whimsical illustrations, this book shares the everyday moments, silly adventures, and quiet prayers that filled our hearts while we waited for the one who would complete our family.
Purchase from AmazonWhen John and Marlene Strege learned they wouldn't be able to have a child, Marlene asked the question that would change their lives: can frozen embryos be adopted? The answer gave them their beloved daughter Hannah — and drew all three into a political spotlight they never expected. A compelling story at the intersection of faith and family, science and politics.
Purchase from Amazon →An adoptive dad's step-by-step guide to embryo adoption, written by a veteran journalist-turned-adoptive father. From your first call with an agency to bringing baby home — told from a Christian perspective with personal, funny, and downright jaw-dropping anecdotes.
Purchase from Amazon →How to parent your donor-conceived child. In an era of new options in reproductive medicine, many couples use a third person's egg, sperm, or embryo to conceive — and having a child with another person's genetics is complex.
Purchase from Amazon →Follow an inquisitive little boy who learns of his parents' quest to have children, and the success they ultimately achieve. Told in a language a child can understand — part of a collection celebrating the many reproductive options of family building.
Purchase from Amazon →A story book in age-appropriate, loving language telling how a child came to be via embryo donation or adoption. Using bears as characters, it describes conception by IVF with another couple's embryo — written for families with a Mommy and Daddy.
Purchase from Amazon →Can one couple's dilemma be the answer to another couple's hopes and dreams? Yes! Christian-based guidance on the loving, life-affirming option of embryo donation — and the adventure of becoming parents through embryo adoption.
Purchase from Amazon →Every night a kangaroo prays under the stars for a baby to love — until one day a baby bird falls, plop!, right into her pouch. Closes with Ephesians 1:5: "In love he destined us for adoption to himself…"
Purchase from Amazon →When a polar bear cub asks "Where did I come from?", Mama bear tenderly shares the message loving parents everywhere want their little ones to hear: "We wanted you very, very much — God gave us you."
Purchase from Amazon →An embryo donation story introducing children to the idea that "some very nice people" donated an extra "pea" to bring them into the loving arms of mommy and daddy — with room at the end for your own child's details.
Purchase from Amazon →How two under-the-sea families came to be. Join Strive, Ora, and their fishy friends through the pain of infertility to the hope doctors can bring, the miracle of new life, and the beauty of shared treasure.
Purchase from Amazon →Laura and Nathan's life together through Laura's cancer diagnosis, twenty-seven months of treatment, and the birth of their daughter Caralyn, born through a surrogate four months after Laura's death — a witness to extraordinary courage and unconditional friendship.
Purchase from Amazon →A book for donor-conceived children explaining their origins — this edition for mum and dad families who used embryo donation, whether known, identifiable, or anonymous donors.
Purchase from Amazon →“Heaven’s Gain Ministries’ mission is to provide for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of families experiencing pregnancy loss before, during, and after the delivery of their precious baby.”
“We are honored to provide support and resources to families expecting a new baby or experiencing a pregnancy loss or neonatal death — information about keeping a pregnancy healthy, how to help a family experiencing a loss, resources available to bereaved families, and commonly asked questions.”
We would be happy to point you to the right resource for your family — or send the free information packet with Maria's book Souls on Ice included.
Request your free information packet 1.888.959.7712