The Beginning |
It started with an advertisement in the newspaper. “Pregnant? Free Pregnancy Test. Let us help.” Darold Larson was filled with inspiration. He went home and told his wife Patricia that he bought this ad. They would figure out the details later. Calls started pouring in and a temporary office was set up in their home. Women were welcomed into their home, and into their family….
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Pat always tells the story of women sitting on the sofa alongside her toddler in the “waiting room” they would envision the baby in their womb as a precious child. Women would come to take a free pregnancy test and discuss their options. As a registered nurse, Pat could explain the process of abortion as well as talk about the support systems, finances, and prenatal care an expectant woman would need to parent. From the beginning, our agency has valued education for both birth parents as they made a decision with their baby's best in mind, not just their own desires & needs. Founded in 1985, birth fathers and extended families have often been actively involved with our agency as we believe all clients are worthy of respect and should be valued and equipped to make an informed decision. The question for the Larsons became “How can we tangibly and realistically serve our community of expectant parents demonstrating a need for services when abortion was not an option?” Our community needed a faith-based adoption agency to serve women and men who felt unready to parent. Many individuals who felt they had no option but to terminate could make a life-affirming decision.
The first year they have records of, 133 women saw a way out of their planned abortion and their children had a chance at life. One women who saw the advertisement and called the hotline spoke with Pat at length about her upcoming scheduled abortion. With grace and hope, Pat expressed that even to the last second the woman would have a chance to change her mind. Pat’s voice reached out into the night and was the beacon of hope in this woman’s storm of pain and confusion. The morning of her scheduled abortion, Pat was praying outside of the abortion clinic and heard commotion as a woman exited the clinic and called out “Pat? Is Pat here” – the women remembered their conversation and from the table in the clinic made a split-second decision to choose life for her child.
The adoption agency was a practical way to support the women who were looking for the best option between parenting and adoption. The heart of the ministry is child-centered and we have always sought to empower expectant parents as they weigh their options to think of their child's best interest. Women were choosing adoption, many of them appreciated the opportunity to choose faith-based couples & a loving, two parent home. Christian Adoption Services, known as Christian Family Life Services (CFLS) at that time, obtained licensing to serve ND & MN and now has over 30 years of adoption placements.
The first year they have records of, 133 women saw a way out of their planned abortion and their children had a chance at life. One women who saw the advertisement and called the hotline spoke with Pat at length about her upcoming scheduled abortion. With grace and hope, Pat expressed that even to the last second the woman would have a chance to change her mind. Pat’s voice reached out into the night and was the beacon of hope in this woman’s storm of pain and confusion. The morning of her scheduled abortion, Pat was praying outside of the abortion clinic and heard commotion as a woman exited the clinic and called out “Pat? Is Pat here” – the women remembered their conversation and from the table in the clinic made a split-second decision to choose life for her child.
The adoption agency was a practical way to support the women who were looking for the best option between parenting and adoption. The heart of the ministry is child-centered and we have always sought to empower expectant parents as they weigh their options to think of their child's best interest. Women were choosing adoption, many of them appreciated the opportunity to choose faith-based couples & a loving, two parent home. Christian Adoption Services, known as Christian Family Life Services (CFLS) at that time, obtained licensing to serve ND & MN and now has over 30 years of adoption placements.
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Our Partner: The Perry CenterDarold & Pat worked alongside David & Judy Perry to offer housing for expectant women (The Perry Center) and give them tools, education, spiritual mentoring, and support in their decision-making. Over the years, the residents have come from any number of circumstances to stay in this family-centered environment and reach stability for themselves and children, if they parent. The Perry Center became a licensed maternity home and has served women and children from around the world for over 30 years. Visit their website for more information.
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Today
Since 2014, Pat has resumed leadership of the agency and has overseen the transition of renewed vision, accompanied by refreshing our mission, logo, and clarifying our name - Christian Adoption Services - to better serve our community. Programs for community education and post-placement services for birth moms have been added and we have worked with ND Post-Adopt Network for adoptive family resources. Some of the expectant parents we serve consider an adoption plan as the best choice for their child and themselves, but not all of clients we encounter make that plan. We continue to seek opportunities to bring current adoption practices to the community so women know all their options. We encourage birth parents to share their story when they are ready, and along with adoptive families, we all work together to change the stigma that birth parents do not "want" or love their children. We've seen this to be quite the opposite. In a culture where abortion is a common occurrence, the moms carrying to term and lovingly making a plan for their baby's future are making one of their first sacrifices for their children - something that all parents can relate to.
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