The Defender Podcast

On this episode of The Defender, Rob, Herbie, Karla, and Ford unpack the newly released 2025 intercountry adoption numbers, down to 973 children from 1,172 the year before. They break down why the drop isn't about declining need but about a harder process: older kids, sibling groups, more complex needs, and mounting bureaucratic delays. The team talks through what Lifeline is doing in response (focusing on smaller emerging programs, hosting initiatives, and advocacy), and makes a direct call to action: pray, advocate with your representatives, consider hosting, and if you're ready, take the next step toward adoption. A candid, hopeful conversation about a shifting landscape and the families and children still waiting.

Katie Adams, manager of Lifeline's expat adoption program, joins Dr. Rick to trace her path from a childhood on Fort Benning through a faith awakening in high school, a major shift from nursing to social work at Samford, and a season of service with kids with special needs. She shares how a global pandemic redirected her toward Lifeline, how she fell unexpectedly in love with India's adoption program, and how she now helps missionary and military families overseas navigate the practical, financial, and emotional sides of adopting internationally.

Rick Morton sits down with sisters Ava and Lily Bamberg, both adopted from China and now students at Auburn University, home to the nation's only collegiate power soccer team. Ava and Lily share how they found their way to Auburn, what power soccer looks like on the court, and what it took to become one of the most dedicated teams in their division, including a championship season that moved them up to the sport's top competitive tier.

The conversation turns to their adoption story, and their mother joins in to describe the unmistakable moment she knew God was calling their family to bring each daughter home. Ava and Lily also open up about what they've learned growing up with disabilities, how their faith and family have shaped their sense of purpose, and what they wish local churches understood about welcoming and including people with disabilities well.

Learn more about Lifeline Children's Services at lifelinechild.org.

This episode features Herbie Newell, Ken Norwood and Ford Reasons with guest Miguel Zayas, Senior Director of Global Orphan Care at Lifeline, to unpack how Lifeline serves orphaned and vulnerable children worldwide without exporting an American model. Miguel explains the GOC network's three pillars (biblical foundation, clinical best practices, organizational strategy) and how in-country facilitators run monthly trainings and coaching calls across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe. Herbie shares the network's origin story, from the 2008 Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine trip through a Sui Xi, China orphanage rescue, to how COVID proved the model's sustainability since local believers didn't depend on North American travel. The episode closes with a lighter segment on Lifeline's Run for One event.

Rick Morton sits down with Pastor Rafael Kajjubi of King Jesus Church in Busega, Uganda, a longtime friend and ministry partner of Lifeline Children's Services. Rafael shares his story of growing up in the aftermath of civil war and the AIDS crisis, his early exposure to the prosperity gospel, and the years of searching, from Dubai to London to the United States, that led him back home with a conviction to build something real.

That conviction took root in Busega, a forgotten community on the edge of Kampala, where Rafael and King Jesus Church began reaching children who were deaf and had been cast aside by their families and culture. What started as a school for four children grew into a thriving church and community, built through an unlikely partnership with Lifeline's founder, Herbie Newell, who asked Rafael one simple question that changed everything.

This conversation is a picture of what it looks like when a local church and an outside partner walk together with humility, patience, and a shared commitment to the gospel.

Learn more about Lifeline Children's Services at lifelinechild.org.

In this lighthearted episode of The Defender Podcast, the team shares the heart behind Lifeline’s annual Run for One, a fundraising event supporting global orphan care and mobilizing the Church to care for vulnerable children around the world. Along with plenty of humor, they encourage listeners to join in person or participate virtually, emphasizing that every step can help bring hope, care, and the love of Christ to children in need.

In this episode Lifeline Children’s Services Vice President of Domestic Programs Christy McSegers shares her personal journey to adoption ministry and provides an overview of Lifeline’s domestic adoption program. Listeners will hear how Lifeline supports women facing unexpected pregnancies through compassionate, non-coercive options counseling, while also equipping adoptive families to serve both children and birth mothers with a gospel-centered approach. The conversation explores the connection between adoption and the pro-life movement, the importance of caring for vulnerable women, and the lifelong support provided to adoptive families. The hosts conclude with practical ways individuals, families, churches, and ministries can get involved in supporting domestic adoption and pregnancy decision-making.

This episode of The Table by Lifeline Children's Services serves as Part 2 of the team's reflection on their 19 States in 19 Days journey. While sharing some funny, some behind-the-scenes or just a few favorite memories from the road, the hosts focus primarily on how they witnessed churches and individual believers caring for vulnerable children and families across the country.

The conversation highlights powerful examples of Lifeline's mission in action, including adoptive and foster families whose lives have been transformed through the work of the body of Christ, children adopted from difficult circumstances who are now thriving, and churches actively serving families through ministries like Families Count. A particularly impactful story comes from a church in Pensacola, Florida, whose partnership with Lifeline has grown into a broader community effort to support families and prevent unnecessary child removals.

Through it all, Herbie, Rob and Ford emphasize the mission of Lifeline in equipping the body of Christ to bring the gospel to vulnerable children and encourage listeners to get involved. 

Herbie Newell, Rob Ingram and Ford Reasons reflect on their recent 19-day road trip through 19 states, where they visited Lifeline ministry partners and pregnancy resource centers across the country. They share memorable and humorous experiences from the journey, including racing across a Colorado ranch, driving through severe storms and tornado warnings, and enjoying countless laughs together on the road. 

They discuss the impact of visiting pregnancy resource centers, with the hosts expressing gratitude for the organizations' work and how they were impressed by the dedication, compassion, and consistency of the staff despite differences in location and culture. They also note how the trip helped them better understand the needs of these centers and inspired new ideas for how Lifeline and EveryLife can support them.

Miss Mississippi Anna Leah Jolly (Part 2): Adoption, Emotional Intelligence Tools & Gospel-Centered Connection | The Table

In Part Two of The Table (Lifeline Children’s Services), host Rick Morton continues his conversation with Anna Leah Jolly—Miss Mississippi, dance studio owner, author, and adoption advocate—about using her adoption story and the Miss Mississippi platform to point to “God confidence” and share the gospel. Anna Leah describes creating LimitlessPower2Connect.com and a children’s book on emotional intelligence and the emotion wheel, supported by a CASA grant to distribute resources to kids in the court system. She and Rick discuss pressures adoptive families feel to perform, the importance of prayer and community, and how the gospel fosters connection and transformation from the inside out. Anna Leah shares why therapy felt scary at first and how her tools help parents and children talk safely about feelings and trauma, and she highlights her books available through Barnes & Noble.

00:00 Welcome Back and Setup
01:07 Tools for Connection
01:28 From Trauma to Resources
02:25 Limitless and Miss Mississippi
04:09 Scholarships and God’s Provision
06:12 Using the Platform for Gospel
06:55 Pageants and Legacy
07:44 Proving Yourself Pressure
10:45 Parents and Performance Anxiety
12:38 Spotlight Myth and Endurance
15:09 Pain in Adoption and Prayer
17:28 Privacy and Boundaries
18:43 Trauma Bonding in Adoption
19:54 Faith Lived Not Forced
21:12 Courtroom Misconceptions
23:48 God Is Limitless
25:00 Love and Attachment
29:04 Advice to Adopted Kids
30:12 Resources and Books
32:12 Therapy Without Fear
33:47 Bible as the Manual
34:20 Closing Thanks and Wrap