A woman finds a unique and special way to bring children to Jesus.

Sunday mornings find Tesha Kropidlowski up early, packing snacks, and getting a bag ready for church. After piling her family into the car, she often stops and picks up seven-year-old Sophie on the way to church. Sophie's mother doesn't regularly attend worship, but she is happy to send her daughter with Tesha. "Most parents will let you take their child for a couple of hours on Sunday morning," notes Tesha.

Tesha, who lives in Cheney, Washington, drives about 20 miles to attend a WELS church in Spokane, Washington. Members often see her surrounded by her large family. Tesha has two biological daughters; two adopted daughters; and Sophie, whom she describes as "a daughter of my heart."

Daughters to love

Tesha's two biological daughters are quickly entering adulthood: Haley is 26 years old, and Mica is 20. Tesha raised them on her own after her husband abandoned the family in 1990. In 2003, when Haley left home to attend college, Tesha noticed a change in her household. "I realized I had time and energy to help children," she says. She began looking for a way to give back to others—a quest that led to becoming a licensed foster parent later that year.

Whenever a foster child was in her care, Tesha would bring the little one to church with her. If the child was old enough, Sunday school was added to the schedule.

In 2004, Tesha accepted a foster adopt placement for a newborn named Sophie. Sophie was born drug-affected and lived with Tesha for the first year of her life. When Sophie turned one, her birth mother successfully completed a recovery program. At that time, Sophie left Tesha's home and returned to live with her birth mother.

Even though she didn't care for Sophie on a full-time basis anymore, Tesha stayed in contact with Sophie's family. She often offered to take Sophie for a few hours to help out Sophie's mother. She also started picking up Sophie on Sundays and taking her to church. Sophie was baptized as a baby, and her faith continued to grow as she regularly heard the Word. Sophie's mother and grandmother occasionally come to church with Tesha and Sophie on special occasions.

After Sophie returned to her birth family, Tesha realized she still had love to give to another child who needed a "forever" home. This feeling led to the adoption of Anna, a two-and-a-half-year-old from China, in 2006. Born with a cleft lip and palate, Anna was considered a special-needs adoption. She quickly settled in at Tesha's home, was baptized, and began attending Sunday school and worship regularly.