I recently connected with Max and Sarah, a faith-centered couple from Minnesota raising two teenage sons in their blended household, who are eager to grow their family through adoption. Their journey highlights one of adoption’s greatest gifts: the opportunity for expectant parents to get to know potential parents for your baby genuinely.
Imagine this: rather than relying solely on written profiles or documents, you’re engaging in meaningful conversation, posing the questions that matter most, and receiving honest responses. What does a typical weekend look like in their home? How do they celebrate important milestones? Which family traditions will they carry forward?
These conversations allow you to see beyond the surface into their everyday reality and determine whether their values, dreams, and approach to parenting are what you want for your child’s future.
I asked Max and Sarah some fun questions that you won’t find in their adoption profile, and I learned that they’re an honest, faith-driven, and down-to-earth couple. They find their greatest joy in being parents, value transparency and personal growth, and cherish simple pleasures like lakeside vacations, homemade meals, and outdoor adventures that echo their own active childhoods on Minnesota farms and neighborhoods.
1. What is an important life lesson you’ve learned?
Sarah: Being honest and owning your mistakes. Technically, these are two lessons, but they go together. I’ve learned that if I can’t be honest with myself or others, life can be pretty difficult and miserable. And one thing I’ve learned in adulthood so far, when it comes to owning my mistakes, is that without owning it, I would be denying myself the chance to learn and grow from it. Most importantly, I know as a Child of God that honesty is important to God. We can’t hide from Him or turn away.
Max: Being able to be the best version of yourself and being able to be there for others starts with finding out who you are and building a strong relationship with Jesus first. Centering Him and listening to what He wants for and how to live a life that is pleasing to Him first will continue to show you the right priorities and what is truly meaningful. Being able to center Him will always help me to continue to be to best person I can be for others.
2. What is your favorite thing to cook? Share the story behind it!
Sarah: My favorite thing to cook is meatloaf. It’s one of the first things that my Mom showed me how to make when I was a young adult.
Over time, I’ve adjusted the recipe a little to add my own flavor spin. My Mom always baked it in a loaf pan, but I began making it in a muffin tin, so they became more like meatloaf cups. The cups also freeze beautifully, so they are a great option for a quick heat-and-eat meal on a busy evening.
Max: My favorite thing to cook lately is pizza. I enjoy making all of it from scratch, including the crust. Being able to choose the ingredients and try different recipes is a fun process, and I enjoy doing this for everyone else and seeing how they enjoy it too.
Pizza also carries memories for me from my childhood growing up in the city, where we would often go to our favorite pizza place with other family members and spend hours together enjoying time with each other.
You can get an even better glimpse into
Max and Sarah’s lives in their video:
3. What is your greatest accomplishment so far?
Sarah: My greatest accomplishment so far is being a Mom to a couple of terrific boys. I had my oldest at age 19. Even though it was unplanned, I learned a lot about myself, the world, and the importance of family.
The beautiful thing about motherhood is that there isn’t a fancy title to chase, a bonus to acquire, or a sales goal to be met – motherhood is a labor of love, hope, support, joy, grace, uncertainty, and maybe a little chaos.
Max: Being a husband and father. This is such a joy to me and a blessing to be able to have in my life. It’s something that continues to teach me about patience, understanding, kindness, and what loving others, serving others, and sharing your life really means.
4. When you were a kid, what did you absolutely love to do?
Sarah: I grew up on a grain and livestock farm in Minnesota and loved being outside as much as possible, even during the winter when there was lots of snow and cold temperatures.
One funny thing my Mom has pictures of me doing is tying a jump rope to the back of my bike and getting my favorite cat, Al, to chase it (and me) around on my bike. In the winter, my Dad would spin me around in a circle on a tube sled in the yard and let me go, and I went sailing partway down our long driveway.
Max: I grew up being outside. I used to love to jump on my bike and ride around until I would find my friends, and we would go fishing or swimming for hours and hours during the summer months. I very much lived a childhood where when the streetlights came on in the evening, it was time to go home and then eat dinner with your family after being outside all day.
5. What is your ideal vacation?
Our ideal vacation is staying at a cabin in Northern Minnesota in the summer or fall. We love listening to the loons, relaxing on the dock, kayaking, and fishing with the boys.
Sarah likes to curl up with a good book by the lake or fireplace and drink plenty of good coffee. Max enjoys building a bonfire and making s’mores with Sarah and the boys. We enjoy vacations with minimal plans and plenty of relaxation.
Would you like to learn more about Max and Sarah?
You can check out their adoptive family profile online. If you’re interested in talking to them as potential adoptive parents to your baby, just text or call Lifetime at 1-800-923-6784, anytime, even right now! We’ll get you connected to talk with Max and Sarah over the phone or through a video call.
Heidi Keefer is a Content Creator for Lifetime Adoption and has over 15 years of experience in the field of adoption. An author of thousands of articles and social media posts over the years, Heidi enjoys finding new ways to educate and captivate Lifetime’s ever-growing list of subscribers.
Heidi has a keen eye for misplaced apostrophes, comma splices, and well-turned sentences, which she has put to good use as a contributor to Lifetime’s award-winning blogs. She has written and published hundreds of adoption articles which explore the various facets of domestic infant adoption today.
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