MARKED Emily Chapman Richards

We talk with Emily Chapman Richards about staying grounded in the midst of busy schedules and fame, adoption, and leading at a young age. Emily has recently been named as the Executive Director of Show Hope ministries. We love how she shares what God has done and is doing in her life and in the life of her family and the ministry of Show Hope. We know you'll be encouraged by her vulnerability as she shares her story!About Emily:Emily began her career with Show Hope more than 10 years ago, and in 2017 she was named vice president and assistant executive director. Although she has been a part of the Show Hope team in an official capacity since 2008, Richards’ passion for adoption and drive to care for orphans began years before when she was 11 years old.Following a mission trip to Haiti, God planted a seed in young Emily’s heart that would lead her to champion the idea of adoption in her family—an idea that would ultimately result not only in the adoption of three daughters from China, but the creation of Show Hope, an organization with the mission “to care for orphans by engaging the Church and reducing barriers to adoption.”What began in the heart of an 11-year-old girl not only shaped her own family, but has impacted countless other families as well.Over the past four years, Show Hope has grown programmatically, financially, and operationally, and in 2017 the leadership team began laying out a strategic plan for the future with Richards spearheading the process. That plan included both leadership and organizational succession plans as well as the expansion of the nonprofit’s four pillars of work: Adoption Aid, Care Centers in China, Pre+Post Adoption Support, and Student Initiatives.Richards and her husband, Tanner, have three daughters and reside in Franklin, Tenn. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Religion from Baylor University and a master’s degree in Theology from Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland.About Show Hope: Show Hope is a movement to care for orphans. They work to restore hope by breaking down barriers that exist between waiting children and loving families. This movement began in 2003, when Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman founded Show Hope after having their own eyes and hearts opened to the global orphan crisis.Since its founding, Show Hope has provided more than $24 million in Adoption Aid grants, impacting more than 6,200 children from more than 60 countries, including the United States. The nonprofit has also provided care to more than 2,600 children with acute medical and special needs through its Care Centers in China, and through its Pre+Post Adoption Support efforts, Show Hope has provided tools and resources for more than 65,000 families, individuals, and professionals to care for children with complex needs. And as of 2018, more than 20,500 students have been engaged through Show Hope’s Student Initiatives, which educates and empowers the next generation of leaders to effectively care and make a difference in the lives of waiting children. www.ShowHope.org.Links:Show HopeChoosing to See by Mary Beth ChapmanCompassion International Empowered to Connect ConferenceShow Hope Student Initiatives Quote Us! "My parents really set a framework for us in our home of appropriate vulnerability and really needing Christ to be what grounded us and knowing ultimately we have to believe that God is in control and that He loves us." - @E_C_Richards #MARKEDPodcast"When you're going to selflessly love another person, the enemy's going to be ticked and he's going to come after that." - @E_C_Richards #MARKEDPodcast"There's nothing more powerful than a student who's leaning in and listening to God's voice and really pursuing what God is putting on their heart." - @E_C_Richards #MARKEDPodcast"For some of yo

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