The Berry family answered the call to adoption and welcomed home 2-year-old Naomi
By Phoebe Warren

For 774 days, Naomi Elizabeth Berry was a ward of the state of Arkansas. She entered foster care at just 2 weeks old, born into circumstances she did not choose. But on January 29th, 2026, surrounded by the family who had already loved her as their own, Naomi was legally made the daughter of Sarah and Bradley Berry and the sister of four older siblings.

The Berry couple never intended to adopt a child. Sarah joined The CALL, a Christian non-profit that focuses on recruiting, training and supporting Christian foster families, in 2020, as their financial secretary. “I was only supposed to help with finances, give advice, and help with budgeting,” said Sarah, who is a CPA. “But the more I heard about our local foster care system, the more my heart pulled me towards fostering. It is so funny how God has bigger and better plans for us than we ever could imagine. We look back at this and laugh about it all the time.”

The Berrys became a licensed foster family on September 22nd, 2022, at 5pm. Within hours, they received a call for their first placement: a 2-year-old girl and her 5-year-old brother.

“I remember when the caseworker dropped those kids off with their few belongings and paperwork,” Sarah said. “I remember turning to look at my husband, and we shared this ‘Oh, crap’ look, like, ‘What are we getting ourselves into?’” Although the initial experience felt intimidating and foreign, that routine became natural to everyone in the Berry family. “We did not have a clue what we were doing,” Sarah said, “but we had a heart to help and the resources to do it, so we agreed.” Those willing hearts have now welcomed 38 children into the Berry home over the past three years.

The Berry family attended a Christmas church service in 2024. submitted photo

On January 5th, 2024, at just 2 weeks old, Naomi arrived as a foster placement. Bradley dubbed this tiny baby “Nugget,” a nickname that stuck.

“When I first held Naomi, I remember being sad,” Sarah said. “Honestly, any time we get a placement, it is a sad time for us. My heart breaks for the kiddo who is placed in this situation.”

“Naomi went to work with me every day for the first few weeks. She was sleeping underneath my desk, and I was feeding her while trying to work,” Sarah said. submitted photo

After several months of loving Naomi, it became apparent that she would probably not return to her parents. “I don’t think there was a set moment when we talked about adopting,” Bradley said. “We just kind of saw that there could be a possibility that we could adopt, and we were both in agreement that if we got the opportunity to adopt Nugget, we would jump all over it.”

“We were there for the long nights, the first smile, first laugh, crawling, walking, and first words,” Sarah said. “Our hearts were stolen, and the thought of her moving out of our home was truly heartbreaking. When we were asked by the State if we would consider adopting her, we did not have to think twice.”

The journey to adopting Naomi was long—over two years. “We experienced every emotion you can imagine,” Sarah said. “Children in foster care deserve permanency, and it usually happens at about the one-year mark. Naomi’s case was just unusually long, and that was frustrating to many of us.”

“While on vacation in Maine last summer, we were told to prepare to transition her out of our home,” Sarah said. “We were heartbroken but trying to have faith at the same time.” submitted photo

Bradley realized that his role was to be a pillar of support for his wife and children throughout the process. “There were lots of highs and lows,” he said. “Just being there for each other was important. My wife is very independent, strong in her self-confidence, and strong in her faith. To see all of those characteristics challenged and stretched to their limits was tough, but she never quit. It was amazing to watch and share this whole process with her.”

Through the ample amounts of tears and laughter, the Berry family persevered and adopted Naomi. “When we look backwards and see the timeline of events and how everything unfolded, it is obvious that the Lord was writing a beautiful story this whole time,” Sarah said. “God’s timing is perfect, and we had to learn to trust his timeline and not ours.”

Though the family already considered Naomi their own from early on, the relief everyone felt on court day was immeasurable. “The judge said that she was ours and said her new legal name,” Bradley recalled. “I’m not a crier, but I teared up, and it felt like a weight was lifted off of me and our family.”

Today, Naomi is 2 years old. She has devoted older siblings who have learned firsthand what it means to share their home, their toys, and their lives. She is loved by a father who has grown steadily into his calling. And she is cherished by a mother who once thought she was simply helping with bookkeeping for a foster care nonprofit—only to discover that her greatest calling would unfold right in her own living room.

“If God has laid foster care or adoption on your heart, you need to listen to his leading and answer the call,” Sarah said. “When we got the call for Naomi, we were so extremely busy, and our lives were going in 100 different directions. But if we would not have said yes, we would have missed out on having our beautiful daughter in our lives.”

The Berry family’s story is not just about fostering or adoption. It’s about faith. It’s about community. It’s about the amazing things that can happen when ordinary families decide that loving vulnerable children is worth the risk. The Berrys feel that they were called to love Naomi, and because they answered that call, Noami is now an irreplaceable part of their family. If you ask Easton, the Berrys’ son, what adoption means, he might have the best answer of all: “Adoption means I now have four sisters.”

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