Stronger Together: The Fruitful Partnership Between Encompass and Choosing Hope Adoptions

By Theresa Mabry
Encompass Director of Operations

Some partnerships are born from a single moment. Others grow over time—formed through shared values, vision, and trust. Our relationship with Choosing Hope Adoptions is one of the latter. It's a story of convergence, collaboration, and commitment to strengthening families from the inside out. ​

Roots That Run Deep 

Lavern Nissley, former Executive Director of Encompass, first heard about a compelling dream that Angela Boblitt and her husband, Brett, had to launch a Christ-centered adoption agency. That vision would later become Choosing Hope Adoptions where Angela serves as the Executive Director. 
 
Encompass team member and longtime friend, Cindee Johnson, also had a growing connection with Angela. Cindee had known her for years, served on the Choosing Hope board, and provided guidance as a mentor. These early touchpoints laid the foundation for what would become a rich and impactful partnership. 

Filling a Missing Piece 

As with many meaningful collaborations, it wasn’t a single event but a series of conversations that sparked our official work together. Angela and Lavern first sat down on April 16, 2019, to talk through Choosing Hope’s adoption application process. She expressed interest in using the Prepare/Enrich (PE) inventory to help couples assess the strength of their marriage as part of their adoption journey. At the time, they sensed something was missing—a way to understand how the couple’s relationship might weather the stress and transformation of adoption. 

Within months, PE became a staple in their application process. Cindee, a trained PE facilitator, began walking couples through their inventory results, offering thoughtful and honest insight into the health of their marriage relationship. 

When the world shifted in 2020 due to COVID, Encompass quickly developed an online version of our RINGS Experience, allowing couples to learn key relational skills at their own pace, supplemented by virtual coaching. On January 15, 2021, Angela, Cindee, and Lavern met to discuss how this resource could support adoptive families—and by that spring, Choosing Hope integrated the RINGS Pathwright platform with modified coaching support. 

From Skepticism to Strength 

Of course, not every couple initially embraced the idea. Some thought, “We’re fine—we don’t need relationship education.” But over time, most came to see the benefit. As one couple put it, “We didn’t know what we didn’t know.” The tools and conversations from PE and RINGS proved helpful—practical skills to communicate better, navigate conflict, and prepare for the joys and challenges ahead. 

A Shared Mission of Integrity and Impact 

The partnership with Choosing Hope has been one of mutual respect and aligned purpose. Both agencies have stayed in their lanes while working toward a common goal: equipping couples for lifelong, loving families. 

Angela and her team have been open about what ECC brings to their work: 
“We value that ECC is relational in their approach—offering coaching and direction to our adoptive couples. ECC assures that our hopeful adoptive couples have tools to communicate well and work through disagreements.” 

The feedback they’ve received from families has echoed that appreciation. Couples have expressed gratitude for the insights from the PE inventory and the practical guidance provided through RINGS. It’s not just about making it through the adoption process--it’s about building a marriage strong enough to thrive on the other side of it.
 
A Lasting Influence 

Angela recently reflected on how ECC’s influence has shaped her personally: 
“The ideas and values ECC focuses on—like empathy, healthy communication, and being intentional—have stuck with me. It’s shaped the way I lead and how we support the families we serve.” 

And as for why this partnership matters today more than ever: 
“Adoption is beautiful, eventually—but not yet. It brings stress and trauma into a home, and marriages can suffer under that pressure. ECC’s mission to equip couples for hard seasons is imperative to the work we do.” 

We couldn't agree more. To date, around 55 couples have participated through this partnership. We’re honored to partner with Choosing Hope Adoptions—two organizations, one heart—to help families flourish and create homes where love and connection run deep. 

If you are looking to start the journey of adoption, click here to check out Choosing Hope's website.​

CHoosing Hope Website

The rings experience