This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans. It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years, and now it takes form in a new way. The 2026 Semi-Quincentennial Coin and Metal Program from the United States Mint.
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I hate to say it, but I don't trust much of anything. It's the rage bait. It feels like it's trying to divide people. If we got clear facts, maybe we could calm down a little. NBC News brings you clear reporting.
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Try the new Tropical Butterfly Refresher from Starbucks. This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories, the show where America is the star and the American people. Joining us now is Jackie Darby, sharing. Her personal adoption story. The story begins in South Korea.
I was a newborn abandoned baby. left to die in the garbage dump. To the point that rats were eating on my naked little body. A missionary nurse found me. She scooped me up.
and took me to a local orphanage. The orphanage was run by, I call them missionaries. I don't know if they called themselves missionaries. But they were Americans who had missionaries in Korea. This was post-Korean War days.
and took in babies like myself, babies and children.
So that's how my life began. But in the meantime, the Lord was working in a different way. in the lives of my parents. They seen a newspaper. Regarding all these post-war babies and children who needed homes and the Lord really began working in their hearts to adopt.
But My parents already had five. biological kids of their own.
So it's not like they couldn't have children. They just wanted to expand their family and help these children.
So they began the adoption process. Back then it was snail nail. and began the whole process of writing letters. and they were assigned their first baby. But soon after they were assigned a baby, she passed away.
And so they went through this process two more times. They were assigned two more babies. And both babies died right before they were supposed to get them.
So they felt like, you know what, maybe that's the Lord's sign, just to forget it. We have five kids of our own. People were kind of criticizing them and saying, why do they need another baby or kid? They just need to focus on what they have. Um so they felt like, you know what, maybe that's the truth.
So, on the day that President JFK was assassinated, on November 22nd, 1963. My mom got a phone call about an hour after the news went across the airways. And it was from the director founder of the orphanage in Korea. And she asked my mom if they would reconsider because they had another baby who desperately needed a home. And my mom immediately said, no, no, thank you, because we feel like, you know, it wasn't God's will, and we just need to, you know, be thankful for what we have.
Well, clearly the Lord kept on working in their hearts, and at eight months old. I flew into Chicago, O'Hare. and I made it into my parents' home. I was their sixth child. I grew up in a very traditional, small traditional Lutheran church.
Every evening around the dinner table, we would have short family devotions.
So I was taught about Jesus. It was always in my head. But inside there were things going on that I never expressed as a child. Uh nor did I express them into my teenage years. They did their best to raise me in the ways of the Lord.
and just give me everything that I would need as their child. On the outside, it appeared like I had a wonderful childhood, and I did. All my needs were met for sure. But I had this haunting question. Why was I thrown in the garbage?
It really just ate at me. I wanted to understand. where I came from. Obviously, I knew I was Korean. You know, that was something that was.
From little on, I knew because clearly I didn't look like the rest of the family. I was raised in a very white, Midwestern, rural. community I feel like I was the only ethnic child. But I really struggled with my identity and I really struggled with my worth. I told myself time and time again, I shouldn't be here.
I was thrown in the garbage. I wasn't wanted. And so I, in deep in my heart, I felt like I was a piece of garbage and that my life really didn't have purpose. And those were things that I never expressed to my family. or my parents.
It's just something that I I guarded in my heart privately. Yeah. My parents always told me the truth. Again, it was clear, you know, when I looked in the mirror, I knew that I looked different. And to my parents, my story was always a wonderful testimony.
And it was. But when I was a child, I didn't see it as a testimony. I was very embarrassed of my story. Because to me, it represented rejection and abandonment. And like I said, I felt like I was a piece of garbage.
But my parents always told the story to others who asked about me because That happened a lot. people would ask With good intentions, but they'd always ask, Oh, when did you get her? Or, you know, when did she become part of your family? If we'd be out and about, or just wherever. And so the story came up quite often.
I heard my parents telling the story a lot. They were very proud of the story and very proud of me. Um but again It wasn't something I was proud of. To me, it was something that I was ashamed of. And because I have the scars from the rat bites on my body, it was something that I always tried to hide.
I didn't want other kids to see them because. Lord forbid if I had to explain what what those scars were from. It was just really embarrassing to me.
So from as young as I can remember, The story was told and so it was just part of my life. And you're listening to Jackie Darby tell her adoption story. And my goodness, what a story it is. A family diligently trying to adopt.
Well, they adopted her. She comes to Chicago, joins a family with five other siblings. is loved beautifully. But in the end there's always this guarded heart privately. that her life was filled with rejection and abandonment.
When we come back. More of Jackie's story here. on our American stories. Uh Lee Habib here, the host of Our American Stories. Every day on this show, we're bringing inspiring stories from across this great country.
Stories from our big cities and small towns. But we truly can't do this show without you. Our stories are free to listen to, but they're not free to make. If you love what you hear, go to ouramericanstories.com and click the donate button. Give a little, give a lot.
Go to ouramericanstories.com and give. Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans. It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years. And now it takes form in a new way. The 2026 Semi-Quincentennial Coin and Metal Program from the United States Mint.
It celebrates the founding ideals that have long shaped our coinage. Available one year only, this historic collection features new coin designs, limited edition releases, and reissues. Shop new official coins at usmint.gov forward slash semi-q. That's usmint.gov/slash S-E-M-I-Q. This July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party, hosted by America 250.
America's Block Party is a can't-miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music performances from major artists, patriotic tributes, and the kickoff to Giving Forth, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark celebration at America250.org. Flowers fade.
Cards get tossed. But a personalized song? That lasts forever. Surprise someone you love with a custom song made just for them with Joybox. Visit joybox.studio to get started on your personalized song today.
Don't just say I love you, sing it with Joybox. I turned off news altogether. I hate to say it, but I don't trust much of anything. It's the rage bait. It feels like it's trying to divide people.
If we got clear facts, maybe we could calm down a little. NBC News brings you clear reporting. Let's meet at the facts. Let's move forward from there. NBC News Reporting for America.
And we return to Our American Stories and to Jackie Darby sharing her own adoption story. After being abandoned in a garbage dump as a newborn, she struggled throughout her childhood with the question, why was I thrown in the garbage? But God came into her life and didn't change her story. You helped her find purpose in it. Let's get back to Jackie with her story.
I wrote the adoption agency where I came from that helped my parents in the adoption. And they confirmed that they have absolutely no information about me. Other than you know, they know that I was found, they know I was brought to the orphanage. But I don't have any solid information about my birth parents. And For me?
It was It was just an eating thought, like why? I wanted to know. I wanted to know as much as I could about my story growing up. It was one of those kinds of thorns in my side. Like, I just wanted to know.
I wanted to know. I didn't feel like I could share everything with my parents because I didn't want to come across like I wasn't grateful. If I So emotion like why am I adopted And so, even as a child, I did not want to share my real feelings. When I was in my early twenties, I feel like I was going through probably one of the darkest seasons of my life. And because of that, I decided I was going to move to Florida.
And it was on that plane ride that I was looking out the window. And I was praying, and I said, God, if you are the God that I've heard about. that I've been taught about my whole life up to that point. Please, please come into my life. Take over my life.
I hate my life right now. And I'll do things your way if you will just make yourself real to me. And it was that. Day, April 27, 1985, that I gave my heart to the Lord. And that became a turning point for me.
From that day on. I began a personal relationship with the Lord. gave him full permission to Take over, and I wanted to, my heart's desire was to be different. And I know he forgave me. He put me on a different path from that day forward.
Healing is a process. There's so many different people, and so many different things that God used in my life. that brought healing to my heart and mind. And little by little, my perspective began to change. It went from something I was so ashamed of and so embarrassed of.
to you know what It's not about me. This is about the Lord and what He has done in my life. And the Lord began using my story. I became a missionary and I moved to Guatemala. And so our first eight years on the mission field.
My husband and I worked alongside of an orphanage here in Guatemala, and we had their teen home. And what that means is During the first eight years of our mission life, 17 teenagers lived with us. And during that season, we began our own family.
So I was pregnant as well with our first baby. And then also my brother wanted to adopt a baby from Guatemala. And so he and my sister-in-law asked me if I could help them. And that's when we found Laura. And Laura, I fostered, we fostered Laura.
from the time she was five hours old until the time she was nine months old.
So we had a pretty full house at the time. The Lord has opened doors for me to be able to share my testimony in groups, women's groups, youth groups. with kids, individuals. To others who are walking through the same thing, maybe that I have, where they can identify with me and understand that. Our feelings, our questions are real.
It's not just our imagination. And I pray that my story is an encouragement to them. And that As they're walking out their healing process, they can apply some of the things that God did in my life. to their lives because I readily realize that God is no acceptor. You know, He treats everybody the same.
What He can do in my life, He can do in their lives. And I want my story to be an encouragement to parents. That they can Talk to their kids. About the raw, difficult things about their child's story as God leads them as well. And so the Lord has been using my story in this way to minister to adults, but also to kids like Darlie.
We began our relationship. From she was little when she started coming over to our house. And I just spent time with her just as a child. And little by little, as I created a safe and comfortable environment. He began expressing her thoughts, her questions, her emotions little by little with me.
And I began to share my story with her.
So Because of that, She felt like she could identify with me and open up and share with me some things that she might not have been comfortable sharing with her mom and dad. And I often hear this now. from adoptees And kids like Darley. Whew, there's a common thread. That they don't feel comfortable sharing with their adoptive parents because we don't want to hurt them.
We don't want to come across. Like we're not grateful for what they've done. We are grateful, but at the same time, we're still trying to process these mixed emotions. And so I just feel like I'm a sounding board. I am not.
A counselor. I'm not a licensed counselor. I'm not a psychologist. I'm just A child of God. A Christian who is wanting The Lord to use my story now to bring encouragement, most of all.
to anyone who wants to hear it. I know that. Um in Jeremiah 1:5, it says that He knew me before I was ever formed in my mother's womb. And he, you know, he... He knew me before I was ever born.
And he set me apart. And that word isn't just for me, it's for all of us. Um but I I stand amazed. At how the Lord has had his hand on my life. From the time I was born, In my mother's womb.
Throughout all these years to the time I willfully accepted him into my heart and life. Um Took me to the mission field with my husband, his hand on our lives. Over these many years in our ministry here, start with One Global. And It's using my story now. And so I I really give all the glory.
All the credit, all the honor to him. because he's the one who is ultimately Written my story. That's what Psalms 139, 15, and 16 say: that all my days were already ordained for me and were written in his book. before one of them came to be and I believe that wholeheartedly. And I'm very humbled at this opportunity to share my story.
and just be able to express all that God's put in my heart. And a terrific job on the production, editing, and storytelling by our own Madison Derricott. And a special thanks to Jackie Darby for sharing her adoption story. with all of us. and her new book, Whose Am I?
pick that up wherever you get your books. And it's that question that always lingers. In the heart, secretly, of someone who's adopted, they're grateful to their parents for loving a stranger. and don't want to wound them or hurt their feelings or make it seem as if they're ungrateful. But there is that lingering question, boy did she have hers.
And that is why was I thrown in the garbage. Why was I thrown in the garbage? And then she gave herself completely to God, and it took a while to heal. And then she figured it out. And as she said at the end, I stood amazed at how the Lord's hand had been in my life.
And for any Americans listening who've been amazed, Now the Lord and has been in your life. You know what she's saying. Jackie Darby's Adoption Story. Here on Our American Stories. Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans.
It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years. And now it takes form in a new way. The 2026 Semi-Quincentennial Coin and Metal Program from the United States Mint. It celebrates the founding ideals that have long shaped our coinage. Available one year only, this historic collection features new coin designs, limited edition releases, and reissues.
Shop new official coins at usmint.gov forward slash semi-q. That's usmint.gov/slash S-E-M-I-Q. This July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party, hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't-miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music performances from major artists, patriotic tributes, and the kickoff to Giving Forth, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history.
It's more than just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark celebration at America250.org. Flowers fade, cards get tossed, but a personalized song? That lasts forever. Surprise someone you love with a custom song made just for them with Joybox.
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