Good Morning America, Pioneer Woman, and Life.Church Honor Single Mom Who Adopted a Teen

Surprise Breakfast-in-Bed Honor for Leslie Hemphill

Opening Moments

Just after dawn, a cluster of LifeChurch Tulsa-Metro teammates whispered together on Leslie Hemphill’s driveway, rolling a full-size bed toward her backyard. Tommy briefed the camera: Good Morning America’s annual Mother’s Day “Breakfast-in-Bed” award was about to be handed to “our very own Leslie,” who had adopted Dakota, then 15, out of the Tulsa Boys’ Home three-and-a-half years earlier. “She has no idea,” he grinned, calling the moment a celebration of how the whole church had gone “the extra mile.”

Testimonies

Tommy (LifeChurch staff)

• Framed the story: Leslie’s adoption of a teen “ward of the state” and the way hundreds of volunteers at Tulsa Boys’ Home—one of LifeChurch’s local-mission partners—had helped shape Dakota’s new life.
• “This is what you call going the extra mile.”

Rob Marciano (Good Morning America)

• Stepped through Leslie’s front door: “Hi Leslie, I’m Rob Marciano, Good Morning America… We want to honor you.”
• Commended her “faith… courage… determination,” noting she’d become “an inspiration to so many other people considering adopting a teenager.”

Leslie Hemphill

• Eyes wet, voice shaking: “I’m so full of gratitude and thankfulness.”
• Thanked Dakota “for everything he’s taught me,” and praised LifeChurch for modeling “what it means to be the church in the community.”
• “It really does take a village, and that’s what they’ve been.”

Dakota

• Stood shoulder-to-shoulder with his mom: “Not just our village—it’s also our family… We couldn’t have done it without all of you.”

Holy-Spirit Highlights

• God’s heart for orphans made tangible through one mom’s yes.
• A church living as “hands and feet of Jesus,” shifting from consumers to “spiritual contributors.”
• The power of collective love—“it takes a village”—echoed by every speaker.

Prayer Points & Next Steps

• Thanksgiving for Leslie, Dakota, and the LifeChurch community.
• Prayer that more families will open their homes to older children in foster care.
• Continued volunteer support for Tulsa Boys’ Home and other local mission partners.
• Resolve to keep “going the extra mile” as everyday spiritual contributors.

Closing Blessing

The crowd joined the familiar LifeChurch charge: “Whoever finds God… finds life.”