Join us for an in-depth interview with Andrew Fish as he shares his story of adoption, faith, and self-discovery. Andrew reflects on his family's journey, from his parents’ struggle to adopt, to his biological mother's decision to place him for adoption, and his upbringing within the Mormon Church. He also discusses the impact of religious expectations, his mission experiences, and his journey of reconciling his personal beliefs with his upbringing. Throughout this heartfelt conversation, Andrew opens up about his eventual decision to leave the Church, reconnect with his biological family, and navigate acceptance and understanding within his adoptive family. Show Notes: https://www.mormonstories.org/my-mormon-adoption-miracle/ 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:34 Intentions from Andrew Fish 00:11:55 Going through the adoption process 00:18:35 The story of his biological mom 00:28:48 His mom and her music professor 00:33:50 Andrew got a letter from both his parents 00:41:16 His mother writing about the day he was born 00:44:05 How Andrew feels about this 00:48:26 Sharing a letter his mother wrote to him 00:58:42 Why his parents viewed this as a miracle story 01:15:30 He felt full of shame after reading the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet 01:21:50 When he got his patriarchal blessing 01:26:13 He never felt strongly like he felt the Spirit 01:35:54 Experiencing religious scrupulosity on his mission 01:39:50 Beginning to feel uncomfortable in the church 02:07:55 Talking to his dad about him leaving the church, it got contentious 02:26:28 Doing 23 and Me to find his parents 02:38:05 Communicating with his biological mom 02:47:00 Meeting his mother for the first time 03:02:22 Telling his dad how he felt about the church 03:16:00 Has he sought out his biological father? ___________________ At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology 2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis 3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions 🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6OgmoqJbOVRq-Lv1P7SzA/join Our Platforms: 🌐Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes 🎙️Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories ✳️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 🖼️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories 📱TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast 🎮Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us: 📧 MormonStories@gmail.com 📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117