Our Story
35 Years. Five Adopted Children. One Unshakeable Conviction.
Labor of Love was built by people who didn't just study the orphan crisis. They lived it — through foster care, adoption, FASD, and 35 years of church mobilization.
THE PERSONAL STORY
Our Family Is the Foundation of Everything We Do
More than 35 years ago, Wayne and Diana Lanier began a journey that would define the rest of their lives. They opened their home to children from the foster care system — and kept opening it. Six children total. Five of them adopted through foster care.
Every one of their five adopted children has been affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders — FASD. A lifelong, invisible brain injury caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. They were told some of their children needed "more discipline." What they actually needed was understanding. It took years of seeking help, moving forward, falling down, finding support, and a lot of prayer.
They learned what works. They learned what the system doesn't tell you. And they learned that most families navigating this journey are doing it alone — without the tools, the community, or the hope they need. That's the gap Labor of Love was built to fill.
"You don't erase FASD. But you can build a new story around it — a story of hope."
THE MINISTRY HISTORY
From One Family's Story to a Global Ministry
What began in one home grew into something much larger. Over 35 years, Labor of Love International has:
- •Cared for 70+ children at the Caleb India campus in Kesinga, Odisha
- •Trained 80+ indigenous pastors through our Bible Training Centers in India
- •Installed freshwater wells in villages where Christians are denied access to community water
- •Built partnerships with AWKNG School of Theology to bring world-class biblical training to underserved regions
- •Expanded to Thailand in partnership with local churches
- •Developed a comprehensive framework for equipping U.S. churches to build foster care and adoption ministries
THE JACKSONVILLE STORY
Proven Results: What Happens When the Church Gets Organized Around Vulnerable Families
Before founding Labor of Love, Wayne served at Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida — one of the largest churches in the state. He helped lead a community-wide initiative called the Culture of Freedom Initiative: a coordinated, church-led effort to strengthen marriages and families across Duval County.
The results were documented by the Institute for Family Studies and the Philanthropy Roundtable. From 2015 to 2017, Duval County's divorce rate fell by 24% — more than four times the national average decline during the same period. The research attributed this to the combination of digital outreach and an extensive on-the-ground network of churches working together.
That experience gave Wayne something most church mobilization consultants don't have: documented, peer-reviewed proof that a church-led ground campaign produces measurable community outcomes. It's not theory. It happened. And it shapes everything about how Labor of Love approaches church mobilization today.
24%
Divorce Rate Decline
Duval County, 2015–2017
4x the national average
OUR CONVICTION
Why We Do What We Do
Throughout Scripture — in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament — there is a recurring theme: the cries of orphans and widows rise before God, and He raises up people to respond. Not programs. People. Gathered around a specific child, with specific roles, bringing them to a table where they belong.
That is the heartbeat of Labor of Love. We believe God hears the cry of every child in foster care, in an orphanage in India, in a village with no clean water and no trained pastor. And we believe His Church — when she is equipped, organized, and mobilized — is His primary instrument of response.
Our role is not to be the hero. Our role is to help the Church step into the role she was always meant to play.
LEADERSHIP
Meet Our Founders
Wayne & Diana Lanier
Founders
With over 35 years in foster care, adoption, and orphan ministry, Wayne and Diana have lived the journey they now help others navigate. As parents of six — five adopted through foster care — they understand the joys and challenges of building a family across the child welfare system.
Wayne served as a pastor at Celebration Church in Jacksonville, FL, where he led a church-mobilization initiative that contributed to a documented 24% decline in the county's divorce rate. Diana brings deep personal experience navigating FASD with five children, becoming an advocate and educator for foster and adoptive families.
Together, they co-designed Labor of Love's family support frameworks and continue to equip the local church to care for vulnerable children in the U.S. and around the world.
Ready to Join Our Mission?
Whether you want to give, mobilize your church, or simply learn more — we'd love to connect. Schedule a call with Wayne or donate today.
