Helping a child or teen see the need for Jesus is one of the chief goals of a Christian adoptive or fostering home. In this episode, host, Lynette Ezell invites Arthur Woods to to share his vast experience as an adoptive and fostering parent. That experience includes walking teens through the process of overcoming trauma to accept Jesus. Arthur shares some valuable tips on how parents can help their children and teens from trauma-filled backgrounds navigate those challenges to be more receptive to the gospel.

Learn more about Arthur Woods at arthurcwoods.com.

Find out how to give to the Adoption Fund for Ministers by visiting namb.net/give/adoption-fund/.

Host Lynette Ezell welcomes Cheri Williams, senior vice president of domestic programs at Bethany Christian Services, and Kimberly Offutt, national director of foster care adoption at Bethany Christian Services, to discuss ways the coronavirus pandemic has affected the fostering and adoption processes. The trio provides insight on how to best handle the changes COVID-19 has brought.

Find out how to give to the Adoption Fund for Ministers by visiting namb.net/give/adoption-fund/.

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As co-host Tera Melber makes her last podcast appearance with Lynette Ezell, she shares a bit about her newly expanded role with Chosen. Both hosts also provide insight on how to help children navigate severe trauma while also discipling them in the process.

Find out how to give to the Ministry Adoption Fund by visiting sendrelief.org/foster-care-adoption/.

The life of an adoptive or foster parent is anything but easy. Rewarding, yes, but often difficult. Sometimes, the best form of encouragement is the simple, straightforward kind.

That’s what hosts Lynette Ezell and Tera Melber provide for those listening to this episode. They charge adoptive and foster parents to be relentlessly consistent in loving on the children in their homes, especially during the hard times, while also trusting God for the best outcomes.

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Find out how to give to the Ministry Adoption Fund—to help families like the Browns— by visiting sendrelief.org/foster-care-adoption/.

Hosts Lynette Ezell and Tera Melber draw upon their multiple years of experience in fostering and adoption as they share a list of things formal training alone could not prepare them for on their fostering and adoption journey.

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Find out how to give to the Ministry Adoption Fund by visiting sendrelief.org/foster-care-adoption/.

We can go straight to the gospels and the words of Jesus to see how the power of story can inform us, inspire us and connect us. In this episode, Dr. Lee Ann Dickerson joins hosts Lynette Ezell and Tera Melber to discuss how using the power of story can strengthen a child’s personal narrative and the parent-child relationship.

Find out how to give to the Adoption Fund for Ministers by visiting sendrelief.org/foster-care-adoption/.

For individuals and families who feel God’s call toward adoption, there is more than one way to live that out. In this episode, hosts, Lynette Ezell and Tera Melber have a chat with Bethany Hall, who defines and discusses best practices on how to navigate open or domestic adoption. She gives helpful tips on setting boundaries with the birth parents from the beginning of the process and on how to be spiritually refreshed and encouraged during the most difficult times.

Find out how to give to the Ministry Adoption Fund—to help families like the Browns— by visiting sendrelief.org/foster-care-adoption/.

In part two, guest Jason Johnson talks about what it means to reframe foster care through the gospel. He also shares best practices for preparing a family to realistically engage fostering with passion. He reinforces the title of his first book, Everyone Can Do Something, by sharing three practical ways families and individuals can find their “something” in fostering.

Resources: Check out Jason’s blog, http://jasonjohnsonblog.com/reframing-foster-care, where you can find helpful information about fostering and purchase his books, Reframing Foster Care — Filtering Your Foster Parenting Journey Through the Lens of the Gospel” and, Everyone Can Do Something — A Field Guide for Strategically Rallying Your Church Around the Orphaned and Vulnerable.

Find out how to give to the Adoption Fund for Ministers by visiting sendrelief.org/foster-care-adoption/.

When Sandra Viena, age 72, showed up to a church in her hometown of Detroit looking for a little help, she had absolutely no idea how much she was about to receive. This special Stories of Hope podcast reinforces the fact that, when it comes to adoption and fostering, everybody, regardless of age or position in life, truly can do something.

Find out how to give to the Ministry Adoption Fund by visiting sendrelief.org/foster-care-adoption/.  Also, subscribe to Stories of Hope podcast for more inspiration.

Jason Johnson joins co-hosts, Lynette Ezell and Tera Melber, to share how God shaped his fostering journey from being a church planter to becoming director of the National Church Ministry Initiative for the Christian Alliance for Orphans. His transparency encourages listeners to frame foster care through lenses of the gospel instead of broad, sweeping judgments about best practices.

Resources: Check out Jason’s blog, http://jasonjohnsonblog.com/reframing-foster-care, where you can find helpful information about fostering, and purchase his books, Reframing Foster Care — Filtering Your Foster Parenting Journey Through the Lens of the Gospel” and, Everyone Can Do Something — A Field Guide for Strategically Rallying Your Church Around the Orphaned and Vulnerable.