The Forgotten Podcast

Jamie Finn started fostering because she wanted to “rescue kids who had terrible parents.” She was immediately humbled with her first placement when she realized that she wasn’t all that different than the biological parents of the child she was caring for—it was only the grace of God that separated her decisions from their decisions. God began to change her heart and her mission regarding foster care and biological parents. Listen in to learn how she works to support, love and go above and beyond for her kids’ biological parents!

Peter Greer and his family have opened their home to foster care for several years and have experienced the highs and lows of all foster care entails. After several hard situations, Peter admits to being reticent, even outright against, getting back into the foster care world. A greater sense of purpose and the support and encouragement of his children has ensured that, in spite of the pain, unpredictability and potential for hurt, their family will continue to say “yes” to foster care.

Angel Ambrose shared her story of a turbulent childhood that resulted in her playing a key role as a teen in testifying against her mother for the safety of herself and her siblings. Throughout her life, art has played a key role in helping her process her feelings. Angel shares more about how art and the healing power of a creative God has made a difference in her life.

The statistics for youth who age out of foster care receiving a college degree are extremely disheartening—fewer than 5% finish a secondary education. Royce Markley beat the odds—as a child, he was in and out of foster care, eventually aging out of the system. His childhood was a roller coaster of emotions and situations, including times when his mom was doing what she needed to do to keep her kids to various foster care situations to several near adoptions, until an older couple offered him and his brother something they had never had before: stability. Royce’s story of frustration and determination to accomplish his goals, get his college degree and make a difference in the foster care community will inspire you!

Saty Cornelius grew up in a fostering family—her parents have fostered more than 50 children. She is one of seven children, including three sisters through adoption. Knowing, hearing and living the stories of some of her foster siblings gave her incredible insight into the trauma, struggles and sometimes unexpected emotions kids in care often experience. The combination of her dream to write a book and her personal connection and passion for foster care has resulted in More to Me, a fictional, but very realistic, story of a teen girl and her younger siblings who find themselves navigating the confusion of foster care.

Anna Kathryn Ellzey knew that as a foster parent she could not share pictures, names or details of the child in her care. But that didn’t stop her from sharing a photo of him and her biological daughter as they sat together—a cute picture of only their legs. She simply wanted to share her joy at having him be part of their family. But she realized that on the other side of their happiness was his birth family’s pain and heartbreak. That’s when she realized that confidentiality was about more than keeping a child’s face hidden: It was about protecting and nurturing his and his birth family’s heart and story.

Foster parenting can be challenging even with a spouse, but that doesn’t mean a single person can’t or shouldn’t follow a call from God to foster. This panel discussion includes four single foster moms who have figured out how to make fostering work in their lives. If you have been waiting for a spouse to foster, their stories might give you the encouragement you need to take that step of faith to foster as a single parent!

Catie Lumpkin and her husband Jamie began fostering about nine years ago. At the time, they had three young sons (age 4, 2 and 1) and had been considering adoption. They had the opportunity to love on a mother in crisis for a period of time and soon after, Jamie mentioned the option of becoming foster parents. Catie said no at first, but her heart was changed as they became more involved in seeking to improve those in need in their city. They have fostered more than 80 children since then, and recently adopted two of those children and welcomed their fourth biological son to the family. Catie shares tips and suggestions for making the transition to the school year go as smoothly as possible for children who have experienced trauma.

Kelsie Barnhart first heard about TFI and the mentoring program through a friend in the summer of 2014. She had just graduated college and was working full time, but knew she wanted to carve out time to serve her community. Becoming a foster parent wasn’t a practical way for her to minister to the many foster children in her area, but mentoring was. She began mentoring in January 2015 and has been a consistent person in her “Little Buddy’s” life since. Find out what she’s learned through her experiences as well as hear advice on getting started!

Holly Miller was born into foster care and was adopted at the age of seven by the family with whom she had been in a long-term placement. The adoption conversation was always open, but she as she grew, she found she had more questions than answers because she simply didn’t know much about her life before her adoption. Her journey of working through the “who am I” questions led her down an interesting path that has recently resulted in a ministry that combines her passion for foster and adoptive children and their families with a need in her community.

Angie Grant and her husband, Stan, have been foster parents for five years. Their third placement, a little girl, stayed in their home for two and a half years and then returned home. Although it was difficult to let their daughter go, Angie’s family cherishes the memories they made with her and believe that the time they had with her will make an indelible mark on her life for the good, because they did their best to love as Jesus loves: compassionately and with everything they had.

Angel Ambrose’s home life became so unsafe when she was a teen that she testified against her mother in order to protect herself and her younger siblings from neglect and abuse. Angel shares her story and how God has redeemed her past and brought her healing, even to the point of having her own child—something she never thought she wanted.

Father’s Day is just a few weeks away, and we wanted to highlight this great opportunity available to foster and adoptive dads! This encore of Andrew Schneidler’s interview will encourage dads and help them know they are not alone in the struggles they may face. Andrew understands…and he wants other dads to know there are other dads out there who also understand! Foster and adoptive fathers have very few resources to help them deal with the feelings and struggles that often arise when caring for children from hard places. Andrew Schneidler is trying to change that.

Join us for this Encore Episode to hear Jason Johnson share highlights from his new book, Reframing Foster Care: Filtering Your Foster Parenting Journey Through the Lens of the Gospel. Designed to encourage, whether we are in the trenches of foster parenting, considering becoming foster parents or trying to better support foster families, this episode is full of hope and will remind you that you are not alone!

Nicole Argo, a pastor’s wife and mother of two, went into foster care at the age of 7, giving her a unique perspective about how it feels to be a child in care. Jenn Hook, a clinical psychologist and TBRI certified therapist, works with children who have experienced trauma—a large number of whom have been in foster care. Listen in as they discuss the exciting new Who Loves book series from The Forgotten Initiative and share the positive results they anticipate the books will bring for children in care, foster parents, churches, teachers and anyone who seeks to understand what life is like for a child in foster care.

David LaFrance is an elementary school principal who readily shares his story of growing up in a broken and dysfunctional family. His story helps him relate to kids from hard places on a daily basis, as well as drives him to use as many resources as possible to establish relationships with all the people in his life, including his family, his staff, his students and even their families. Listen to his inspiring story and learn more about tools you can use to better understand trauma and the importance of story.

Drawing on his experiences with taking an intentional sabbatical, Jedd Medefind shares how our inner life and our outpouring into the lives of others are intricately interwoven—especially in in the sense that we must be filled up so that we can, in turn, pour out. The fact is, it’s extremely difficult, if not impossible in the long term, to pour into others’ lives if we don’t take the time to be refreshed and nourish our own souls.

Ashleigh Chapman is a preacher’s kid who found her life’s calling at the age of 11. Her parents worked at a homeless mission when a woman and her three children arrived, begging for safety from an abuser. Her parents quickly realized the woman was also an abuser and worked diligently to keep the three children safe. She became devoted to the cause of protecting the vulnerable. She focuses full-time on fighting the heinous crime of human trafficking in the US and around the world. Don’t miss this episode—it’s critical to the future of our children and our communities!

Beth Guckenberger and her husband Todd have been married more than 25 years and, between biological, foster, and adopted children, they have raised ten children. In addition, they also work together as Co-Executive Directors of Back2Back Ministries, an organization that is dedicated to being a voice for orphans. They have found some unique strategies to keep their marriage strong and vibrant, enabling them to better serve those they have been called to serve. Beth shares these and other ideas in this can’t miss episode!

Jason Johnson shares highlights from his new book, Reframing Foster Care: Filtering Your Foster Parenting Journey Through the Lens of the Gospel, to encourage us, whether we are in the trenches of foster parenting, considering becoming foster parents or trying to better support foster families. This is an episode full of hope and will remind you that you are not alone!

Dr. Sharen Ford of Focus on the Family and her daughter, Jennifer Rice, both have experience in the “trenches” of agency work in the foster care system. They share what it’s really like, what the challenges are and even how the job can affect your personal life. This peek into “the other side” is eye-opening…and it’s encouraging to note that agency workers truly do want the best for each child on their caseload.

Rob Parker grew up in an abusive home and was headed for a life of ongoing generational dysfunction and abuse. Through the unconditional love of his two great aunts and the Spirit of God working through relationships and community, his life has instead become a message of hope, experiencing reconciliation in relationships, restoration in his heart and transformation in his life!

People considering foster care often worry about how their biological children will be affected by having other children come in and out of their lives. Clayton Keenon’s story will help put many of those fears to rest. His parents fostered more than 350 teen girls over 35 years—virtually all his life. He knows he’s a better person for it.

Courtney Strahm and her family didn’t know much about foster care until just a few years ago. But they became aware, and awareness led to action. Listen to Courtney’s story of how God called and provided for them, in good times and hard times, to make a difference in the lives of kids in foster care.

Meet Wendy Carlton, a foster and adoptive mom who found joy in fostering, and in developing a meaningful relationship with her child’s biological mother. Learning more about the mother’s history helped Wendy understand the need for good mentors and role models. “She couldn’t be a good mom or role model because she never had that herself,” says Wendy. The story of how God orchestrated the details of their foster placement will help you grow your trust in God’s timing.

Parents of foster and adoptive children often face additional considerations in school situations regarding the well-being of their child. Mike and Kristin Berry, adoptive parents of eight and advocates for foster care and adoption, talk about some of the things parents need to remember when talking with teachers or the principal, as well as delighting in and being an observer of your child.

Many foster and adoptive parents are unsure of the best strategy regarding when and how much information to tell a child about their background, or their “story.” Jayne Schooler shares great information and advice in this Encore Episode from Season 3 of The Forgotten Podcast!

Keith McAfee had a less than idyllic childhood—denied by his biological father, raised by several abusive step-fathers, made poor decisions, suffered various kinds of abuse. But one family saw through his pain and never gave up on being there for him, even when he was in and out of their lives. Listening to Keith’s story will give you hope that God is a God of details and He can make good out of any situation.

Greg Cox shares the story of losing his eight children into the child welfare system due to his neglect brought about by substance abuse. The situation became a catalyst in his own life to get clean and sober, and more importantly, to do what was necessary to be a full-time father to his children. Greg now serves others by being a parent mentor and coach.

Josh Shipp admits to being a hard to handle teen in foster care. He had “mastered the art” of getting kicked out of foster homes, but his life changed due to a caring adult who wouldn’t give up on him. Josh has become an advocate for teens and those who love them. He is the author of the book The Grown-Up's Guide to Teenage Humans.

Josh Shipp is an author, global youth empowerment expert and acclaimed speaker. A former at-risk foster kid who “mastered the art of getting kicked out” of foster homes, he is renowned for his documentary TV series on A&E that followed his ground-breaking work with teens. He is the author of the book The Grown-Up’s Guide to Teenage Humans.

Aurie Good is a pastor’s wife and homeschooling mother of five children, two biological, one adopted from foster care and two in the process of adopting from foster care. She has developed great strategies to help you keep your sanity while parenting and maintaining the mountain of paperwork required while fostering. She and her husband, Ken, have fostered 11 children during their nine years of foster parenting in New Jersey. All of the children who have come into their home have been medically fragile, requiring even more paperwork and organization. Aurie shares not only great tips, but she’s included a link to a PDF of “The Binder”—an organizational tool she’s developed. Don’t miss it!

Jamie Grace is a Grammy nominated, Dove award-winning contemporary Christian/Christian rap musician who has big dreams and plans beyond music. Raised in a household in which her parents took in more than 25 children, she has a huge heart for foster care and is determined to make a difference in others’ lives in tangible ways.

Lynne Ellis-Gray knows what it feels like to wonder about biological parents. Adopted as a baby, her parents did the “right” things by sharing her story in a positive way and made her feel chosen and wanted. As she grew, she wondered and explored for information about her birth mother. Her interest in adoption led her to write her master’s thesis on adoption issues that adoptees face. What she found is eye-opening and can be very helpful for adoptive and foster parents, as well as adult adoptees who still find certain things trigger feelings that are based deep inside.

Jim Daly, President of Focus on the Family, shares his personal journey of being a child in foster care and explains how going through that painful time created a passion in him to work on behalf of children in foster care and how, even as an adult, he still feels the effects of foster care in his life.

Kirsten Smith believes her past experience prepared her for her present reality, although “nothing could fully prepare me to be the mother of nine!” She grew up with an idea of what foster care was, and after college she worked as a social worker with families in crisis, aiding in reunification, but also seeing the effects of child abuse and neglect. “It was a hard job,” she says. “I remember thinking, ‘I don’t know why God put me here.’” A few years later she realized that some of her own children came from those scenarios.

Scott Brown, Coordinator of the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) Aging Out Initiative, gathers success stories of organizations that are helping aging out youth and are creating solutions. Approximately 24,000 youth age out of the foster care system every year, and about 70% of those young adults are falling through the cracks of making a successful transition into adulthood.

Foster and adoptive fathers have very few resources to help them deal with the feelings and struggles that often arise when caring for children from hard places. Andrew Schneidler is trying to change that.

Many foster and adoptive parents are unsure of the best strategy regarding when and how much information to tell a child about their background, or their “story.”

Join us for this Encore Episode of Jami’s conversation with Emma Williams. Emma lived in several foster homes, shelters, and adoptive family situations as a child. Her story will give you amazing insight into the sometimes hard realities facing children in foster care.

Because caring for the orphan is a deep concern on God’s heart, Jenn Ranter wanted to provide support for these families, so that they felt loved and cared for. She founded Replanted Ministry because she wanted to create a community where both the parents/foster parents could feel safe and vulnerable and be able to share their honest feelings and emotions without judgment. Families who are in the trenches of dealing with trauma can offer this support to other families—parents and children alike.

Molly Evans knew working with kids was what made her heart beat with excitement and purpose. In college, she interned in a DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services) office and took a class in child welfare that solidified her goal of working with families and one-on-one with kids. After college, she worked at a private agency as a Family Enhancement worker, helping intact families get help with parenting skills, job searches, even housing, as well as supervised parent-child visits.

Fawn Kieser admits she was one of those parents who said with firm conviction, “I could never do foster care—I could never give them back.” But as she and her husband, Brent, took baby steps of faith, starting with just being willing to be moved by God to a new place that they never thought they’d be, she realizes that they have become survivors and overcomers.

Brittany Lind and her husband, Joel, didn’t overthink the idea of becoming foster parents. Adoption was part of the church culture she experienced in college—it was preached and lived out on a regular basis. When they married and planned for their family, they didn’t see a difference between having biological children and adoption—they were both equally good and beautiful.

Dr. Andrea Kane is a pediatrician whose practice includes many foster families. She shares wisdom regarding some of the common physical, mental and emotional concerns that foster families may face.

Several TFI Advocates join Jami in a conversation about why they became Advocates and the benefits of being an Advocate with TFI.

Jedd Medefind serves as the President of CAFO (Christian Alliance for Orphans). His biggest joy is spending time with people who are making their faith tangible by living it out and loving vulnerable kids. “Nothing is more beautiful and encouraging than Christians who look like Jesus—who care about kids the world has pushed to the side.”

Jason Weber’s experience with working with the inner-city kids and families provided not only an invitation to foster, but also an invitation to help other followers of Christ engage in caring for kids who needed families.

Mary Slager will challenge your thinking about getting involved in foster care. You’re never too old to get involved somehow…and it may be that you’re called to foster children even after your own children are grown and gone. Listening to Mary’s experiences erases some of the age constraints you might be feeling!

Chris Shandrow will encourage you to get your church involved in serving the foster care community. Chris is the Lead Pastor of Compass Church in Bloomington, Illinois. Compass was planted in 2013 with the goal of making God accessible to everyone.