Two Families, Two Hundred Lives Changed

Fostering is a hard job. There is no time clock, no lunch breaks, no regular vacation.  We ask families to love and care for children as if they were their own, and when they do it takes everything they have.So, when a family goes above and beyond the normal expectations, and excels at what they do, we get excited. These are two of our families who have done just that, but in very different ways.

A lot of families decide to foster as a way to expand their family by ultimately adopting a child. Jennifer and Michael King did not start with that motivation. They just wanted to help. Before coming to PCHAS, they were serving together as volunteers at a residential program for unwed pregnant teens. They were working at the facility on weekends as respite parents, teaching parenting classes, and even supporting young mothers in the delivery room. On one particular occasion, Jennifer was with a young woman just after she delivered, and she realized that the mother still had not made a decision about parenting or placing her child for adoption. Jennifer knew that child needed a place to go, and she wanted to be that place.

So, after some time of prayer and discussion with Michael, the Kings decided to open their home to foster children. They already had four children of their own and were not planning to adopt. They just wanted to love these children for however long they were in their home. They wanted to bridge the gap between where a child came from to wherever they might go next.

Jennifer and Michael made some new traditions for every child that came into their home. Every child got their own monogrammed burp cloth when they came home. It was a small token, but it meant that someone cared, someone knew that child, and they were part of a family. Then, when each child reached one week, one month, and one year, the family would celebrate with cake and a small party. This became their children’s favorite tradition because it meant they got cake with every new baby.

The Kings primarily took in babies as foster placements, and whenever PCHAS called, they would say yes. Over time as the babies came and went, their ministry to children began to increase as well. To date, they have had over 100 foster children placed in their home. Many have stayed for a just a few weeks or a few months. Some have stayed for years, but regardless the Kings have put their hearts and their energy into every child that has entered their home.

On the other side of the spectrum, the Samuel family has served children in a very different stage of life. Like the Kings, the Samuels did not approach foster care with an intent to adopt. While working for the Texas Youth Commission, Lisa and Daniel met some kids who had experienced a lot of challenges. They saw a number of kids who wanted to get their lives back on track, but Daniel and Lisa worried that going back home would not be the best plan for them. Daniel took some of the boys under his wing, even bringing them home with him during the holidays. Yet, Daniel and Lisa still wanted to do more; so, they decided to become foster parents for teenagers.

Any parent knows that most teenagers are difficult to manage. They often need counseling related to relationships, school and all sorts of drama that comes with that time of life. What makes it even more difficult for teenagers in foster care is that most of them have already spent time in several other foster homes or institutions. They are understandably disappointed and sometimes angry about being moved from place to place, and they expect to be moved again.

“They are just waiting for us to give up on them too, but we don’t. We don’t care what the paperwork says or what the therapist’s diagnosis is,” said Daniel. “The State wants us to treat them as our own kids; so, we do. We meet them when they come to our home and start from square one.” The Samuels truly embodied the PCHAS philosophy of care, which emphasizes being “strength-focused.” They saw the good in kids and the possibilities for these young people and did not focus on their challenges.

Like the Kings, the Samuels have kept fostering and kept taking more kids into their home. They too have seen more than 100 children come into their home over their time fostering. “Knowing that we have made a difference for some kids and seeing them succeed; that’s what keeps us going. That’s what makes it all worth it,” Daniel said.

These two families are at opposite ends of the spectrum. 100 babies. 100 teenagers. Both sound challenging, but both are needed. Every child needs a home, a family, and parents who will commit to helping them find hope and healing. That is what these two families have done; they have provided hope and healing to so many children, and we are so proud of them.

May is National Foster Care Awareness month. Learn more about how you can become a foster parent.