An Introduction
I was first interested in becoming an advocate because I wanted to have training and community around foster care. This goes back to my first experiences of adoption and foster care while growing up.
When I was young, I had a close family friend adopt internationally. This gave me the chance to see the sweet process of adoption and the beauty of it firsthand. I saw this family get their first picture of a little girl and celebrate at the airport with them when she came to the US.
I could see the impact this adoption had on the family, our church body, and on me! She has become a sweet friend over the years and her adoption story has changed my life.
This adoption journey set me on the path to become a social worker. I saw the beauty of adoption through this family and wanted to be involved in it for my daily work. I studied social work at Cedarville University, a small Bible school in Ohio. At Cedarville, I learned about how the Gospel and social work combine to show the hope of the cross to a dying and dark world.
This fired me up after school to share the Gospel through social work.
Through an internship I observed the needs of the foster care system at an advocacy agency for biological parents in the foster care system. I also saw the needs of the foster care system through my first social work job at a hospital pediatric floor where I met agency workers. These experiences showed me that the turnover rate and burnout of foster care workers and foster families is very high.
Becoming An Advocate
A friend first shared The Forgotten Initiative with me and I quickly began to learn from their resources including The Forgotten Podcast. Through their monthly emails, I learned about the advocate volunteer role. At the time, I wasn’t ready to adopt or foster but wanted those things to be a part of my story in the future. One Saturday afternoon I decided to apply and thought to myself, “we’ll see what happens.”
I became a TFI Advocate in the Spring of 2023 and am so grateful for the opportunity to have training from TFI through the beginning stages. The TFI national team has loved and supported me and it’s so encouraging to know they are cheering me on. As an advocate I receive monthly coaching, connection with other advocates, and the help I need as I face joys and challenges in this role.
The past year and a half of ministry with TFI has been stretching but great! It has been encouraging to see the church work to help encourage the foster care families in our church and support the agency workers in our community.
Through being an advocate, I have learned about the ministries that are already established and serving families in our local community.
Overcoming Barriers
At times, I have struggled with feeling like an imposter when supporting foster parents, since I am not one myself, and I have also experienced moments of loneliness in this journey. However, I have found encouragement through various TFI events, where I have seen advocates who are not foster parents making a meaningful impact in their communities. This has reassured me during times when I have felt alone.
To better understand the needs and concerns of foster parents, I have made an effort to listen to foster care stories. One particularly meaningful experience was during a past women’s retreat at my church, where we had dedicated discussions on different life seasons, including foster care and adoption. Listening to women share their experiences in these areas was incredibly helpful for me.
Even in this season of my life, where I may not always feel fully equipped, I trust that the Lord can still use me to serve and support the foster care community.
If you are interested in growing in your love for the foster care community and finding ways to connect your church to caseworkers, I encourage you to apply to be a TFI Advocate.
It has been a sweet opportunity to grow my heart for the foster care community and serve those around me. The Lord has been so faithful through my time as an Advocate and I know He will be faithful to you too. He sees you in your current stage of life and is with you as you serve Him.
Make a difference today.
Your support helps us continue to train Advocates across America to connect churches to local caseworkers, supporting them and sharing with them the redemptive love of Christ. Every contribution–big or small–brings us closer to creating lasting change.
