I am so excited to be sharing this episode! My guest today has such a powerful story that needs to be shared. Born in India, Shreya Ramachandran was brought to the U.S. at only two years old. She struggled with her identity and culture growing up. She lost her father when she was 10 years old. After this, a series of events led her into foster care where she ultimately had to testify against her mother and her abuser in court. And through it all, God’s presence and His Word were the anchors that kept her grounded. Her story inspired me, and I look forward to hearing how it impacts you as well.
HERE ARE 3 TAKEAWAYS FROM TODAY’S CONVERSATION:
1. Children in foster care constantly experience a conflict of emotions.
Not only did Shreya experience a conflict between her Indian heritage and Western culture growing up, but also once she entered foster care, she felt a conflict of emotions towards her mother. All at once, she felt safe when the police showed up, she missed her mom, she felt confused, and so much more. The range of emotions are deep and they’re so confusing.
“I missed my mom even though she hurt me.”
2. Foster care is about stepping into brokenness, not pulling children into a utopia.
What Shreya appreciates most about her adoptive parents is that they never put pressure on her to heal quickly. They don’t expect her to forget about her biological mom. They don’t expect her to not have baggage. They simply walk alongside her through her brokenness. This is such a good reminder for all of us as we care for children with difficult stories.
“Parents have to learn to step into a child’s brokenness and walk with them, no matter how long or slow that journey is.”
3. God is near and He is with us in every situation.
Shreya had so much on her shoulders. She says, “When the abuse was at its worst, I remember feeling so hopeless and having nothing else to turn to than getting on my knees to pray.” She experienced abuse. She lost her father. She felt abandoned by her mother. She had to testify against her mom and abuser in court. She was moving from home to home. But through it all, the truth that kept her grounded was that God never left her. For all of us, the journey is filled with brokenness, but God is present with us through it all.
“God is still present in every situation. He did see us, and He did answer.”
RESOURCES FROM TODAY’S SHOW
Meet Our Guest
Shreya Ramachandran was born in India and brought to the United States when she was two years old. After her dad passed away when she was ten years old, a series of events took place that placed her and her sister in foster care, and ultimately led to their adoption. Today, she is a student at Moody Bible Institute studying Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) with the hopes of pursuing global missions. She is an advocate for the great eternal impacts people can make by partnering with God through the ministry of foster care.
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