Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast!

In this episode, my special guest is the founder of The Mission Driven Mom and creator of the MDM Academy: Audrey Rindlisbacher. Audrey’s world was turned upside down when she, at the time a mother to four kids herself, decided to foster her cousin’s four children, ages ranging from twelve years old to newborn. In this conversation, we unpack her story, this incredible experience, and how God led her to utter faithfulness.

Specifically, I ask Audrey how to cope with the weariness that comes from this calling. When Audrey was at her lowest point, she turned to God like she never had before and was completely changed. Audrey encourages moms to seek resources, fill their needs, and especially fulfill their spiritual needs like prayer.

Here are a few key take aways:

• Foster and adoptive parenting can be incredibly challenging and rewarding.
• Prayer is a powerful tool for finding clarity and strength.
• Self-care is essential for caregivers to effectively support children.
• The feelings of love often stem from actions of love.
• God's plan may not always align with our expectations, but it is always good.
• Community support can make a significant difference in the foster care journey.
• Being a foster parent requires vulnerability and courage.
• Every child in foster care has a unique story and needs.
• Sometimes when God says “No” it can be scary, and we have to trust His plan.

Want to keep Christian Parenting going? The network is listener-supported! Consider giving an end-of-year gift that provides resources to Christian parents. Check out cpgive.org

Check out Audrey’s amazing resources at https://www.themissiondrivenmom.com/

Listen to her podcast: click here

Check out the Mission Driven Mom Academy: click here

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com. I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast!

In this episode, Jill Marier joins me on the podcast to discuss the need for fostering medically fragile children. Jill has a rather unique family, and in her words she says “we get stares.” They have a large household full of children that are adopted, biological, and fostering, many of them are medically fragile. Jill’s heart was moved to medically fragile kids after her biological son JoJo was born with cerebral palsy. He is non-verbal and confined to a wheelchair. Going through this experience, Jill’s heart broke for all the kids with these medical hardships without any parents or guardians to walk through it with them. They’re alone and often abandoned because of their medical needs.

Not only did Jill and her husband begin to foster and adopt many of these children, and the need is so great, but they started a non-profit farm which has wheelchair accessibility. The farm is a safe space for parents to bring their medically fragile children to have fun with some animals.

Together in our conversation, we unpack the fears surrounding foster care and adoption with medically fragile children: “I’m not qualified” or “I’ll be too attached” or “What if they die?” and more. These fears are lies from the enemy to keep you from following God’s calling. Jill and Somer do not shy away from the hard things but God is with you always.

Here are a few key take aways:

• Every child deserves a loving family, regardless of their medical needs.
• Foster care can be a rewarding but challenging journey.
• It's important to overcome fears and say “yes” to fostering if God calls you.
• Daily life with medically fragile children involves careful planning and routine.
• Community support is crucial for families in foster care.
• Loss and grief are part of the foster care experience.
• Building connections with nonverbal children is possible and rewarding.
• Creating inclusive spaces for children with special needs is essential.
• Setting boundaries is necessary to maintain family dynamics in foster care.

You can check out Christian Parenting’s gift guide by clicking here.

You can learn more about the Mad Hatter Farm on their website: https://www.madhatterfarm.org/

And on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madhatterfarmandrescue

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com. I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast!

In this episode, I am helping you better understand embryo adoption. IVF treatments have risen in popularity as desperate families seek to get pregnant, but the process comes at a great cost— and not just financially, but also emotionally, mentally, and even spiritually as families navigate what to do with excess embryos. Because the success rate is so small, facilities will create more embryos than a couple may necessarily want to carry and raise. There are a few options for these embryos: adoption (which I highlight) or termination or scientific experimentation. This is an extremely heavy decision for the parents to make.

Embryo adoption is where an adoptive mother has the embryo placed inside her to carry to term, if successful. There are some factors to this adoption which are different from a traditional one: in utero bonding and potentially breastfeeding. (A newborn adoption could also involve breastfeeding, but it is a different process to achieve this.)

Through this episode, I seek to make you aware of all the different factors of embryo adoption, what it is, and what is happening with so many families in the IVF process.

There is plenty of controversy even in Christian circles on this topic and I seek to approach it with information and empathy. There are countless little lives frozen right now, waiting for homes.

Here are a few key take aways:

• Embryo adoption is a process of placing fertilized embryos with adoptive parents.
• The IVF process can lead to difficult decisions regarding surplus embryos.
• Success rates for embryo adoption can be as high as 59%.
• Embryo adoption allows for biological siblings to be raised together.
• The financial cost of embryo adoption is generally lower than traditional adoption.
• There are emotional challenges and grief associated with embryo adoption.
• The process requires legal documentation and a home study.
• Adoptive parents can bond with the child during pregnancy.
• Controversies exist regarding the ethics of IVF and embryo adoption.
• Seeking God's guidance is essential in the decision-making process.

You can check out Christian Parenting’s gift guide by clicking here.

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com. I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast!

In this episode, I am joined by a joyful and light-filled author, speaker, and mom: Alice Matagora. Alice shares her story about a painful waiting process, depending on God’s promises. Inspired by this waiting journey, as a new mom Alice wrote the book, “You Are My Miracle”. All children are a miracle from God and this book helps us affirm this truth over our children. Through our conversation, we discuss the miracle it is to be a parent, to raise our kids, and the challenges of the waiting process till that child enters our life.

Here are a few key take aways:

• Waiting can be emotionally taxing and filled with uncertainty.
• There can be a lot of grief in infertility.
• It's important to seek God during times of waiting and uncertainty.
• Community support is crucial for those going through infertility or adoption processes.
• Every child is a miracle, regardless of how they come into a family.
• The journey of waiting can lead to personal growth and deeper faith.
• Parents should communicate to their children how loved and wanted they are.
• It's essential to remember the struggles of waiting even after fulfillment.
• Hope is a continuous journey, not just a destination.

Connect more with Alice on Instagram and Facebook.

Check out her website to learn more!

Here is her book referenced in this episode, “You Are My Miracle”

You can check out Christian Parenting’s gift guide by clicking here.

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com. I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast!

In this episode, I am joined by the amazing and inspiring Jamie Finn. Jamie is an author and busy mom to both biological and adopted children, and their family has been fostering for years. She is also the founder and president of Foster the Family, a national nonprofit that serves vulnerable children and the families welcoming them, as well as the founder of the Filled Gathering, the largest gathering of foster and adoptive moms in the world.

Together, we discuss adopting children from foster care. There is a huge stigma against foster kids, being labeled as “problematic” and an underlying fear that you can’t handle their pain and trauma. There is also the fear of becoming attached to a foster child only for them to be reunified, even though reunification is the first priority of foster care. There are many more fears and apprehensions, so how do we face them as Christians, standing on God’s Word and His calling for us to care for “the least of these”?

One big point is we are all called to love these kids, but that doesn’t mean everyone is called to adoption or fostering. You can start by supporting those who already are! This may be a small thing but it is huge to the families who desperately need this support and community. And if God does call you into this, you may find yourself with support and community because you served others. Another key point Jamie and I discuss is surrendering to God in this calling. You have no control over what happens and that may be scary but it strengthens your faith. There is also so much beauty in adoption because God has adopted us.

Here are a few key takeaways:

• Foster care is a mission that requires commitment.
• Fear is a natural response to the unknown in foster care.
• Preparation is key, but you can never be fully ready.
• Reunification is the priority, but permanency is also important.
• Grief is a complex emotion in foster care.
• God's love is constant, even in brokenness.
• Community support is essential for foster families.
• Surrendering control is a part of the journey.
• Children need to see a model of unconditional love.

Connect more with Jamie on Instagram or her website.

Check out Jamie’s book: Foster the Family: Encouragement, Hope, and Practical Help for the Christian Foster Parent

Check out Jamie’s new book for foster kids: God Loves Kids: A Gospel-Centered Book About Foster Care

You can check out Christian Parenting’s gift guide by clicking here.

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com. I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast!

In this episode, I am joined by Leah Brandon Akannam and Brian Murphy from the Gift of Adoption Fund. One of the biggest things stopping people from pursuing adoption is the cost. Resources like the Gift of Adoption Fund are here to bridge the gap and take down this barrier to a child finding their home.

We discuss the different ways the fund helps various circumstances from traditional adoption to kinship, foster-to-adopt, and even adult adoptees. Leah and Brian also share stories from the families impacted by this resource. Brian highlights that while their organization does a lot, there are plenty of funds out there as well, and the biggest thing is spreading awareness about these resources so children can find a home. Brian emphasizes that if this is something God has laid on your heart, He will ultimately provide the financial support you need to bring the child home–all you have to do is answer the call.

Here are a few key takeaways:

• Over 2 million families in the US are waiting to adopt.
• 81% of potential adopters cite high costs as a barrier.
• Gift of Adoption has awarded over $22 million in grants.
• Adoption costs can range from $25,000 to $50,000 for domestic adoptions.
• Foster care adoptions typically have no costs for families.
• Gift of Adoption provides grants from $1,000 to $15,000.
• Families should apply for assistance as soon as their home study is complete.
• There are no strict income limits for eligibility; each case is assessed individually.
• The organization has programs for young adults aging out of foster care.
• Crowdfunding grants are available to help families raise funds for adoption.

The Gift of Adoption Fund website: https://giftofadoption.org/

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com. I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast!

In this episode, I am joined by the founder of Finally Home: Kristin Orphan. Finally Home exists to walk alongside foster, adoptive, and kinship families with faith-rooted resources that bring hope, healing, and strength. They are a national non-profit that provide tools, courses, resources and community to families so they can find connection and confidence every day.

Kristin was inspired to start Finally Home after her own adoption journey and being devastated by the calling. God called her and her family to this but that didn’t make it easy. There was a lot of sacrifice, heartache, and learning through her journey–in fact, the journey isn’t over even though her children are adults! In this conversation, we discuss how God brings encouragement when you’re discouraged or depressed.

Here are a few key takeaways:

• The importance of unity in marriage when considering adoption.
• Adoption is a lifelong commitment that requires ongoing support and learning.
• Resilience is key in parenting adopted children, especially through challenges.
• Community support is crucial for families navigating adoption.
• Trauma-informed care focuses on relational connection with children.
• Distraction techniques can help manage challenging behaviors in children.
• Parents should seek to understand their child's unique needs and responses.
• It's important to give children a voice in family decisions without placing the burden of choice on them.
• The journey of adoption can lead to personal transformation for parents.
• God is WITH you in this calling!

Learn more about Finally Home and access all their parenting courses and more at https://finallyhome.net/

Email and mention Called to Love so the team can connect with you: info@finallyhome.net

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com. I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast!

In this episode, I am joined by Hally Wells. Hally Wells is speaker, author, and mental health advocate. After struggling with infertility, Hally and her husband had their biological child, but following a miscarriage she felt God place adoption on her heart. She is now the mother of bio, step, and adopted children, and advocates for their mental health and the mental health of parents too.

Hally discusses what things to look out for in our adopted and fostered kids, some of the warning signs, and unique struggles they may face with identity. We also discuss the need for support, resources, counseling, and strong communication with your children. Hally brings up that adoptive parents can also experience trauma which is why it is important to take care of yourself too, so you can be a calm, strong presence in your child’s life.

Here are a few key takeaways:

• Mental health concerns in youth have escalated, especially post-COVID.
• Adopted children often experience grief and identity issues.
• Trauma impacts all adopted children, even from in utero and birth.
• Parents should be aware of signs of mental health struggles in their children.
• Support groups for adoptive parents can provide essential encouragement.
• Cultural heritage plays a crucial role in a child's identity and mental health.
• Open communication is vital for adopted children to express their feelings.
• Counseling can be beneficial for both children and parents.
• Understanding the unique challenges of adopted children is essential for effective parenting.

Learn more about Hally Wells on her website here: https://www.hallyjwells.com/

The book Hally recommends, “The Anxious Generation”

Another book she recommends, “The Deepest Well”

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com. I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!