Host Sandra Flach is a mom of 8 children, 5 through adoption—one kinship and 4 international. Her youngest 2 are teens diagnosed with a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). With over 30 years of parenting experience and 20 plus years as an adoptive and kinship parent, she’s made mountains of mistakes and learned loads of lessons. She understands the difficult road of parenting children with trauma histories—and she is still in the trenches! The Adoption & Foster Care Journey is a podcast to encourage, educate, and equip you to care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care, and kinship care. We aim to support adoptive and foster families by sharing encouraging real-life stories and equipping them with modern-day research and parenting techniques.
Episodes
Monday Jan 11, 2021
Monday Jan 11, 2021
“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.” 2 Thessalonians 1:11
According to the scriptures, all believers are called to care for orphans and the vulnerable among us. While not every family is called to foster or adopt, those that do step out in faith find that God equips them for the journey—even if it feels more like on-the-job training.
Most parents raising children with trauma histories would agree, it’s the hardest work they’ve ever had to do but also the most rewarding. Adoptive mom and veteran homeschooler, Linda Nasman, agrees. Linda and her husband have raised four biological sons before adopting three children from Ukraine.
Linda shares her story of adoption and raising and homeschooling children with FASD, on this week’s episode of our Orphans No More podcast. Tune in and hear Linda share how she’s learned to walk by faith and parent with patience.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Adoption in the Rearview Mirror - book
Monday Jan 04, 2021
Monday Jan 04, 2021
“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16
January is Sanctity of Human Life Month. We believe that adoption and the sanctity of life are deeply woven biblical principles. In honor of both life and adoption, we are featuring adoptive parents, Pastor Rick and Heather Hanna, on our first January 2021 episode of our Orphans No More podcast.
The Hanna’s have three grown biological children, three children adopted internationally, and one medically fragile daughter adopted domestically. Listen in as they share about the sanctity of human life, adoption, and homeschooling their large family.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Monday Dec 28, 2020
Monday Dec 28, 2020
“On coming to the house, they (the Magi) saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew 2:11
After the birth of Christ, the Wise Men presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold represented royalty, frankincense signified Jesus’s role as High Priest, and myrrh—used for embalming, was a prophetic gift for it was used to anoint the body of Jesus after his death on the cross.
As we enter 2021, what can we take away from these three gifts to re-gift back to Jesus? We can bring Him our worship, our focus, and our relationships—beginning with our relationship with Him.
The gifts the Wise Men presented to Christ were rare, valuable, and intentionally chosen. This week, on our Orphans No More podcast, host Sandra Flach challenges listeners to be intentional about investing in our most precious treasures—our relationship with Jesus and with others. These are the greatest gifts we can present to our King.
Monday Dec 21, 2020
Monday Dec 21, 2020
“This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 1 John 4:9
On Christmas, God sent his Son, born in a manger, as the greatest gift of all. The gift of Christ is the greatest demonstration of love to each of us.
The fourth episode in our Orphans No More Podcast Advent series focuses on love, not romantic love, all warm and fuzzy because we feel it from our fingers to our toes. But Real love. Love expressed when we don’t feel like demonstrating it. Love when we’re weary from sibling squabbles, meltdowns, sensory issues, and virtual school and therapies…but we show up anyway.
This is the sacrificial love God sent as the greatest gift ever given. We received this love when we received Christ. And if you’ve received Christ, you have the power to love like God—sacrificially, when you’re not loved back and when you don’t feel like it. This is the love that transforms lives, homes, and the world.
This week, as we celebrate the arrival of the Gift—we pray you will receive it, put it on, wear it, and wrap it around everyone you know. We pray you and your family enjoy a very Merry Christmas.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
How to Have Peace When Your Kids are in Chaos - book
25 Days of Thriving Through Christmas-An Advent Devotional for Foster & Adoptive Parents
Monday Dec 14, 2020
Monday Dec 14, 2020
“I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” Luke 2:10-11
Where do you get your news from? Throughout 2020, between Covid-19 and the election—merely turning on the TV news could send us into despair. But the shepherds received news that will bring great joy to all people—the Savior, the Messiah had arrived!
The third episode in our Orphans No More Podcast Advent series focuses on how we can experience this good news of great joy—even during this crazy-Covid-Christmas season.
In episode #251, host Sandra Flach, unpacks the theme of joy woven throughout Luke 2. Discover how you can experience the joy of the Lord throughout the holiday season and into 2021.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
How to Have Peace When Your Kids are in Chaos - book
25 Days of Thriving Through Christmas-An Advent Devotional for Foster & Adoptive Parents
Dwelling Places—Words to Live By, by Lucinda Secrest McDowell
Monday Dec 07, 2020
Monday Dec 07, 2020
“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace…”
Isaiah 9:6
The second episode in our Orphans No More Podcast Advent series focuses on how we can experience peace during this crazy-Covid-Christmas season.
Advent means “the arrival.” By now, we’re all anxious to say good-bye to 2020 and hello 2021—hoping the new year will bring peace, joy, and love.
In episode #250, host Sandra Flach, dives into the first chapter of Luke to discover where true peace comes from. We can all learn a little something from a teenage girl who experienced an unplanned pregnancy two-thousand years ago.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
How to Have Peace When Your Kids are in Chaos - book
25 Days of Thriving Through Christmas-An Advent Devotional for Foster & Adoptive Parents
Dwelling Places—Words to Live By, by Lucinda Secrest McDowell
Empowered Parent Podcast/One Big Happy Home Podcast
Sunday Nov 29, 2020
Sunday Nov 29, 2020
“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine…For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace…” Isaiah 9:2, 6
Christmas trees are up, homes are decorated, and Christmas music is streaming—all before Thanksgiving. It appears everyone is in need of the joy and hope Christmas brings.
For the month of December, we’re offering a 4-part Orphans No More podcast series inspired by the season of Advent. Advent means the arrival. Most of us are anxious for the departure of 2020 and the arrival of 2021. But first we have to navigate this crazy Covid Christmas season. To guide you on your journey, we offer our Advent series focused on hope, peace, joy, and love—specifically for foster and adoptive parents.
The first Advent episode focuses on the thrill of hope.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Monday Nov 23, 2020
Monday Nov 23, 2020
Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Colossians 4:2
As November 2020 and National Adoption Awareness month come to a close, we’d like to take the time to be thankful, stay educated, and arm ourselves with prayer. On this week’s episode of our Orphans No More podcast, host Sandra Flach, unpacks Colossians 4:2.
A mom of eight children, five through adoption, Sandra shares a personal update of gratitude for some 2020 blessings she and her family have experienced. In an effort to be alert and educated in trauma parenting and FASD, she shares parenting tips for caregivers of children with an FASD. Sandra rounds out the episode with a prayer for foster and adoptive parents.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Monday Nov 16, 2020
Monday Nov 16, 2020
When we allow ourselves to be in close proximity to poverty and pain, God can break our hearts. With broken hearts, we are in a position to do justice.
Kristin Langrehr and her husband, Trent, visited Haiti several times. Their proximity to orphans and their belief in the Gospel notion of adoption, led them to adopt. After a five-year wait, the Langrehr’s brought home two young sons from Haiti.
Kristen, a social worker and child advocate, believes the local church is the bridge between children and families in crisis and community supports. In her efforts to bridge that gap, Kristen helped to launch CarePortal in Baldwin County, Alabama. She’s now also an Area Director for CarePortal in Florida. Her role there is to connect child welfare agencies with churches to meet the needs of children in FL.
On this week’s National Adoption Month episode of our Orphans No More podcast, host Sandra Flach, sits down with Kristin Langrehr to discuss how the church can enter into the brokenness of children in crisis. Listen in to their conversation about adoption and CarePortal in this episode.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Monday Nov 09, 2020
Monday Nov 09, 2020
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
What’s it like growing up adopted and struggling though life with challenges you thought were because you were adopted? Then, as an adult, you receive a diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). This is the life experience of adult adoptee, Rebecca Tillou.
Rebecca shares her story in her book, Tenacity. She describes navigating awkward relationships throughout high school, difficulty managing college pressures, and balancing marriage, children and career—all with an FASD. While she views her adoption as positive, Rebecca also details her search for her birth family.
On this week’s National Adoption Month episode of our Orphans No More podcast, host Sandra Flach, sits down with Rebecca Tillou. Listen in to their transparent conversation about adoption and FASD from the perspective of the adoptee.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Positive Adoption Podcast