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 Dec 09, 2019
Monday Dec 09, 2019
This time of year we could all use some peace and quiet from all the holiday hustle and bustle. But that’s not the kind of peace our souls really crave. Jesus came to bring us a way to have peace with God. If you’re not experiencing peace than you may be in need the peace of God. The peace of God is the contentment we have when our faith is in God in an otherwise peace-less situation.
Check out our Orphans No More podcast series on Advent. On this week’s episode, Advent: Choose Peace, host Sandra Flach shares about choosing peace. No matter what is going on around us, we can have peace because we have Christ in us. The Prince of Peace lives in our hearts.
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. 2 Thessalonians 3:16
Monday Dec 02, 2019
Monday Dec 02, 2019
Advent is a time to remember hope, peace, joy, and love as we celebrate the first arrival of Christ. The hustle and bustle of the holiday season can crowd out the real reason for the season. To encourage and inspire you to press into Jesus this holiday season, we have produced a series of four Advent episodes for our Orphans No More podcast. The first in the line up focuses on hope.
God’s people experienced 400 years of silence before the New Testament dawned with the light of Christ - our true source of hope, peace, joy and love. God may have been silent to the people, but behind the scenes of eternity He was at work preparing the stage for the entrance of His Son.
Maybe you’re walking through a time of waiting and it seems God is silent. What you’ve hoped for has not yet happened. Your situation feels impossible.
In Luke 1:37 the angel says to Mary, “For with God nothing is impossible.” Podcast host, Sandra Flach experienced God doing the impossible. Thirteen years ago she spent an entire Christmas season in Ukraine facing some impossible adoption challenges. Tune in to hear how God filled her with hope and sustained her through difficulties. Listen to the podcast here.
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness—Isaiah 9:2.
As you go throughout the busy holiday season, press into the Light of Christ. He will fill you with hope.
Tuesday Nov 26, 2019
Tuesday Nov 26, 2019
We all experience suffering throughout life. Jesus even assured us we would experiencer trials and tribulations. Still, we question God’s goodness and His love for us when we walk through dark times.
According to 1 Peter 4:12-14, suffering is quite normal: “Dear Friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad, for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.”
This week, on our Orphans No More podcast we talk with pastor, counselor, adoptive dad, and author - Bruce Martin. Bruce joins us to share his story of suffering which includes two failed adoptions. He also shares insights from his book, Desperate For Hope - Hanging on and Finding God During Life’s Hardest Times.
Find this episode of Orphans No More here.
Bruce’s book can be found wherever good books are sold as well as on his website BruceWMartin.com.
Monday Nov 18, 2019
Monday Nov 18, 2019
Monday Nov 11, 2019
Monday Nov 11, 2019
Christians are uniquely equipped for the foster care mission field. Jesus charges us to love our neighbor. Children in crisis and struggling parents are our neighbors.
Whether we foster, adopt, or provide encouragement and support, as believers we are all called to care. On this week’s Orphans No More podcast we talk with foster mom, Evelyn Rice. Evelyn and her husband got involved in foster care with a plan to adopt one baby and then get out. That’s not what happened.
To hear Evelyn’s inspiring story check out our podcast here. Learn more about foster care and find a listing of local foster agencies click here.
Tuesday Nov 05, 2019
Tuesday Nov 05, 2019
Jesse is creating a culture of adoption in his church and compelling other pastors to do the same. Psalm 68:5-6 proclaims God is the father to the fatherless and He sets the lonely in families. It’s time for the body of Christ to wake up and be about the Father’s business.
Join us for the podcast and hear what Grace Community Church is doing for Orphan Sunday and beyond. You can also learn about how they are mobilizing the Church at everyfosterchild.com. Pastor Jesse is available to talk with pastors about standing for orphans and foster kids. Contact him at jbradley@graceinauburn.com.
Tuesday Oct 29, 2019
Tuesday Oct 29, 2019
Christian recording artist and Dove Award winner, Mark Schultz, is a passionate voice for the orphan. He’s written songs about adoption and even peddled a bike from Washington to Maine to raise awareness and funds to help vulnerable children. Mark uses his talents to advocate for the least of these. On November 10, 2019, he will be performing an Orphan Sunday concert in Lutz, FL.
Mark’s passion is rooted in his history. He was an orphan adopted at two weeks old. His story has come full circle as he’s now an adoptive dad. Mark and his wife, Kate, are parents of two biological boys and two adopted girls. One daughter adopted from China and one adopted through the same agency Mark was adopted through.
Our own Sandra Flach recently recorded an interview with Mark for our Orphans No More podcast. Listen in and hear Mark’s story and find out how you can be a voice for the orphan too. Start by praying for ONE Child in foster care today. Learn more about the One Child Campaign and Orphan Sunday here.
Thursday Oct 24, 2019
Thursday Oct 24, 2019
Brave souls who embark on the journey of foster care or adoption step into the adventure believing they have all the right tools for the job. It doesn’t take long for parents to find themselves in a world where their tools don’t fit - kinda like using American standard measurement tools for a job with metric system measurements. Traditional parenting tools that might work with biological children do not work on children with trauma backgrounds. Children who have spent any time in the U.S. foster care system or in an orphanage overseas have trauma in their history.
Adoptive mom, Kathleen Guire, knows good hearted, well intentioned foster and adoptive parents may also be ill-equipped for the most important job of their lives. Kathleen wrote the handbook, How to Have Peace When Your Kids are in Chaos - For Foster & Adoptive Parents as a resource for families struggling with the unique challenges involved in parenting kids from hard places. She has also created an online companion course with 7 video modules to train parents with the tools that actually fit the job.
Listen to our conversation with Kathleen Guire as we discuss why she wrote the book and how to use it on our Orphans No More podcast here. Kathleen also hosts The Whole House Podcast which can be found here. Below is a list of books written by Kathleen. All are found on Amazon.com, Barnes and Nobel, and wherever good books are sold.
How to Have Peace When Your Kids are in Chaos - For Foster & Adoptive Parents
A Positive Adoption Story
Five Things - For Adoptive & Foster Families
Defining Home
Monday Oct 14, 2019
Monday Oct 14, 2019
The Word of God makes it clear that believers are to care for the orphan, defend the fatherless, and meet the needs of the least, the lost, and the lonely. Justice For Orphans is all about advocating for Christians to adopt and/or foster vulnerable children. We have actually seen families respond to this call, but sadly only a small percentage (around 3%) actually bring children into their homes through adoption or foster care. This leaves us asking, what about the 97%? Are they off the hook? Nope! Nada! Not at all! Scripture makes it clear that we are all called to care - not just care about but to care for as in do something.
So what can you do? We offer some very easy but very specific steps in this week’s Orphans No More podcast with guest, Don Stoffel. Don is an Orphan Sunday Coordinator in Western NY and a Central Regional Director for Every Child Ministry. Join us as we discuss how vital it is for volunteers to wrap around families, how observing Orphan Sunday goes beyond just 1 day of the year, and how we can transform the foster care system here in New York through a *weekly prayer call. Listen in and be inspired to do something!
*To participate in the weekly prayer call for NY contact Don Stoffel at don@every-child.com.
Wednesday Oct 09, 2019
Wednesday Oct 09, 2019
When Tina and Randy Kacirek traveled to Ukraine in 2004 to adopt their daughter Grace, they had no idea how it would change their lives. Out of fear they said “yes” to the screeching, sickly 15 month old and brought her home. Through Grace the Kacirek’s eyes were opened to the horrific plight of special needs children in overseas orphanages.
Tina could no longer sleep at night knowing that children with special needs who did not get adopted ended up in adult mental institutions even though they were just school aged. The Kacirek’s put their faith into action and adopted 4 more special needs children from Eastern Europe. Along the way they established Grace Haven Families, a ministry that creates healing environments and support for orphans and adoptive families. Children who have been institutionalized have very unique needs and their families need support on their parenting journey, Grace Haven provides that community.
Tina Kacirek is one of the 28 featured authors in the book Hope For the Adoption Journey by Katherine Piper. Her story is featured in Chapter 2 and is entitled “Grace Found.” You can also listen to our conversation with Tina on our Orphans No More podcast right on this website by clicking here.