Why Not Foster? Pastor Jason Eaton Shares His Story
My name is Jason Eaton. I’m the Campus Pastor at Southland Christian Church’s Lexington Campus. In 2017, my wife and I began a simple discussion about wanting to have more children. We already had two biological kids, but there was a desire to add to our family. We had never considered fostering but had always been open to adoption. My wife nonchalantly mentioned, “Would you ever consider fostering?” A resounding “absolutely” came out of me that surprised us both! Neither of us had any idea what fostering would entail, but we had confidence that the Lord was calling us to own and live out the Biblical mandate to “take care of widows and orphans” (James 1:27). After finishing the process of paperwork and training, we received our first placement. Our life was forever changed!
Becoming a foster family immediately threw us into an eye-opening education. First, we learned the urgent need for more foster parents. We learned the hard stories of local families that are desperate for help. We learned about the joys and struggles of other foster parents. Most importantly, we learned about the heart of God the Father: “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” (Ephesians 1:5, NLT) While our family couldn’t provide for every need on our own, we knew we were called to step into the process. Not everyone is called to have a child in their home, but we can all do something!
This is the heart behind our partnership with Orphan Care Alliance.
We can all encourage and pray for a foster parent regularly.
Some could provide respite care for foster parents, so they can go on a date or just get a break.
Some could be a mentor for a child who is about to age out of the system.
Some have room in their hearts and homes to provide a safe and loving family for a child.
Some could adopt a child looking for a forever family.
My hope in bringing the Rise Event to the Southland Christian Church Lexington Campus is to provide information to our community, so we can all do something. Most of us have a Hollywood perception of foster care that romanticizes the most difficult of situations. My prayer is that this event will bring a spotlight to the real needs and offer us all some tangible ways to make a real difference in the lives of Kentucky orphans.