Catie Lumpkin and her husband Jamie began fostering about nine years ago. At the time, they had three young sons (age 4, 2 and 1) and had been considering adoption. They had the opportunity to love on a mother in crisis for a period of time and soon after, Jamie mentioned the option of becoming foster parents. Catie said no at first, but her heart was changed as they became more involved in seeking to improve those in need in their city. They have fostered more than 80 children since then, and recently adopted two of those children and welcomed their fourth biological son to the family. Catie shares tips and suggestions for making the transition to the school year go as smoothly as possible for children who have experienced trauma.
Because caring for the orphan is a deep concern on God’s heart, Jenn Ranter wanted to provide support for these families, so that they felt loved and cared for. She founded Replanted Ministry because she wanted to create a community where both the parents/foster parents could feel safe and vulnerable and be able to share their honest feelings and emotions without judgment. Families who are in the trenches of dealing with trauma can offer this support to other families—parents and children alike.