Stories of Gulf Coast
Stories of those who are following Jesus. Stories of transformed lives.
Stories of everyday missionaries using their God-given gifts to join into the mission of God.
Her Life and Passion to Help Foster-Families
Ashley shares a personal story about her family's involvement in foster care and her own desire to become a foster parent. She discusses the challenges faced by foster children and the importance of supporting foster families. She also highlights the work of Foster the Family, an organization that provides support and resources to foster and adoptive families. Learn how you can get involved in supporting foster care, even if you cannot become foster parents. Ashley has a heart to display the love of Jesus, care for the vulnerable, and to live our gospel mercy as a missional priority.
My favorite family Christmas tradition is a newer one. I know some of you are like, it's August. Why are we talking about Christmas? Ashley, It'll make sense in a minute.
So, this tradition started a few years ago when I sewed coordinating Christmas stockings for my sister's family. And then it's continued every year since. And when I'm lucky, I get a phone call two weeks before Christmas. When I'm less likely, it comes the week of Christmas. But in any case, I get the call.
Ellen, my sister, wants to know how busy I am and do I have a lot going on with the holidays. An Advent and Christmas Eve at church. And oh, by the way, she and her husband are taking in an additional foster child right before the holidays. So could I maybe sew them a stocking that coordinates with everybody else's? And yes, of course, I'm always going to do that.
So, I learn the child's favorite colors and what they like and how old they are. And then I go to the fabric store, which is, you know, really asking a lot of me to go to a fabric store. Everything on my to do list ends up abandoned. So, I can sew this stocking and then I spend approximately three bazillion dollars to rush ship it to Nashville, so it gets there before Christmas Eve so that they not only have a stocking on Christmas morning, but they have a stocking a few days before hanging up with the rest of the families. My sister and brother in law are currently the public face of foster care in my family, but it's not new to us in any way.
My Aunt Susan and Uncle David were adopted from foster care as young children. They'd been separated from other siblings, but the state insisted they be adopted together. And then my mom grew up and went on to be part of the foster care review boards in Iowa and Wisconsin back when the court systems were first experimenting with them. Foster care is a fulfillment of the hospitality to the utmost welcoming, loving and protecting a stranger to the point of making them family. If you don't know, I currently live in Sarasota, but I'm in the process of moving back to Pinellas County.
When that's all said and done, my goal is to complete the licensure process to become a foster parent myself.
For as long as I can remember, I've had a love of foster care and adoption. In college, I learned about the epidemic of kids aging out of foster care. They turn 18 and either reunification hasn't been accomplished, or parental rights were terminated, but they were never adopted. Because of the misconceptions of trauma. It's easier to find foster and adoptive homes for children that are young, cute and generally Caucasian.
I volunteered at the time with an organization that helps these kids aging out of foster care to transition to independent adulthood, with specific focuses on preventing homelessness, which is a major problem, and making college accessible. And at the time I also decided that I specifically wanted to work with middle and high school youth most likely to experience this foster care in our country is hard. There's almost double the number of kids in care as there are homes to take them. There's just not enough. And of the families who do open their home, approximately 50% will close their doors within a year, citing most often due to the lack of suppo
In Florida's 6th Circuit, which is Pinellas and Pasco counties, it's more than a 4 to 1 ratio of kids to homes available. And in Florida, 60% of kids in foster care end up aging out of the system. While foster care is hard, there's a common misconception around it. It doesn't take a special person to foster, it just takes a willing person. And to be clear, it's much harder to be a kid in foster care than it is to be a foster parent.
Last summer, my sister sent me an Instagram post with the news that one of her favorite organizations was expanding into Florida. Foster the Family works to support and encourage foster and adoptive families, mobilize and equip the community and church for foster care and adoption, and advocate for vulnerable children. And funny enough, they launched their first floor to office in the 12th Judicial Circuit, which is Manatee, Desoto and Sarasota counties right where I live. I signed up to help and have been an official volunteer with them since October. I deliver placement packages to kids entering care, babysit at monthly respite care nights, and periodically help with their family events.
oster the Family also provides support groups and trainings for foster and adoptive parents. Foster the family recognizes that not everyone can foster, but we are all called to care for the vulnerable, welcome the stranger and defend the fatherless. And coming along Foster families at the front lines of this mission is a way for everyone to join the mission. In the coming weeks you're going to hear more about Foster Family because they're expanding again, this time into Pinellas and Pasco counties. And what's got me really excited is that we at Gulf Coast are going to partner with them.
Foster the family's work aligns with our missional priorities of Gospel Mercy and Gospel Outreach. I can't wait until they're on our back wall with our missional partners. Google Maps tells me My home in Sarasota is 783 miles from my sister. Unfortunately, that's just a little too far for me to be in my nieces and nephews lives as much as I'd like. It's also about 40 miles from St. Pete, the place where I know I have the support system and network to sustainably foster. So, for now, while I'm in the south end of our area, I sew last minute Christmas stockings and deliver care packages and snuggle babies. I'm not changing the entire world, but I am having an impact on my neighborhood. Jamie Finn, the founder of Foster the Family, says I could be sitting on the sidelines in blissful ignorance of the brokenness that surrounds me, enjoying the wholeness of a sweet and sheltered life, missing out on the beauty of breaking off pieces of my heart and my life to make another whole this fall. Would you prayfully consider how you can get off the sidelines when it comes to foster care?
You might not be called the foster child. That's okay. But can you be part of the village that surrounds kids in care fostering the whole family?
Serving International Students
ReLynn and Aaron Freeman share their experience hosting international students, primarily from Japan. They discuss how this opportunity allows them to share the gospel with these students, either through direct conversations or by modeling a Christian lifestyle. ReLynn highlights the impact that Gulf Coast Community church has had on these students, making them feel welcomed and loved. Kiyori, a former exchange student, expresses gratitude for the warm reception she received and how her experience broadened her understanding of Christianity.
Re’Lynn Freeman
Some of you might remember when Aaron and I, along with some CoMission people, went to China in 2017. When we came back, we were asking God when we could go back and fast forward seven years later...the nations are coming to us. We saw his heart for the nations to make his name known among everybody, every people, every tongue. And it's so beautiful.
We wanted to join in on that.
Most of you know that we host exchange students, and a lot of you have connected with them over the past eight to nine months or so. Kiyori and we had three other girls that went home last month, all from China. And you connected with them. You invited them into your lives and had them over for dinner, super bowl parties, baking nights, talking to them, taking them out to your favorite restaurants, and even the beach.
You impacted them so much. You made them see a love that they've never known. And Japan is one of the most unreached countries in the world, with only 1% of the population identifying as Christian. Millions of people born, live, and die without ever hearing the gospel, without ever having a Christian friend, without ever meeting a Christian. Let me give you some quotes from a recent group.
One of the students said, “I was not expected to be so welcomed at a church and community group. If I were to give advice to new students, it would be to go to church”. Another said, “I feel so accepted. I thought that church was more exclusive. But you guys made me feel like I belong”. You all were part of the amazing experience that they had, and you showed them what God's love looked like. Not all exchange students that we get are from Japan.
We've also had people from Germany, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Russia, and now China. We have the opportunity to give them rides to and from school, eat dinner with them, have fun times and thought-provoking conversations. We want each student to feel like family, even if it's just for a short period of time. And I know that our last group felt that.
Aaron Freeman
So, being that we host female students nowadays, Re’Lynn has most of the opportunity to share the gospel through conversation and going to coffee with the individual students. However, there's still plenty of opportunity. For me, it just looks a little different. How I lead our family is something that they see every day. And fortunately, in some ways, it has made me a better father and a husband.
Things like praying before meals, how I interact with Re’Lynn and the kids, and even how I discipline my kids are all ways that I can share the gospel indirectly by living in a way that expresses my love for my family and guiding them in God's ways. So hopefully, our students get to see what a Christian family is supposed to look like.
As Re’Lynn said, God really has brought international mission to our home, and it's a part of our daily life. Even though we're not in a foreign country, God is sending students to us so that we can participate in reaching the nations. We praise God for the countless ways in which we're able to bear witness to his kingdom. It's not always easy, and in many ways, it's not easy at all. And it's inconvenient at times, but it's definitely worth it.
We get to plant seeds of the gospel and pray that God continues his work when our students return home.
Kiyori
The first time I came here, when I came to this church for the first time, I came here curious and I'm interested in the church. And however, it was my routine to go to church every Sunday, by coming here almost every Sunday, I can feel deeply by coming here and the people in church.
People in church are so kind and friendly.
Most of Japanese people have never been to church, and they don't know what Christianity is exactly.
Through studying abroad, I knew the importance of church and how wonderful Christianity is. And also, I thought I was able to broaden my horizon. I appreciate to be able to have a wonderful and valuable experience here. And this is the last time for me. This is the last time for me to come to church while studying abroad in the future.
I’ll come back here, and I will see you again. Yes. Thank you.
Aaron Freeman
All that to say please pray for us that God will strengthen us and give us endurance for this mission that we have before us. Pray that our students will see the light of Christ and believe and that they in turn will share the light with others. Thank you all.
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