Love Without Guarantees — The Heart of Foster Care

Host: Elly Marroquin
Guests: Mark & Janine Forrester

Description:
When you say yes to foster care, you’re saying yes to uncertainty—and to love anyway. In this episode, Mark &Janine Forrester share their honest, faith-filled journey through fostering and adoption: the emotional highs and lows, the waiting seasons, and the ways God showed up in every unknown.

They talk about how community makes all the difference, what it means to advocate for a child’s best interest, and how to hold onto hope when the process feels heavy.

Because foster care isn’t about having it all figured out—it’s about showing up with open hands and a willing heart.

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TIME STAMPS:
00:00:00 Welcome & Meet Mark & Janine
00:02:06 Why Foster Care Was Always Part of Their Story
00:04:40 Starting the Process & Getting Licensed
00:08:45 Letting Go of Control & Trusting God
00:10:28 Faith, Family, and the Power of Love
00:13:29 Preparing Your Family for a New Child
00:17:00 Finding Support & Building Community
00:22:28 The Gift of Respite Care
00:25:28 Pitfalls, Grace & Growth Along the Way
00:26:38 Scriptures That Anchored Their Journey
00:29:27 When You Feel Like Giving Up
00:32:51 Adoption as a Reflection of God’s Grace
00:36:39 Strengthening Marriage & Serving with Compassion
00:38:37 Prayer for Foster & Adoptive Families
00:40:57 Closing Thoughts

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