Over the course of 9 years as foster parents, we had many moments where we felt hopeless. When we fostered teenagers the hopeless feeling intensified because we felt like our words or actions weren’t making a difference. They were, however, and so are yours.

As an 18-year old kid, Tricia Collins did everything in her power to push her new foster parents, Rich and Ruth, away. She smoked, drank, and even engaged in sexual activity, knowing they wouldn’t approve. What she didn’t realize, however, was the depth of their grace and compassion for her. Instead of judging her, criticizing her, or trying to control her, they simply chose to love her.

While that simple act appeared to make little to no difference in Tricia’s life, Rich and Ruth stayed the course. And Tricia’s life changed…at age 38…twenty years later. Today, Tricia is a completely changed woman thanks to two people who chose to love and never give up. On the show, today, we’re sharing the audio of a recent interview that I (Mike) did with Tricia.

Listen to the Podcast.

[powerpress]

Notes and Quotes from the Show.

This ended up being an episode that we could just quote repeatedly, but for the sake of time and space, we had to choose a few powerful take-aways from Tricia’s story.

As we discussed the power change that happened in Tricia’s life, so many years after she first entered into Rich and Ruth’s home, she said this…

[shareable]The sweet thing about redemption is that we never see it coming.   -Tricia Collins[/shareable]

Later on in the interview she discussed how children in foster care are looking for foster parents to be untrustworthy. When I asked Tricia what she would say to current foster parents, this is what she shared…

[shareable]Prove us wrong!   -Tricia Collins[/shareable]

When the child you are caring for is pushing and pushing and looking for you to be untrustworthy…prove them wrong!

Resources and Links.

During today’s show we shared a few links to some amazing upcoming events that we would love to have you join us for.

• Spokane Orphan Summit– If you live in the Pacific-Northwest we would love to see you at the summit happening April 22-23 in Spokane, Washington. To register, click here.
• CAFO Summit– We are really excited to be teaching at this year’s CAFO Summit in sunny Florida. It’s happening May 5-6 in Orlando. To register, click here.
• The Refresh Conference– Tricia’s interview was from the final session of this year’s Refresh Conference in Redmond, Washington. To see a recap of this year’s conference and a photo gallery, visit the official Facebook Page here.

Thanks for checking out today’s episode of The Honestly Speaking Parenting Podcast. If you missed past episodes you can click here to listen, or subscribe on iTunes by clicking here.

[reminder]Are you a weary, overwhelmed foster parent? How has this journey been difficult for you and where are you finding hope?[/reminder]