Have you ever tried to make a difference for children in foster care? Maybe you started by joining a small group at church, maybe you donated clothes to a foster care closet, maybe you took a meal over to those folks at church who had just become foster parents. It started with a simple yes. All you did was come in for a closer look -- and now looking back -- you realize that your simple yes is leading you to something much bigger. 
In the state of Oklahoma, the number of children in foster care has dramatically decreased over the past few years. This change has stemmed from many individuals, like Misty Seale and Chris Campbell with the 111 Project, who understand the power of a simple ‘yes’. Chris and Misty have been witness to the large transformations occurring for children, homes, and lives across their state that all started with individuals and their small ‘yes’.

The Power of Saying Yes: How one small word leads to big change

How do we define success when working with people who are experiencing hard things? Sometimes we have in our mind this idyllic image of what success looks like and how fast we ought to be able to get there. It might be tied to quarterly progress reports, numbers, growth charts. While there is nothing wrong with that, today we are going to consider what it looks like to trust the Lord and focus on the primary job that He gave us in scripture - to love people well. 
Our incredible guests today are Salt Wall and Chelsea Geyer. They each draw on their work with vulnerable families and their personal lives to share their perspective on defining success and loving the people around them.

Love, Don't Fix: Redefining success in foster care

In foster care we get the chance to partner with new people. Sometimes those people feel so different from us that we wonder how we can possibly work together, much less become friends.
Today’s episode takes us from talking about an unlikely friendship between a terrier and a miniature horse to talking with Jedd Medefind, Dr. Sharen Ford, and Helen Parks about the incredible things that can happen when the Church comes alongside the state to support children and families.

Better Together: Navigating Church and state partnerships

John Buultjens shares the powerful story of his journey from enduring childhood in an abusive home, to spending time in juvenile detention and foster care, to meeting and experiencing the love of his foster and adoptive parents, and to later finding purpose and joy in his passion for BMX riding. He also discusses the newly-released film, The Ride, and shares a preview of this inspirational movie based on the events of John’s own life.

BONUS: Against All Odds with John Buultjens

Join us today and hear stories today about Christmas parties, pancakes, prayers, mentors, and meals that became so much more. We will hear from leaders and advocates who knew that first meeting the tangible needs of children and families was important, but also imagined that meeting a tangible need didn't have to be the end of the story. A bike, a bunk bed, a prayer can lead to families being cared for, and children being loved and cared for in families.

More Than Pancakes: When stuff is so much more than stuff

What happens when we see the problems of foster care not just as potholes that someone else should take care of, but as opportunities to create something beautiful, in the exact place that needs it most?  What if instead of pointing out potholes in foster care, we filled them?

Filling Potholes: Beyond finding fault in foster care

Todd Tilghman may be most well known as the winner of the 18th Season of NBC's "The Voice", but at the 2022 CAFO Summit he sits down with Jason Weber and shares about his family of 10, his faith, and what music has meant to him along his journey.

BONUS: Planted not Buried with Todd Tilghman

Listening well is the vital first step in developing good relationships with donors, churches, and partners. Today we talk with Michael Mitchell, CAFO’s Director of Development and Discipleship, about  listening to the beautiful birds in our own backyards and the people doing incredible work in our communities. We talk about practical ways we can all practice and grow these skills and use them to help build strong connections to those around us.

Backyard Birds: The Unexpected Gifts of Listening Well

I think we can all agree that foster care is full of hard things and hard days. We may feel like our work is full of enemies: biological families who are hurt and angry, a system that feels slow and broken, and kids we love who are struggling with hurt and trauma that feels overwhelming. How do we adjust our mindset about who we see as the enemy?  And how do we love those that sometimes treat us like we're the enemy? Today we sit down with Jamie Finn, from Foster the Family, to talk about foster care, her book, and a lot of the hard moments we're all familiar with. Today we are having a conversation about how, when we face these hard things and hard relationships in foster care, scripture is always there to meet us right where we're at.
This episode is a must listen for not just foster parents but foster care leaders and advocates too.

BONUS: Foster the Family with Jamie Finn

Whether you’re a foster parent attempting to build trust with the children in your home, a social worker building trust with a family, or a leader building trust among your staff, the importance of building trust in your relationships cannot be overstated.

Trust Fall: Becoming a trust-builder

Sometimes making changes in our organizations and in our families can feel a lot like wrangling goats. We worry before the changes even go into effect that they will bring anxiety and chaos - but it doesn't have to be that way. Leading people through changes doesn't have to feel like a guaranteed, chaotic, goat-rodeo. 

Join us today for a conversation with Katie Casselberry, the Director of Communications for More Than Enough, about making changes - big and small - and helping the people around us embrace them. 

Then, to help us all gain a little perspective on what it looks like for a state department to make changes, we talk with Gina Meier-Hummel.  Gina formerly served as the Director of Children and Family Services in Kansas, and has been working on behalf of children and families for over 32 years. She has a lot to share about her experiences and shares ideas to encourage us as we come alongside child welfare workers in our own communities.

Goat Rodeo: Driving Change and Navigating Chaos

The More Than Enough Podcast connects you to the people, ideas, and tools in foster care that will help your community work together to fill the biggest gaps in caring for children and families.

The Power of Saying Yes: How one small word leads to big change

More Than Enough Podcast

Related tracks