God’s Bigger Story
The Lawton family
George and Anne Lawton received their first full-time foster placement, 3-year-old Jackson*, in October 2019, just months before everyone’s world changed forever due to the pandemic. Anne shares, “Fostering certainly pointed me to the Lord because I realized real quickly, I couldn’t do it in my own strength, as much as I wanted.” Now two years in, the Lawtons have seen God’s hand at work in many ways in their foster care journey.
From the time they were married twenty years ago, George and Anne knew they would serve in ministry. What that has looked like for them has changed over the years, as they’ve served in local ministries and on short-term mission trips. Early in their marriage, professionally, George served in full-time youth ministry and Anne served as a counselor for ABCH sister ministry, Pathways Professional Counseling. Several years ago, George began his own business, and in 2017, Anne felt led to leave Pathways to help him run their family business.
Having been a play therapist and Family Care counselor for over a decade for Pathways, Anne was familiar with the traumatic backgrounds and hard places that children in the foster care system often come from, as well as the great need for more ABCH foster families. She and George both felt the Lord was leading them to foster, and after going through the training and being approved, they began fostering as respite parents. Not long after, they opened their home to be full-time foster parents.
Helping Children
Hoping the children in their care will discover that there is a God of the universe who made them, loves them, cares for them, and wants the best for them is something our ABCH foster parents long for as they serve. They are often sensitive to the Lord’s leadings and take those opportunities to share His love.
Anne recalls a time when she and Jackson were riding in the car, of how the Lord showed up in a simple way that allowed her to have a teachable moment with him. Seeing a rainbow in the sky, she was prompted to tell Jackson the story of Noah and God’s promises to us.
“I think that in his own way, he could understand that and was able to wrap his little mind around that as much as he could at that age,” she continues, “It (fostering) is not just meeting the food needs, the sleep needs, the behavior needs. God is painting a bigger story for this child’s life, and He loves Jackson way more than we ever could.”
Becoming a foster family has also been a tangible way that George and Anne have found opportunities to disciple their three biological children, Caroline, Robert, and William. It was important to them to involve them in this process since they would all be in it together, in the good days and hard days alike.
Anne says it was neat to see how the Lord worked in their children’s hearts over time, as they prayed and had conversations about fostering. She says, “One day I picked up one of my boys from school, and we hadn't really talked about it that week. And he said, ‘Mom, did we get the job?’ I didn't know what he was talking about. He said, ‘You know, the one where we would care for children?’ It was really neat how it was on their minds and on their hearts.”
Serving & Support
Since “getting the job”, the Lawtons have served over 10 foster children in their home. With so many unknowns in foster care, it’s normal to have hesitations or concerns about becoming foster parents, and that was no different for them. Anne shares, “Anytime we feel out of control or overwhelmed, there's a fear of, how will I do this?” When those times come, they know the answer is to take it to the Lord and trust Him to lead and provide.
Part of the way they have experienced that provision is through others who have come alongside them. She goes on to say how the support they received from the foster care and adoption group at Mountain Brook Community Church (where they are members) and the Children’s Homes is a gift that has made all the difference in the world.
This support came in different forms such as providing meals, babysitting, family counseling from Pathways, and support from their ABCH social worker. Anne shares, “I realized that it is a gift that other people can help,” and she encourages parents to, “Give yourself permission to ask for help and to allow the church to minister to you and the foster child.”
They appreciate that the support they receive is just as much about the child as it is the foster parents. “I’m just so thankful that we aren’t in it alone as foster parents. It can be challenging. So, knowing the foster child in our home has multiple advocates is very comforting, very helpful, and encouraging,” Anne shares.
To someone considering fostering, Anne says, “The importance of being a part of an agency like the Children's Homes and having that support is invaluable. I would encourage them to talk with other foster parents and to seek the Lord. And for their whole family to be on board because it is really a calling for everyone in the household.”
Something Bigger
Thinking of joys experienced in their foster care journey, Anne shares, “(Fostering) is a really beautiful way for us to share the gospel. Knowing that God is writing a bigger story and that I am able to be used as a part of it, that He’s willing to include me . . . We're all called to help the widow and the orphan, and so we're fulfilling that calling while also teaching our kids.”
She continues, “As we go through each day, I try to keep things in perspective. On the hard days, I try to remember this verse I keep on my refrigerator, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,” Colossians 3:2. In foster care, we’re meeting the physical, earthly needs. And a lot of days, that's all it feels like, but as a believer, we know something bigger is happening.”
There is an eternal hope that George and Anne hold onto for these children and families in care, and on days that feel routine or challenging, resting in the truth that there is a bigger picture than what we can see gives them strength and encouragement to continue loving well and serving strong.
If you feel the Lord may be calling you to ministry in this way or you desire to come alongside and help those who are serving in this capacity, you can visit us here for next steps.
*Name has been changed for privacy purposes