The Corys: A Foster Family’s Story
Hunter and Jordan Cory signed up to become foster parents to help kids who needed a safe, loving home. Little did they know that God would use the kids who came into their home to do abundantly more for the Corys than they ever expected. Below, Jordan shares their foster parenting journey:
Can you share your journey as a foster parent?
When we sat through foster care classes, we felt so ready for when a child was placed in our home. When two 11-month-old babies came to stay with us, our world was forever changed. God worked so evidently to reveal my selfishness and pride, specifically in my heart. God has taught us more about his love and character through foster care than we could have ever learned.
Becoming a parent to the first two kiddos in our home was the hardest thing I had ever done, yet nobody can explain the feeling of the now 2-year-olds who point you out in pictures, run to you at daycare pick-up, or cry out for you in the middle of the night. There is no feeling like it. God has moved so evidently in our lives, hearts, and home through foster care. This has been the best chapter of God’s story for me and Hunter thus far.
How has ABCH impacted your journey?
ABCH has walked each step with us, preparing us, giving us resources, and patiently listening when I’m not sure how to handle something as a first-time mom, let alone a foster mom. Kim [McGainey, The Area Director of Southeast Alabama] is consistently patient and kind, and she listens to every concern. We are so thankful for ABCH as a whole.
Before ABCH, we weren’t sure where to begin our foster care journey, but now we confidently know we will never have to walk it alone. We are thankful for the staff, other foster parents, and the intentional community found in ABCH.
How has becoming a foster parent changed your life?
We started foster care to foster school-age children and partner with biological parents for reunification. This journey gave us 11-month-old twins, now 2-year-olds, that we have found ourselves walking through a possible adoption journey. We never imagined our first placement could become a forever placement. Our heart will always be to help reunify kids with their parents, but God has significantly changed what we have been open to as foster parents.
What would you tell someone considering becoming a foster parent?
Foster children are children. So many people do not become foster parents because they have heard horror stories. I’m sure there are children out there who need more attention and support due to the challenges and heartbreak they have previously endured, but they are children, just like any other child you come in contact with. The kids in our care are funny, kind, smart, and loving 2-year-olds. The children [in foster care] are not scary.
We are thankful for families like the Corys and their incredible commitment to care for foster kids. The Corys' unwavering support provides stability and shows the love of Christ to kids who need it most, leaving a lasting impact that extends far beyond their own home.
To learn more about foster parenting, visit here.