Opening your home to a foster child often means embracing change, trusting God through unfamiliar rhythms, and holding emotional space for both joy and hard goodbyes that sometimes come too soon. Adam and Rebecca Wofford came to a place where they surrendered the idols of their hearts that were stopping them from being obedient to the call to foster care. They knew that the threat of discomfort was not a reason to disobey the Lord.
Rebecca said,”I believe that the people who feel that it would be too hard for the child to leave are the ones who are called to foster, because these kids deserve to be in a home where they will be loved enough to be grieved when they are gone.” She continued, “That is the ultimate picture of the gospel. You do this for the advancement of the kingdom. God adopted me into His family. The Father crushed Himself for the gospel and for His children.”
Even in their singleness, they felt the Lord working in their hearts individually to do something with foster care. Adam recalled being at the Upstate Missions Conference, before he and Rebecca met, where he heard Kay Kirby from P.S. I Love You Ministries share the need for more families who are following Jesus to foster children in our community who were without safe, loving home environments and feeling the need to take action. As a single mom, Rebecca naturally felt the need to serve children who needed a mother’s love and needed to know the Father’s love for them.
Adam and Rebecca knew when they were married that their home would be utilized for ministry in any way that the Lord called them to serve. Soon after they married, they became Small Group leaders and opened their home for couples to gather for fellowship, to pray, and to do life together. It wasn’t long before they began seeking ways to serve as a Small Group and build a missions-minded culture that followed the church’s lead.
As they sought ways to serve, they learned about the need for people to serve foster families in our church through the Foster and Adoption Care Team (FACT) and the Care Community Groups that they were working to establish. In April 2022, their Small Group began serving a foster family together by providing meals, date nights for the couple, prayer, and support through case manager visits and court dates. By being the leader of the Care Community Group, Rebecca was able to provide more direct support to the foster mom they served. Through their conversations and vulnerability, Rebecca learned more about the emotional strain of foster care, but, more importantly, she learned about the depth of love that foster children need. The Lord continued to open her eyes to the need for foster families.
In February 2023, Adam and Rebecca attended the Upstate Missions Conference and sat in a breakout session led by Dr. Rick Morton from Lifeline Services who spoke on adoption and foster care. Dr. Morton shared timely, eye-opening facts and statistics about foster care. He shared that James 1:27 calls the whole church to serve orphans and widows and that every person can be part of putting the gospel on display through caring for orphaned and vulnerable children in some way. Through that session, Adam and Rebecca equally felt led to begin moving toward opening their home to foster care.
In Fall 2024, Church at The Mill hosted guest speakers who walked through a series called “Open” where the church was challenged to open their doors, open their hearts, and open their homes. Adam and Rebecca heard one of the speakers, Jason Johnson, who spoke on foster care, reference Romans 12 and say, “We’ve all been given gifts that differ according to grace that’s been given to us; use them.” Through that affirmation, they realized that their delayed obedience was disobedience to what the Lord had been calling them to do. This ultimately led the Wofford family to make the decision to open their home to foster children.
By January 2025, they decided to ask their Small Group to pray and hold them accountable to begin the process. Soon after that, they began the paperwork to become a licensed foster family. Through the process, they encountered many questions from friends and family of why they would choose to foster when they already have three children in a blended family. Adam recalled talking to a friend and foster parent who challenged him to ask himself “why not?” This reminded him that scripture is clear that the call for the church is to care for orphans and the vulnerable, no matter the response of the world.
They finalized the process in May 2025 and welcomed their first placement the day they finished their paperwork. The moment they got their first placement, they remember getting support from the church through supplies, meals and prayer. Their first placement brought excitement for the family and quickly brought unexpected challenges.
In foster care, you can never be fully prepared and equipped to handle the trauma that some of the children go through, because each child brings a unique set of challenges and background. Unfortunately, their first placement left her family feeling unsafe and led them to make the decision to have her placed in a different home. Rebecca remembers talking to foster parents who had been through similar situations, seeking encouragement and validation to make the best choice for her family.
Rebecca said, “The Lord was faithful with removing our first placement from our home, because she went to a family that was able to give her the care she needed.”
To the Woffords, this was proof that when you are obedient, God answers your prayers faithfully, no matter how difficult the decision may be. Adam recalled talking to another foster parent who challenged him by saying that he could not quit foster care because of one challenging placement.
Adam said, “I’m not 100% sure we would do this if we were not members at Church at The Mill. It’s not extraordinary, and it takes some of the barriers away to begin the process because foster care is engrained in the culture of our church.”
According to Fostering the Family, over 50% of foster families quit fostering after their first placement because of the lack of community and support. Adam and Rebecca received much needed support and encouragement from people who have been through similar situations and understand.
Adam said, “There’s something about having people who can come alongside you to step into the difficult things with you. Without that, you can see it as an endless endeavor, but having community helps you feel supported in what you are called to do.”
After taking a few weeks to heal and prepare, they welcomed a second foster child into their home in July 2025. They believe that, if they would have given up after their first placement, their family would have missed the joy that their second placement brought to their family and to foster care.
Rebecca said, “We can spend all of our lives saying things to our kids, but the best way they will learn is by following your example of Christ’s love by opening your home.”
The kids get to see what selfless love looks like. They see the gospel in action. Rebecca has seen growth and redemption in their kids. She has seen their daughter, Mila, using her struggles to connect with the foster kids, knowing their past struggles, and choosing to love the kids coming into their home. Through God’s faithfulness in their lives, Adam has seen 2 Corinthians 4:17 as a reminder that the pain and the things that you have gone through are not wasted but, instead, are used by the Lord to serve others. It’s something that cannot be taught; it’s divine.
The gospel teaches us to do the hard things and to boldly live out our faith, because the hope of the gospel is worth it. Adam and Rebecca shared that, even though it can be emotionally challenging for families, every hard emotion is worth it for a foster child to feel the love of Christ through your family, regardless of if they are placed in your home for a two weeks or several years. The call to foster care invites families to love sacrificially. It asks for open hands and open hearts ready to care for children, even when the path includes change, disruption, and the hope of restoration.
Stories From The Field: IGNITE (Vol. 6)
“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on my hands…” — 2 Timothy 1:6
