We’re bringing back this episode because it’s especially fitting for summer. Maybe this season has felt heavy—hard to juggle new rhythms, tiring for your biological family, or filled with questions about whether foster care is still good for your home.

This conversation is a timely reminder: foster care can be good for your family. It’s not about dragging them through it, but leading them well—anchored in purpose and grace.

What is the difference between dragging your biological family through the muck and mire of foster care versus leading them through it well?

If you are a foster or adoptive parent, more than likely, you know what we are talking about when it comes to facing some adversity from the people who love you when you first share the news that you are becoming Foster Parents. Although it can sometimes be disheartening, we believe there is a way to confidently lead your family through this journey while mirroring the love of Jesus to those around you.

In today’s episode, you are getting a sneak peek into one of our breakout sessions from the Mobilize Ohio Conference titled “Dragging vs. Leading.” Our panel is made up of four women who collectively have a wealth of experience and knowledge from all different perspectives of the foster care journey.

We hope the wisdom shared throughout this episode will give you the strength and knowledge to find a group of people who get you, even if you are still waiting for the people who love you to get on board.

We encourage you to keep pressing forward on God’s calling on your life despite any challenges you may face; you are touching more lives than just the kiddos who walk through your door.

Episode Highlights:

• Initial reactions of biological families to foster care
• Hesitation from bio family in regard to foster care
• The Positive Impact of Foster Care on Your Biological Family
• The challenges of Biological children in Foster Care
• Finding your why

Find more on Guest:

• Find Rhonda's Children's Books on Foster Care
• Find Bethany’s Podcast

Find More on Hope Bridge:

• Visit Our Website
• Follow us on Instagram
• Follow us on Facebook
• Foster Our Community Instagram

We’re continuing our Spiritual Formation Series here at Hope Bridge, and this month, we focused on an especially timely theme: Experiencing God’s gift in nature.

Whether it’s a walk in the woods, sitting on your porch, or just paying attention to the sky—it all counts. Nature has a way of slowing us down and pointing us back to our Creator.

And guess what? Science backs it up. Spending time outside is good for our spiritual, mental, and emotional health—it’s not just a nice idea, it’s truly life-giving.

Tune in as we talk about how to connect with God through creation and explore simple ways to make this a meaningful part of your life.

Episode Highlights:

• God’s Creation
• Experiencing God’s Gift In Nature
• Overall Health Benefits of Being in Nature
• Scientific Research of Being Outdoors
• Simple Ways to Experience Nature

Find More on Hope Bridge:

• Visit Our Website
• Follow us on Instagram
• Follow us on Facebook
• Foster Our Community Instagram

Register for the FASD Workshop

At Hope Bridge, two of our biggest priorities are supporting single moms and engaging the local church. But bringing those two things together isn’t always simple. In this episode, we’re discussing a sensitive but important topic: church hurt—specifically, how it affects single moms.

This conversation is not meant to overgeneralize or place blame. We are incredibly grateful for the many churches we partner with that do amazing work to support families. At the same time, we also want to honor the stories of single moms who have felt excluded from ministries, overlooked for leadership, or disconnected from small groups. Sometimes, the hurt comes through unsolicited advice that, while well-intended, causes pain. Other times, it’s not about what’s said—but what isn’t. The absence of acknowledgment or representation can leave single moms feeling invisible.

God created us for community. Even when that community has caused hurt, the need for connection remains. We talk about the importance of continuing to seek out healthy church spaces, even after past wounds. Sometimes, God meets us most powerfully outside of a traditional church setting—but we have to be seeking Him. Church is meant to be a place of restoration, hope, and belonging. In this conversation, we explore how we can help the Church reflect that vision more fully—especially for single moms.

Episode Highlights:

• Single Moms
• Church Hurt
• Church Community
• How to pursue healing
• Single Moms Program at Hope Bridge

Find More on Hope Bridge:

• Check out our Single Moms Program
• July Empower U Registration
• Schedule Coffee with Mel!
• Link for Friendly Faces/Spiritual Development
• Single Mom Connection Form
• Visit Our Website
• Follow us on Instagram
• Follow us on Facebook
• Foster Our Community Instagram

In this episode, we’re focusing on the heart behind our Single Moms Program at Hope Bridge. If you’re a single mom, we want you to hear this clearly: you are not failing, and you are not alone. There’s a whole community of women who want to walk alongside you, encourage you, and support you through whatever season you’re in.

We talk about the support groups, resources, and connection opportunities available to help you feel seen, strengthened, and surrounded. And if you’re not a single mom but know someone who is, please consider sharing this episode with them. If you’re looking for a way to get involved, we also have volunteer opportunities for those who want to support and uplift single moms in our community.

Check out this episode to learn more about how to connect or serve through Hope Bridge.

Episode Highlights:

• Meet Mel!
• Learn more about our Single Moms Program
• Encouragement for Single Moms
• Practicing Gratitude
• Progress over perfection

Find More on Hope Bridge:

• Check out our Single Moms Program
• Empower U June Registration
• Visit Our Website
• Follow us on Instagram
• Follow us on Facebook
• Foster Our Community Instagram

On today’s episode, we’re joined by Carly Souza, the director of Fostering Hope in Las Vegas. Fostering Hope is an organization that supports foster families, children in foster care, and biological parents by creating pathways for reconciliation and full restoration. Fostering Hope builds care communities and offers support groups that surround and uplift those impacted by foster care—meeting practical needs while fostering lasting relationships.

She also opens up about her and her husband’s personal journey through foster care and adoption—including the highs, the heartbreaks, and the hard decisions along the way. Through it all, they’ve remained grounded in their faith, relying on God for strength, wisdom, and hope.

Listen to this episode to be encouraged by their story and reminded that you’re never alone on the journey!

Episode Highlights:

• Meet Carly Souza
• Carly’s Foster Care Journey
• Learn about Fostering Hope
• Marriage

Find more on Guest:

• Fostering Hope
• Find Carly on Instagram

Find More on Hope Bridge:

• Schedule a Coffee Date with a Team Member
• Visit Our Website
• Follow us on Instagram
• Follow us on Facebook
• Foster Our Community Instagram

We’re back with another episode in our Spiritual Formation series, and today we’re focusing on the practice of scripture memory. This conversation is all about what it means to tuck God’s Word into our hearts—setting our minds on truth and learning to depend on Him in our everyday lives.

We talk about the many benefits of memorizing scripture, including how it strengthens our faith, renews our minds, and anchors us in God’s promises. Whether you’re brand new to this practice or looking for a fresh start, we’re sharing some practical tips to help you get started. From simple strategies to make memorization doable, to reminders of why hiding God’s Word in our hearts matters, this episode will inspire you to stay rooted in truth and carry it with you wherever you go.

Episode Highlights:

• Meet Anne!
• Spiritual Formation
• Memorizing Scripture
• Benefits of Memorizing Scripture
• Tips for Memorizing Scripture

Find More on Hope Bridge:

• Seeds Family Worship
• Visit Our Website
• Follow us on Instagram
• Follow us on Facebook
• Foster Our Community Instagram

This show has been produced by Adkins Media Co.

In this episode, Trisha White Priebe—an adult adoptee, writer, and speaker—joins the show to talk about something we don’t always think about: how families who aren’t part of the adoption or foster care world can still help their kids understand it. There are plenty of resources out there for adoptive families, but what about the parents whose kids have classmates or friends who are adopted or in foster care? How do those families start the conversation?

Trisha shares practical, thoughtful ways to help kids build empathy and have respectful, age-appropriate conversations about adoption and foster care. She believes every child can benefit from learning how to talk about different kinds of families—and that those small conversations can make a big difference.

With honesty, Trisha brings her own experience as an adoptee to the table, offering encouragement and hope to adoptees, birth families, and adoptive families. Her mission is simple: to help more people feel seen, supported, and understood.

Episode Highlights:

• Meet Trisha White Priebe
• Foster Care & Adoption
• Giving Children the Language to Talk about Adoption

Find more on Guest:

• Trisha’s Website
• Find Trisha on Facebook
• Find Trisha on Instagram
• Life Song

Find More on Hope Bridge:

• Visit Our Website
• Follow us on Instagram
• Follow us on Facebook
• Foster Our Community Instagram

This show has been produced by Adkins Media Co.

In this episode of The ReStoried Podcast, we sit down with Vince Smith, former foster parent and director of Keystone Family Alliance, an organization committed to educating, motivating, and equipping churches across Pennsylvania to care for vulnerable children both locally and globally.

Vince shares his journey as a foster parent to 35 children and the heart behind his work with Keystone Family Alliance. He opens up about the alarming needs in the child welfare system and how the church can—and must—respond. As Vince says, “It wasn’t that the church didn’t care. They just had no idea what the need was, and they didn’t know how to take a practical next step.”

You’ll learn how Keystone Family Alliance is bridging the gap by creating wraparound Care Communities that offer prayer, resources, and tangible support—keeping foster families involved longer and stronger.

Whether you're a church leader, foster parent, or someone who wants to make a difference, this episode will inspire and equip you to take your next faithful step.

Episode Highlights:

• Foster Care Awareness Month
• Meet Vince Smith
• Keystone Family Alliance
• Foster Care & the Church
• Church Mobilization

Find more on Guest:

• Keystone Family Alliance
• Keystone Family Alliance on Instagram
• Keystone Family Alliance on Facebook
• Email Vince at vince@keyfam.org

Find More on Hope Bridge:

• Schedule a coffee date with Nicole!
• Visit Our Website
• Follow us on Instagram
• Follow us on Facebook
• Foster Our Community Instagram

This show has been produced by Adkins Media Co.