Moved From Relative to Relative: A Journey Toward Healing After Trauma
Season 8 Episode 6
Edits: None
Intro - Reminder-create instant warmth, we are here for you!
Hey, it's Jami Kaeb! Welcome back to The Forgotten Podcast! I'm so thankful to be in this space with you again.
We are here to bring YOU hope and encouragement---wherever you are on this foster care journey. Whether you're part of the foster care community, passionate about serving, or simply interested in learning more, we are honored to walk with you.
Today I want you to meet my friend, Helen Parks. I met Helen at Replanted Conference, and as I talked to her, I knew I wanted you to hear her story.
Hearing from those who have walked through foster care is a gift to us all; we need the perspective of those who have lived it. Helen's life had a tragic start when her father passed away at the age of three. With her mother unable to care for her, she entered foster care.
Immediately into our conversation, my heart hurt for the pain she experienced in childhood. Bounced from relative to relative, Helen has walked quite the journey, and I'm so encouraged hearing the hope and healing she has found in Christ, now as an adult.
And don't forget—if you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to this podcast wherever you listen, head on over to our show notes page at theforgottenpodcast.org to read my takeaways, and find all of the links from today's conversation. We are here for you!
Alright, let's go now to my conversation with Helen Parks.
Outro
I love this reminder from Joel 2:
I will restore to you the years
that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
my great army, which I sent among you.
"You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
We have an enemy. Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy us spiritually, emotionally, physically--anyway he can. But our God is a God of restoration. He can restore the broken--the years that have locust have eaten.
I wish brokenness didn't exist and I wish Helen didn't have to go through heartache and years of trauma. I am however, so thankful that we are never without hope.
Maybe you need to hear that today…We live with hope because of Jesus.
Well, my friends, it is an honor to be able to be in this space with you again today. I can't wait to be here again next time with my guest, Monica Hunter. We're talking about all things African American hair care! OH YES!
Now, even if you don't have children in your home who are African American, you will walk away from this conversation with a new perspective—one that will help us better understand each other!
I can't wait to meet you again in this place next time.
Description:
I met Helen at Replanted Conference, and as I talked to her, I knew I wanted you all to hear her story too. To hear from those who have walked through foster care is a gift to us all; we need the perspective of those who have lived it. Helen's life had a tragic start when her father passed away at the age of three. With her mother unable to care for her, she entered foster care and was placed with a relative. Tragically, her mother died when Helen was just six years old. Right from the get-go of our conversation, my heart hurt for her childhood—the snapshot of memories painful to bear. Bounced from relative to relative and again several times more, Helen shares the journey she's lived, and I'm so encouraged by where she has landed today. I can't wait for you to hear how she's continuing to find hope and healing now as an adult.
HERE ARE MY 3 TAKEAWAYS FROM OUR CONVERSATION: