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At GiveSendGo, we talk a lot about sharing hope. But how do we—and you, for that matter—do that? It starts with something very simple: a yes.

That small, faithful word has taken our co-founders, siblings Jacob Wells and Heather Wilson, on an adventure that has radically reshaped their lives—and each of their families' lives—time and time again. Those yeses led to GiveSendGo, and also into the difficult, yet incredible, world of foster care.

 

Heather’s Adventure

Heather's journey into foster care began with a surprise!

“Our youngest was 10 years old, and we found out we were pregnant again,” she recalls. “Suddenly, we were faced with having to start our parenting journey all over again, and this time with a 10-year gap between our children. My husband and I started talking about what it would look like to fill that gap with a foster or adoptive child. We didn’t know what to expect, but we felt God calling us. So, we said yes to God and we started the process of going through our local home study process.”

She laughs as she recalls the chaos of that very first call:

“I got the phone call that said, ‘Congratulations. You’ve been approved as foster parents. We have five siblings we need to emergency remove from their home. Can you take them?’ And again, we said yes! Not to what our plan was, but to what God had for us in this season.”

The children were ages 10, 9, 8, 6, and 5.

When Heather asked God to “fill the gap,” she wasn’t expecting Him to literally fill the gap.

“It was the hardest two years of my life,” she admits. “We were on a journey of learning to love like Jesus. During this time, we had so many people say to us, ‘We could never take in kids like that.’ But that’s often a lie we tell ourselves when we want to avoid stepping into something hard. The only difference between my family and yours is not that we were more qualified or patient, it’s just the fact we decided to say yes.”

 

Jacob’s Adventure

“Since 2017, my wife and I have been fostering children through DCF,” he shares. “We’ve had our ups and our downs and our upside downs.”

They’ve fostered over 30 children, each with a different story and their own set of challenges and blessings.

“It’s been an incredible opportunity to invest in and sow into the lives of so many different children… to show children in the difficult moments that they are loved, that they’re valuable, that they are worth sacrificing for—even if we didn’t know them too well.”

Their home became a place where children felt safe—not a place without boundaries or discipline, but a place where they knew love in the midst of what they’d been through, were going through, and even despite themselves—because they’re children of God. Image bearers.

“Children will want to do the craziest things, dangerous things, and it’s our role as parents to help shepherd and guide children into living fruitful lives that produce life… People are worth something apart from their ideas, apart from their ideologies… Inherently, as a human being, they’re valuable.”

There were moments when no words could fix the pain—like when a child’s biological parents passed away while in their care—but even in those hardest circumstances, Jacob and his wife remained faithful to share a greater hope: the hope of Jesus.

“I don’t know that words can often express all of the realities that we face… but I know that in the end, I’ll never have regretted one moment of pouring my life out for other people like these foster kids.”

 

A Call for You to Say YES Too

Foster care isn’t just for a few brave families—it’s a call to all of us to step in where there’s need. As Heather put it:

“Every day we see people on GiveSendGo seeing a need, stepping in, being the hands and feet. That’s what I encourage you to do this Foster Care Month. All you have to do is say yes.”

And that yes can look like many different things:

• Maybe you’re a foster family needing help with beds, clothes, or emergency supplies. Or maybe you know someone who is. Start a campaign on GiveSendGo.

• Maybe you’re not in a season where you can foster—but you can still make a difference. Say yes by giving to and praying for foster families on GiveSendGo who are also saying yes every single day.

• Another way to share hope? Give to GiveSendGo Charities’ Pro-Life Fund—which gives grants to people and families fundraising for foster care, adoption, and other pro-life needs. 
  
   

Say Yes to Adventure

Say yes to the adventure God is calling you on
Say yes to being the hands and feet.
Say yes to sharing hope.
Say yes to helping others answer God's call to love the least of these.

Because courage isn’t the feeling of strength, bravery, or confidence.

Courage is choosing obedience to God, even in the face of fear and uncertainty.
It’s stepping out in faith, trusting that, because of God’s past faithfulness, He is who He says He is—and that He will provide and be your strength on the adventures He’s calling you to.

As David says in 1 Samuel 17:47, “the battle belongs to the Lord.” 

You never know what might happen when you just say yes.