Foundations in Redemption | Lilly’s Story
Foster care is hard, but holy work.
Every day, your prayers help prepare for full-circle moments in which families reunite after they’ve worked to learn and heal.
For Christina and her daughter, Lilly, theirs is a story of growth, love, and reunion made possible because YOU cared.
“In October, our family got put back together again just two days before Lilly’s 11th birthday,” said Christina with tears in her eyes.
In February 2023, Christina said she was struggling to find her way back to God. She lost custody of Lilly, who went to live with her Godparents, Jason and Rebecca Honeycutt.
If their name sounds familiar, it’s because the Honeycutt family was featured in the previous edition of Thornwell Life after completing our Strengthening Families program last spring. They wanted to be the best support system for Lilly (“Leslie” in the last issue for privacy), and they also encouraged Christina to participate.
Because of your remarkable support, Christina was able to participate in last fall’s Strengthening Families class. Though, she wasn’t originally thrilled to be there.
“When I entered this program, I had an, “I don’t really care” attitude. I didn’t think it would work, I didn’t think that any of this could help,” said Christina. “Throughout these last 14 weeks, not missing any classes, I learned how to be a better parent. I thank Rebecca and Jason for getting us here.”
With the support of her mom, Nancy, who also joined the class, they learned how to communicate better, using positive affirmation and focusing on safety so Lilly would always know she was loved. After nine months without her daughter, Christina said one lesson really stuck.
“You never take a day for granted. That’s the top thing I learned: You never take a day for granted.”
Christina said that as she found her way back to God and her family and worked hard to be a great mom, everything changed for the better. One day in October, she got a highly anticipated call.
“It was like God was on the other end or something,” said Christina. “The caseworker said, you can get your baby today if you want [her]. I said, ‘What do you mean if I want [her]? I’ve wanted her for nine months.”
Lilly and Christina spent Thanksgiving and Christmas together with their extended family. The Honeycutts remain a special part of their lives as “co-parents” for Lilly. Rebecca recently helped lead Lilly to Jesus; she was baptized last fall.
“[This year, I want to] grow even closer together, to be stronger in God. Grow as close to Him as I can. Grow as close to my mama and my daddy as I can,” said Christina. “ Like I’ve always been raised to believe, you’re not promised tomorrow.”
