At 2:00 AM, Jeff and Wendy received a phone call that changed everything. The call came from the Show Low Police Department. The officer asked if Jeff knew a man by name. At the time, Jeff was a manager at the Lowe’s in town, and the man was one of his team members, who had become homeless and was sitting behind the local Walmart. Without hesitation, Jeff and Wendy knew they needed to go get him. They drove across town in the dark to pick him up. He had lost his car, spent nights in the cold and had nowhere to go.
Over the next four months, he stayed with them. He rode to work with Jeff and saved money. The open door and support he received from both Wendy and Jeff gave him an opportunity to begin rebuilding his life. Wendy remembered, “We got him back on his feet. He was very grateful and he was a good guy.” What the couple did not realize at the time is, God was going to use this experience to call the couple to something new.
A Seed of Compassion
Wendy and Jeff’s journey toward foster care began with a radio message. One day, while listening to the radio, Wendy heard about the great need for foster families in Arizona. From there she shared God prompted her further, “I just felt like I needed to pray more about it and find out about it.” The couple had raised their blended family of five children who are now grown with families of their own. They have 10 grandchildren. Being empty nesters, their home had multiple open rooms that were not being used. After the experience of taking in the man from Jeff’s work, Wendy and Jeff saw the power of hospitality and compassion firsthand. The impact on his life and theirs confirmed that opening their home could be a way to live out their faith in a deeper way.
Stepping into Foster Care
Jeff and Wendy began the process to become licensed foster parents with another agency in the area. At the beginning, they set what Wendy called their rules. “We decided we would only take teenage boys and we were not going to adopt,” she said with a laugh. Teenagers are often the hardest to place with families. The couple desired to be a loving home to teens in need, and they believed that age group would work best with their season of life. It was during this time that Wendy and Jeff became acquainted with Arizona Baptist Children’s Services & Family Ministries (ABCS) through the Parent Aide Ministry. Their foster placements were assigned ABCS parent aides who supervised family visits and provided encouragement along the way.
From the start, Jeff and Wendy had a great experience with the ABCS parent aide team, “You can tell that they care. You can tell that they want what’s best for the kids and they do their best to show that.”
That connection soon became something special. Wendy shared, “It’s just been really nice having the women that we’ve worked with [at ABCS]. They are just super, super awesome.”
From Fostering to Family
Their foster care journey was all within the plans they set out for themselves, until one of their teenage foster sons asked Wendy and Jeff a question, “Could his younger brothers come live with them too?”
The couple was nervous at first. Wendy had concerns that she would not have enough energy to give to children who were younger and required more hands-on care. Ultimately, they stepped out in faith again and said yes so the boys could all be together. When the boys’ case moved to severance, the oldest brother went to live with his grandmother by choice and the younger two, Ben and Leo, were adopted by Jeff and Wendy. The couple stays in touch with the boys’ older brother.
During this season, their family grew again, when they welcomed Kyle into their home. He was living in a group home, and his care team was looking for a family who could give him more individualized care. Jeff and Wendy began visiting him at the group home. After building a relationship with him, he moved in with the family and they adopted him.
Becoming parents to young children again at this phase in their life was both fulfilling and had its own challenges. Wendy shared, “A lot has changed since I raised babies.” The couple also discovered that two of their sons are on the autism spectrum. In order to care for their boys’ unique needs, Wendy connected with New Life Pregnancy Center, a ministry of ABCS, to get access to the parenting classes offered through the center.
She appreciated the fact that she could access it on her own schedule and gain insight and tools from experts, “There are professionals on the training, doctors and also very experienced moms…everything that I learned was so helpful.”
Another Blessing
Over time, the family added an unexpected new addition, Ben and Leo’s newborn baby sister named Lily, a little girl who would capture their hearts.
When Lily came to them at just nine days old, Wendy said she felt completely unprepared. “I literally was in a panic,” she said. “I didn’t have a crib. I didn’t have a diaper bag. I didn’t have anything.”
That’s when New Life Pregnancy Center stepped in. “Before I left there, I had probably at least six or seven out of the ten things I needed. I was just in tears. It was just a miracle.”
The assistance from the center allowed Wendy and Jeff to meet Lily’s needs and bring her home with confidence. The team continued to walk alongside their family during Lily’s early years to encourage and support them. The couple also adopted Lily.
Today, Wendy and Jeff have adopted four children. Each child has brought unique joys and enriched their lives in ways they never would have imagined. Over the years, what began as professional support has become friendship and community. Wendy says she’s grateful that ABCS has been there “every step of the way” as her family has grown and changed.
A Lasting Bond
Wendy still visits New Life Pregnancy Center. Though she no longer needs diapers or baby formula, she stays connected. “They’re just a group of women that are so kind and giving,” she said. “It’s been awesome to get to know them.” Now Wendy often donates gently used clothes back to the center or drops in to catch up with the staff who once supported her through sleepless nights and life changes.
For Wendy, the pregnancy center isn’t just a place to get help — it’s a community of believers who live out love through action. “They were so truly genuine and humble and kind,” she said.
Hope Multiplied
From opening their door to a man experiencing homelessness to welcoming children into their family, Wendy and Jeff’s story is a testimony of obedience, grace and the ripple effect of compassion.
Each day, across the state there are couples like Jeff and Wendy who open their home to children in need, new parents who are navigating caring for a little one, families who are doing their best to put food on the dinner table.
Would you prayerfully consider giving a gift to ABCS to provide hope and care to children and families in your community? By giving a year-end gift, you can be a part of stories like Jeff and Wendy’s.
You can give online at abcs.org/year-end.