3 minute read
The Mims Family
All of our 4KIDS Foster Parents are remarkable in their sacrifice of time and the outpouring of love they give, but Christal and Reif in particular exemplify what it means to be strong advocates for children.
Their journey to become foster parents was born out of heavy-hearted experiences. Before meeting and getting married, both Christal and Reif lost their spouses. With children from each of their previous marriages, they are now a blended family. After hearing a message about foster care at their home church, Christal attended a Freedom Study, and in an emotional huddle with several women at the end of the study, Christal felt clear about her calling to become a foster mother. “I realized that any slight deviation could cause children [even mine several years ago] to be in any situation, and I needed to help.” Christal and Reif became licensed foster parents with 4KIDS in 2020 and ever since, their passion to make a difference for kids in foster care has only grown.
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Christal and Reif cared for an 8-year-old little girl and her 3-month-old brother. They surrounded the children's biological parents with love as much as they could throughout the process, inviting them to church and always keeping the lines of communication open. Eventually, the little boy was placed with his aunt, while his older sister stayed a little longer with the Mims Family, and during this time this little girl grew in many ways, especially spiritually and emotionally.
A phrase that Christal often clings to as she walks alongside kids who are dealing with the effects of trauma is that, “God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called.” She and her family believe that it only takes one person to make a difference in a child’s life, and that after you say “yes,” the resources and equipping will follow. Christal is also a Guardian ad Litem (GAL). As a GAL, she attends court hearings as an unbiased, unpaid third party who advocates for the child(ren) involved in the case. This role is completely voluntary, with the sole purpose of creating an outcome that is in the best interest of the child(ren). She visits with the kids, therapists, case managers, and school teachers in her free time to observe and report back to the judge on the case her recommendations for each child. Through this experience, Christal is constantly faced with brokenness in the child welfare system, but also gets to be a light in the process.
The Mims Family is just one of nearly 1,300 families who since the start of 4KIDS twenty five years ago, have said yes to fostering and redefined the futures of countless children in need. Every day, families like the Mims push 4KIDS one step closer to the goal we so passionately believe in— hopes, homes, and healing for every kid in crisis.
Over the last 25 years, nearly 1,300 4KIDS Foster Families have
