Local pastor Derrick Parker and his wife, Stephanie, recently encouraged more people to support the foster care system. The couple reportedly made it their mission to help children in need. 

Children in Need of Loving, Safe Homes

In a report with Spectrum News, the Parkers said many children need good homes and supportive families. 

The report added that November marks National Adoption Month. During this month, people are reminded that many children need help. 

According to the report, a lot of children experience abuse and neglect in their homes. Worse, there are not enough foster homes or families that are willing to adopt the children. 

A report with the Florida Network of Children's Advocacy Centers reported that they helped over 34,000 children victims of child abuse in 2018. 

Personal Mission

In line with the problem, the pastor said that he and his wife have been taking in children. The couple also made sure these children were safe and that they have helped them find good and loving homes. 

His wife, Stephanie, explained that they decided to fill in the gap for the children. She added that many of the parents are experiencing difficult times. 

Stephanie admitted that she understood the burden the parents and the children felt. She said that she and her husband felt that filling in the gap would give the children a loving home during hard times. 

Victims of Neglect

Derrick is the pastor at Starkey Road Baptist Church. He recalled many times when the children they fostered had experienced rough starts in life. 

He told the news outlet that they had children addicted to cocaine when they were born. There was also another one who was a victim of neglect. 

The pastor shared that another one of their foster children was born in jail. 

Paying it Forward

He admitted that he knew what it was like to have a sad start in life. The pastor said that he was adopted. 

Derrick told the news outlet that his biological parents wanted to give him a better life. He said they knew he would be better off if he were given up for adoption. 

In his interview, he recalled their first foster child. The pastor and his wife got to pick him up from the hospital. 

As a newborn, the child only weighed four and a half pounds. A year after that, the child was put up for adoption. Luckily, the child is now reportedly theirs. 

Protecting Families

The pastor and his wife now have five children. Derrick said he had a great and powerful love for protecting families. He said this love extends to hundreds of families out there. 

He told the news outlet that he felt compassion for people now more than ever. Derrick added that these families seemed to be confused because they lacked hope. 

The pastor added that many of these families were prone to depression, stress, and anxiety. 

He said these families needed compassion and a church that would help them through these situations. 

According to the report, more families have stepped up and have opened their homes for foster children. 

The pastor said the increase in families fostering children was a step in the right direction. He was glad to have helped lead the way for children to have a loving and safe home. 

"So many blessings have come out of that mission itself," he said.

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