By Sarah Bey
There were more than 9,000 children in the Texas foster care system in January 2026 according to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Federal data shows Texas is ranked second in the nation behind California with the most children in foster care. In response, Methodist Children’s Home (MCH) empowers and equips children and families through foster and kinship care, and foster-to-adopt services in the greater Abilene, Dallas, Tyler and Waco communities.
As a young, newlywed couple, Crockett and Kara Jenkins knew they wanted a family. What began as a desire to help children heal ultimately became a journey that transformed and strengthened their own family in ways they never expected.
“We got pregnant with our eldest child, Tessa, pretty quickly after moving to Louisville, Kentucky, so Crockett could attend seminary,” Kara said. “We wanted to keep our children close in age, so then we had our boys, Josiah and Haddon.”
Originally from Northeast Texas and Oklahoma, the couple found connection in their church in Louisville, where they became friends with a foster family. Watching those friends walk through the realities of foster care stirred something deep within Kara.
“We got to watch their foster journey,” Kara said. “I always thought I would love to be a foster family. For me, I hated hearing the stories of when foster children were treated poorly and retraumatized — that’s not okay. I wanted to be a family who was able to be there and love foster children through their journey and hopefully help them heal.”
The call to become a foster parent took a bit longer to stir in Crockett’s heart.
“My family adopted three siblings when I was growing up,” he said. “My parents decided to adopt another boy when I was in high school and honestly, it was very hard for us. So, when Kara and I started talking about fostering, I knew what we would be signing up for.”
Years later, after moving to Tyler, the couple continued to have conversations about what fostering might mean for them and their family. Crockett and Kara eventually connected with MCH Family Outreach and began the process of becoming licensed foster parents.
“We met with Kristy George, who was the foster home developer at the time,” Kara said. “Everything was very organized in a folder. Kristy explained all the steps we would take, what to fill out and what we had to do. We thought, ‘Okay, this is simple. Let’s start the process and see.’”
The Jenkinses began attending trainings through MCH Family Outreach in the fall of 2017 and became licensed to foster in March 2018. Soon after, two young sisters, ages 6 months and 2 years old, entered their home.
The girls arrived carrying visible signs of trauma and neglect.
“The toddler previously experienced a lot of trauma and didn’t smile,” Kara recalled. “She didn’t laugh. Her baby sister didn’t cry because she experienced neglect and didn’t think her needs would be met.”
The girls were only with the family for a few months, but in that time the Jenkins family saw small but meaningful changes unfold.
“The 2-year-old became less fearful,” Kara said. “And the baby cried when she wanted us or needed something. We felt we supported that first step in the girls’ journey where they could experience safety and love.”
Crockett also remembers the girls experienced physical healing, too. The entire family agrees their first placement was a positive experience.
“When we started fostering, I was glad to have more siblings to talk to,” said Josiah, 13, who was 5 years old at the time. His older sister, Tessa, 14, was in kindergarten then.
“I was so excited to have a little sister,” she said.
Kara remembers watching her children grow in compassion and maturity through each placement.
Kara added, “It was really neat to see Tessa step into that role as the eldest and just embrace taking care of all of her siblings.”
After two months, the girls were placed with family friends elsewhere. The Jenkins family knew from the beginning that foster care often involves difficult transitions. Trusting the placement was in the girls’ best interest, saying goodbye was still painful.
“That’s one of the hardest things I think we’ve experienced in fostering,” Crockett said. “Saying goodbye to children we embraced as our own family members was tough.”
Their youngest son, Haddon, especially struggled with those transitions.
“He has a soft heart,” Crockett said.
Haddon, now 11, added, “I was happy to be an older brother and that I wasn’t the youngest anymore.”
Even through the uncertainty, the family continued saying yes to fostering and believing every child deserved to experience love, safety and belonging, even if for a season. The MCH Family Outreach team walked alongside the family and offered support as they navigated the foster care and court systems.
“Even in a broken system, the Jenkins family always held strong to their faith and belief that God has a plan for each child that comes through their home,” said Kristy George, MCH foster care specialist. “Not only have Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins grown in their roles as foster parents, but their children embraced every child that walked through their doors.”
Over the years, the Jenkins family has welcomed seven children into their home ranging from 1 day old to 4 years old, including their adopted daughter Avery.
“I think we were ready to adopt her from day one,” Kara said. “She was just 11 days old when we brought her home from the hospital in 2022. Avery was so little, around 5 pounds — just sleeping in her car seat. She needed us and we needed her.”
The family described it as an incredibly emotional time. They were also grieving the loss of a baby after Kara experienced a miscarriage. In their grief, and through the foster-to-adopt process, they experienced God’s kindness and healing in unexpected ways.
“It wasn’t like Avery could take the place of our baby,” Crockett said. “I just remember holding her and thinking, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen with this baby.’ But it felt like God was moving and redeeming the situation in a way.”
Through the gift of fostering during that season, the Jenkins family discovered fostering was not only about helping children heal from trauma, but that God was using the journey to strengthen their own family, teaching them deeper compassion, trust and dependence on Him.
As Avery grew, each family member developed a special relationship with her, and she became woven into every part of the family’s life.
“Avery and I have always shared a bedroom, and we love to play together,” Tessa said. “We play babies, dinosaur, hide and seek, and I love painting her nails.”
Josiah added, “Avery is absolutely hilarious. It was really nice to move this little squirt in and we all love playing around together. It is comforting to know God still provided for us after such a hard time. Avery has brought us a lot of joy.”
Avery officially became part of the Jenkins family on National Adoption Day on November 18, 2023.
“It always felt like Avery was supposed to be ours,” Kara said. “In that moment, we realized she is going to be a part of our family for the rest of our lives. We didn’t have to say goodbye this time.”
For Crockett, adoption day carried both joy and reflection.
“Avery’s adoption was not a definitive end to our journey,” he said. “But, at the same time, it was almost like we reached the finish line because we had been through so much as a family.”
Looking back on their years of fostering, Crockett has seen God’s hand throughout every season.
“I reflected on all God had done for our foster children, our family, our marriage,” he reflected. “God was active throughout everything, and I am really thankful He brought us to adoption day.”
Today, the Jenkins family continues serving foster families through respite care. This means a child can be placed with the Jenkinses for up to two weeks to support foster parents during challenging seasons.
“The Jenkins family steps in to provide a safe, nurturing environment for foster children whose foster parents may need a few days of additional support due to unforeseen circumstances or the need for rest,” said BrieAnna Vine, MCH Family Outreach Tyler director. “The family’s willingness to serve in this capacity strengthens the broader foster care community, and is an invaluable resource, helping ensure stability, continuity of care, and encouragement for foster families.”
Though their home is full and both Kara and Crockett work full time, the couple hopes to reopen their home for foster placements again in the future, once their children are grown.
“To others who may be interested in fostering or foster-to-adopt, remember community is key,” Crockett said. “For foster parents, don’t hesitate to ask for what you need. Get with your village of family, friends, resources and allow others to help you because it will make you stronger.”
Kara added, “Keep your heart open to not just love the children who come into your home, but also open to the families they come from. The ultimate healing for kids is to experience reunification and for their family to grow into who they need them to be.”
The Jenkins family is grateful for the consistent support they have received from MCH Family Outreach over the course of their journey.
“We have been through a couple of very hard situations, and we knew MCH had our backs,” Kara said. “MCH is a part of our family.”
Crockett added, “I don’t know of any other fostering agency I would want to go through. I would definitely recommend MCH to anyone interested in fostering or adoption.”
For the Jenkins family, fostering looks like living out God’s commandment to love others as He loves.
“We want to be a safe place for kids to be — a place where they can feel and experience love and joy, even if it’s only for a little while,” Kara said.
The Jenkins family sees God’s faithfulness woven throughout every part of their foster care journey. What began as a calling to care for children became a testimony of God’s promise to bring comfort and strength in challenges and hardships, and hope and healing for children, youth and families.
Caregiver Support
MCH Family Outreach offers caregiver empowerment groups (CEG) for families needing extra support and connection. Staff tailor groups to meet the specific needs of certain populations, such as kinship caregivers and adoptive parents. Participants not only gain valuable resources, knowledge and skills, but they also have the opportunity to build relationships with others in similar life experiences in their communities.
“I didn’t know what to do when my granddaughter came into our care,” said Sandra Ford of Tyler, Texas. “MCH helped give me direction and resources because we needed help specifically with my granddaughter’s healthcare. They put us on the right path, and we eventually adopted my granddaughter.”
MCH is committed to offering excellent service and unwavering support to children, youth and families, providing assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“We are always available, no matter what,” said Kedrick Pinke, foster home case manager. “If anyone has questions, call us. We have access to different resources depending on a family’s needs. If there is something we cannot assist with, we make sure to connect families with other services.”
For more information on foster and kinship care, foster-to-adopt and other services, click here.
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