James and Kate Radford, along with their three children, joined Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries’s family in March of 2020 as Relief Home Parents. After serving in that position for several months, they’ve now become the Home Parents in The Zimmer Home. We appreciate their dedication, and wanted to introduce them to our supporters. Kate shares their story, and what they love about being at Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries.
We’ve been married for 20 years. We have three children who have always ministered alongside us. James owned businesses for the past 15 years while I have been in Children, Youth and Family ministry for about the same amount of time. James is originally from the St. Louis area, but we spent most of our married life in my home state of California.
In 2018, our family began to see God moving us out of California through a series of fortunate events. There were a few months that we were even homeless, bouncing from couch to couch of friends’ and families’ homes! Through it all, we saw God’s amazing protection, provision and promises fulfilled.
Although we knew God was moving us out of California, we didn’t know where God was leading us. After much prayer and wise counsel, we purchased an RV and a 12-passenger van, and began traveling around the United States. We visited over 15 states during an 18-month period and gained a new appreciation for God’s Church and Kingdom. It was an amazing time in our lives that we greatly cherish.
In the winter of 2019, we were visiting family in Missouri and struggling. It was a time of reflection for us. During that time, I began to research ministry jobs around the U.S. The first one to pop up was for Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries. Prior to this, we had never heard of foster home ministries. When we called the Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries office, Bill Atherton asked what caused us to call? I explained that we had seen an ad, but Bill told us he did not currently have a job opening advertised.
That’s when James and I knew we should pursue this opportunity. It had to be a God-thing.
In March of 2020, James and I joined the Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries staff as Relief Home Parents. Just two weeks later, our entire country shut down due to the pandemic. We could clearly see God’s hand of protection and provision for us, as just in time we transitioned from being on the road traveling full-time, to being in this safe place in mid-Missouri. A safe place not only for children in foster care, but also for our family.
Our favorite part of working with the children is being able to offer opportunities for adventure and travel for them. An opportunity that many of them would have never experienced otherwise.
Our most recent adventure occurred right after Christmas. Before it was time for the children to return to school, we took a few days to take them to the Gulf Coast. On the way, as we entered Arkansas, we realized that none of us in the van had ever been in that state before! There are all kinds of “firsts” when we do activities and take our kids on outings. It is a lot of work, not without its struggles, but their smiles and eyes full of wonder are totally worth it all!
~~Kate Radford, Home Parent Mom in The Zimmer Home
