Home Life

Well things at the Whyte house are never boring.  We have had a pretty busy couple weeks with one little crisis after the other.. But Praise God from whom all blessings flow that HE is in charge and is always with us..   He never seems to amaze us in all the ways that he works.. How awesome is it that God chooses to use people for His blessings, in His time, and through His ways... God has the power to do ALL things Himself and sometimes does, however, how much more does it mean when He works through His people and proves His love to where others are blessed as well... We had the joy of attending a wonderful church today whose heart is just that.. God used them and their ways to bless our spirit beyond measure.. How wonderful is our God that in His timing He would reach down and encourage us just by proving He still has this in His hands.. It does not matter what mini crisis, what others think, what others do or don't do, this ministry is HIS and HE will finish what He starts... 

We have a miracle to pray for.. WE have been blessed to have a couple mission groups wanting to come work on our home.. We have been working diligently for a yr to get this main house equipped and finished so we can start on the other 2.. We still have much tiling, painting , wall construction, wiring, sheetrock etc to do.. we currently have concrete floors in 6 rooms needing tile on them.. many people have promised they were gonna get us flooring, but to no evail.. many have offered to come help, but the thing always holding us back has been supplies.. So now we have these groups from the University of Mobile coming to work their hearts out and as we do have some supplies, if we could get all that we need to finish this phase of construction would be beyond our wildest dreams.. The peace that would come with things being back in their right place and everything clean again.. Having 12 kids in the home makes things overwhelming sometimes.. so If we could just get this done.. would be such a huge miracle to me..

So, with all that.. PLEASE pray and believe for a miracle with us.. We need either $9000.00 or supplies by the weekend of the  OCT 24th.. We know God will supply all our needs.. He just calls us to pray and believe together.. It has been our prayers to have it complete before Christmas.. Please join us in our prayers...

Praying the Peace of Jesus to you all...

Steph 

WOw, there does not seem to be enough hours in a day.... Between all the kids, homework, chores, ministry, husband with a broken foot, renovations, shopping, etc. I am starting to believe I need a secretary or a personal assistant.. LOL!! Praise God for his grace to get me through.. Yes, Steve is laid up with a broken /very injured foot.. he has a toe he broke in half plus other tissue damage and he will be in a cast for 8 weeks.. I am soo blessed to have a husband who works with me as a team player.. I have always felt blessed, but now that I am a one man show, I appreciate him even more... Steve was being an awesome dad when he hurt himself.  We were having a family day and picnic. It was during our Whyte Family football game that his foot got stepped on or something.. then being who he is , he still played all time quarterback for 2 more hours.. We had no idea it was injured so badly..  Pray for his recovery...

Well the Birdies for Charity Tournament is going on now.. We have been blessed with the opportunity to be a part of the whole thing.. We did not get to raise as many pledges as we would have liked only bc it was STeve and I doing it all ... and with all the other things on our plate, we are needing help..So pray that God brings along side us those people he would have to make this thing work.. We seek His will daily and HE keeps saying press foreward.. So we are obedient and walking in HIs steps..Believing by faith that one day soon, this will bust wide open..

We were blessed to be contacted by a reporter from a local paper who felt led to come and hear our story and tell others our hearts.. Thanks so much Hamilton for believing in what we are doing and what God has for us.. Thanks for your kind words and wonderful article.. It was a blessing to get to know you more and meet some of your boys.. We hope this is the beginning of a wonderful friendship for all the kids.

Continue to lift us up in prayer and God's ministry that He is creating..

Here is the article from the paper.. If you are feeling led by God to join our cause in anyway, please contact us.. If you are an adoptive or foster parent and just need someone to talk to or cry with.. CALL ME!!! I am always here for you... We would love to meet you.. WE believe everyone needs support when they are called to love unconditionally and open up there hearts for these special kids...

Blessings to you all.....

Elmore couple makes lasting impact on foster kids By Hamilton Richardson Progress staff writer

Article tools    Post a comment for this story  Text alerts to your cell phone E-mail this  Print  Get breaking news, briefing e-mailed to you  Subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser Send an article link via AOL instant messenger Save this page to Del.icio.us   Steven and Stephanie Whyte run the ministry, A Place Called Home, from their Elmore residence. The Whytes have 12 kids living with them and work to support other foster and adoptive parents. -- Hamilton Richardson, Progress Watch for Top Jobs coming to this space soon. The word "home" means dif­ferent things to different people. To some, the concept of "home" might mean family and fresh cooked meals. To others it could mean friends and fun. No matter what definition is used, many people cherish the thought of home. For Elmore residents Steven and Stephanie Whyte, "home" means caring about and taking responsibility for distressed children who have no home of their own. The Whytes, who are both Alabama licensed foster and adoptive parents, currently have 12 kids living in their home, which they call My Fa­ther's House Ranch. Three of the children are the Whyte's bio­logical children, two have been adopted out of foster care, four are pending adoption, one is a current foster child, and two are previous foster children. The Whyte's ministry is appropri­ately known as A Place Called Home. A Place Called Home is the Whyte's answer to the needs of foster children in the system that don't have solid, loving homes, and the couple says their response is to a passage in the Bible in the book of James. "It's the job of the church to help widows and orphans," said Steven Whyte. "A Place Called Home meets a need for foster parents and adoptive parents." According to Stephanie Whyte, there are 126,000 or­phans in the U.S. in need of adoption. Many of the kids in foster homes go through multi­ple home environments and at times, serious abuse, before they get to a caring home. And sometimes, they never get to that caring, loving home, but are sent out of the system as an adult with nowhere to go and nothing to do. "We want to be a voice for kids and a mentor for foster par­ents," said Stephanie Whyte. "As a ministry, we help people in need." The Whytes, who have been married 13 years, began their journey into foster parenting about four years ago. After sev­eral years of turmoil -- includ­ing Stephanie's cancer, which she believes was healed miracu­lously by God -- the loss of work, and the fact that one of their daughters almost died, the cou­ple started foster parenting classes. "Three years ago, God woke me up and told me to adopt two children out of foster care," Ste­phanie Whyte said. "Within three weeks, two boys were here with us." The Whytes continued to take in foster kids and then adopt them when they could. Be­cause of the foster home horror stories they heard from some of the children, they felt that they needed to be a helping force for other foster and adoptive par­ents. A Place Called Home be­came that network. The Whytes began to have a vision of more than one home on their property where foster par­ents and their kids could live. The vision for A Place Called Home, the couple says, is "to be a voice of truth that mobilizes the church; a place that mone­tarily, emotionally, and spiritu­ally supports foster and adop­tive families; and a network of fully-supported, individually li­censed foster homes." The 503(c) ministry is a part of A.C.T. In­ternational, which is the mis­sion board that oversees it. "We are looking for Chris­tian foster parents to be a light in the community," Steven Whyte commented. "It's a differ­ent model." The Whytes have a philoso­phy that revolves around the love of children, which has been important in dealing with the is­sues that come with foster kids. Many children who have gone through the foster care system have been labeled as problem children and have been treated with medication. "You give them Jesus, hope, and structure and the need for medication goes away," Ste­phanie Whyte said. "It's a huge job to raise someone else's child, but it's a blessing." Steven Whyte is currently an I.T. consultant and a recently or­dained pastor, but it takes a lot to support the Whyte's ministry efforts and according to Whyte, the couple doesn't have enough resources or people. The couple is finishing up construction on their house and looking at de­signs for other homes on their property. Some of the current needs include a 15-passenger van, a tractor, rail fencing, a playground, building materials and commercial appliances. To offer assistance or re­sources to A Place Called Home, or to get information about the needs of foster kids, go online to www.apchm.org.

Tonight was the first night that I was the Parent Co Facilitator for the Elmore County Adoption support group.  We had a wonderful turn out.. It is amazing to see all the ways God is allowing us to share our passion with others and meet those with like hearts.. This is all about giving hope to America's hopeless kids... It is a special call for someone to give of themselves unconditionally and to love.. But it is what God has told us as believers to do.. We are so hoping to be a support to anyone who has been blessed enough to have this call.. It is not always easy, but the joys that come with it are beyond what words can describe.  So if you are a Foster or Adoptive Parent in the Prattville, Millbrook, Wetumpka,Montgomery, AL area and need a place to be yourself and lean on others going through the same sort of things.. Come, be a part.. Dinner and Childcare are always provided.. We meet the 3rd Tuesday of the Month at Bethel Worship Center in Wetumpka.  Just shoot me an email and let me know you are coming.. We also hope to be starting some social events outside the meetings, just to get to know each other better. 

If you are interested or have any questions at all, feel free to contact me..

We would love to see you there!!

Blessings,

Steph

WEll, the time has flown soo fast.. This is our last week to receive pledges for the Navistar~LPGA Classic Tournament's "Birdies for Charity" fundraising event.  Basically pledges are being taken for every birdie hit during the tournament.  All the donations are tax deductible and will be usd to help us help these kids..We are so honored to be asked to participate in such a wonderful event and would like to be invited back next time. So PLEASE donate today!!!!  It takes many to help break the cycle of what these children consider normal.. Please spread the word.. IF you believe in what we are about and what God has called us to do..Even a 1 cent donation would be so appreciated... If 1300 birdies were hit, then a one cent donation would be $13... 2 Cents $26  so on and so forth....

Thanks to all who have already donated.. WE appreiate you!!!

 Continue to pray....

STeph

As I sit here and write, I am completely overwhelmed with how society is today.. It is amazing to me what we have become and the lack of compassion that people have for one another. I guess the thing that suprises me the most is that those that call themselves Christians, followers of Christ, do not stand out among the rest as being so full of compassion that it touches all they come in contact with. I know my calling God has laid before me is different then most, I know what I have to do takes much compassion and unconditional love, but is it truly so different than what ALL believers are called to do...The bible tells us in so many places to put others before ourselves..Can we truly love God and not do so?? James 1:27 says to take care of the widows and orphans in their time of need......  Why do christians believe it is the fault of those going through the issues, not responsibility of believers to care for those God specifically said to?  God has called ALL who believe to care for the orphans, not just Steve and I, not just those families already fulfilling their purpose, but ALL believers... People search your hearts, realize everyone has a story that has gotten them to the place they are in. It may not be all their faults. Take time, show some compassion, show some love, be a listener, a provider, a teacher, a friend.  Take on the personality of Christ so that you can make a difference in the lives of others. People just need someone to give them a little hope, a little smile, a little "it's gonna be OKAY!!!". Dont get soooo consumed by your own life that you forget what our purpose is. To love others..... to care for those in need, to help these poor children whose lives are so chaotic and who have suffered so much that they dont know what is right and what is wrong.... these families who have never had anyone teach them how to respect themselves or other people, who dont know better than to do what they do because it has been passed down from generation to generation.....Make a difference in this world.. there is so much pain..it is everywhere... It only takes a spark to get a fire going.. be that spark, be that person that starts the snowball effect.. Life is so short... Dont take for granted what your purpose truly is.. BE COMPASSIONATE!!! It might just be contagious!!!

Continue to pray for our ministry and the children and families involved. Pray for safety, love , hope, security, and peace..  Please pray that God would send those he has been preparing to help us help these kids.. These kids will be adults one day.. If no one helps them now, they will not be the kind of adults they need to be.  Give a child some hope.. Support those you know who are trying to make a difference.. Encourage them and tell them what a great job they are doing.. It gets tiring sometimes, but with a bit of encouragement  people continue to prevail...

Spread the word and spread some love...

Blessings, Steph

Hello All...

What a busy end of the summer we have had, however, God has proven to be more than faithful over and over again... The good news is there is much to share..

The girls new bedroom is 95% complete and they moved in..The only thing we are lacking is flooring, which it is not so bad having concrete floors with all the traffic of children and dogs non stop.  We painted it the most adorble pink and brown stripes with white and it has turned out beautiful.  We are also getting ready to repaint the existing girls room similarly,but with brown, teal and lime green.  We have been working on the girls addition since Jan, so to actually have them living in there is such a blessing and answer to ALL our prayers.

We also took a few days off of the normal ins and outs and enjoyed a visit with Gramdma Shop,Grandpa Tony, and Emily... They had not been here from San Diego in a yr. So it was exciting for our new additions to be able to get to know them.  It was lots of fun had by all...

As far as the ministry is concerned...God has been amazing.  We have been given the opportunity to share our hearts many times.  Even at Grace where we have attended for 9 yrs.  God is truly getting our name out there.. His plans and purposes, His ways...  We will be speaking at Fitzpatrick United Methodist on sunday.  We are all very excited for the chance to get to know even more of Gods people...

These past weeks we have been overwhelmingly blessed by the kindness of people. We have had people help us organize some stuff, people come cut our lawn(bc both our mowers DIED), we had the youth group from Good Hope Baptist Church led by Tim Lawerence come out with a big group and they cleaned the grounds of all "addition junk", old bikes, etc. as well as painting, sheetrocking and Praise Jesus they brought Barry the electrician to finish the sub panel so we can have electricity in the girls room as well as the landry room that is not quite finished.  Mr Barry even stayed around after all the main group has left and even  installed the lighting in the laundry room for us..THANK YOU just does not seem to sum up our gratitude and joy we feel to have you all in our home.. When you have this many kids and are living life plus running a ministry, plus doing an addition yourself, things go undone and build up very quickly.. But the blessings that all you young people and adults as well gave us make it much easier to see God's Plan and to continue on...We love the new color of the kitchen/classroom..it was fun educating everyone on the correct color it is.. Salmon...Not Pink.. Thank you guys for all the laughs and all the joy  you brought as well.. it is a memory that will stay with us forever....

So Phase I of the remodel is almost complete.. We have almost all the tile done in the classroom and have yet to do the hall and new laundry room.. We are working on that, as well as, finishing the kitchen with door pulls and tile on the counters... then it is on to finish the laundry room as well as the expansion of the living room, hopefully done by Christmas...

Thanks again to all who have come and labored with us on this task.. Your hard work and kindness is soo very special to us...

 Other news to report is ...Steve was ORDAINED!!  After all these yrs he has achieved another goal God has laid before him. He has even already performed his first wedding ,preached once, and even led one of our daugthers to the Lord...God is good...

Not much else to report.. We are blessed to have my mom here right now hanging out with all of us.. She came in to help with the kids while we were in court this week, but what was supposed to be 4 days of court was lessened to 2..All by the grace of God...

We have also been invited to participate in the Navistar LPGA Classic Golf Tournament Fund Raiser.. We are receiving pledges for each "Birdie" made during the tournament.. so if you are interested in helping us by either making a pledge or collecting pledges..  Please let us know ASAP!!  We are starting a campaign to raise $35,000 to help finish this first home on the property, to get a tractor for the ranch, a large vehicle to tote MANY kids at once and a playground for all the kids to play on.  We are here to be a resting place for foster and adoptive parents to come and share their hearts about the struggles and joys that come from doing the calling God has laid on us.  We really need to finish an area for the kids to be safe and have fun, so us big people can do what we need to do....

OH and one other thanks.. Thank you to Jill Sexton and Beverly Owings for giving me the chance to be involved with APAC.. I am the new parent Co -Facilitator for the meetings that meet monthly in Elmore Co.. If you are an adoptive or even Foster parent and are looking for a support group, feel free to contact me for more info.. We meet every 3rd Tuesday of the month at Bethel Worship Center in Wetumpka,AL..

We ask for your continued prayers for God to send us a Development Manager as well as someone to help with the marketing and secretarial work... Our sweet angel, Ms. Patty, who helped us soo much, has moved away to be with her husband..We are so thankful for all you did for us Patty and we are thrilled that God sold your house and reunited your family..May His blessings surround you and yours.  We also ask you would continie to pray for our children some of them are going through some difficult things in their lives, things that when they are over will be great.. It is just very hard getting to the "Great" part sometimes...  But God works all theings together for His good...

Blessings to All of you,

 Steph

Wow, it is hard to believe it has almost been a month since my last entry.. Things at the Whyte House are never boring for sure. But if there was truly an EASY BUTTON to push to allow for more hours in the day, sign me up.. Well July is a busy birthday month in the Whyte Family as we have 5 now... Seems every time we get finished with one there is another one.. It is very important to us that the kids feel extremely special on their day as they have to share their lives with so many... And this yr I believe we have succeeded.. From a trip to Panama City to stay with family that was wonderful to trips to Build A Bear and Mommy Daughter Shopping excursions.. I think everyone is glad they were born..:)  We have also added 2 more pups to the brood.. Two of the girls were ready to add a pet to their list of responsibilities.. The Dogs truly do work as therapy for all...

Well, the school yr is quickly upon us and all are getting excited about a new yr.  We have 2 in High School this yr wtih 3 in Jr high and the rest in Elem.. Our 1st alternates are gonna be in college, Kindergarden and preschool... Seems we have one in  almost every level out there. But it is fun...

We are also going through lots of changes right now from best friends moving away, grandparents moving away and in two days my sister moves with her family.. please remember our family in your prayers as we transition in life.  It is a normal occurence for those around you to leave, but with so many so close together, it is having a major effect  on our lives.  We wish everyone well as they walk through the journey God is laying before them, just know you are loved soooo much and missed more than words can say..

Well all the kids are doing great.. Thanks again for all your prayers.. Please continue to pray we get the addition done ASAP and that we get that van or small bus.. I have been having 12 kids regularly lately and need to be able to take them all with me sometimes so Steve does not have to miss work to help me with appts... WE still know God has a plan and He is in control.. WE are just praying our prayers are answered soon...

Blessings to you all....

Steve and I were blessed with the chance to go to Destin for a weekend getaway alone.  He has been working extra long hours and so with the little bit of stash we had saved up we decided to go do something for ourselves.  We had not been away on a vacation alone since our honeymoon 13 yrs ago. It was wonderful spending time together just being quiet...  It was like a reset button had been pushed for us when it was all over.. It was strangely difficult in the beginning.. In Fact, I cried when we first got down there and we witnessed so many families having fun together.  It was a wonderful reminder of how much I love my life.. I am a mom.. It is my dream job and I am so greatful to Jesus for allowing me to live my dream.. People find it funny that I would be so emotional when I was away from the chaos of so many children,but you see they are who make me me along with Jesus,so to be without them was like part of me was missing....It was so special being with my husband..We fell in love even more than before, but there was always this little thing in the back of our minds wishing we were sharing the time with the kids as well.. Though we have promised to do this again before 13 yrs pass.... It is necessary for us to stay a strong couple in what we have been tasked to do.. :)

God's timing is impeccable as usual.. While we are away getting reenergized, we get a call to add another daughter.. We together saught the Lord and he said it was what He willed for us, so 15 minutes after arriving back in Al we went from 9 kids to 10....It has been a couple days and things are going well with the transition.. Life sure does pack a raw deal for so many.. We are blessed to be given the opp to be able to love someone so deep for the first time...It is amazing to watch what a little unconditional love can do to help mend a childs heart.

Due to the addition of our latest daughter we are in desperate need of finishing the additon we are in the middle of doing. Please pray that God would send the people we need to get the job done ASAP!!! 

Also ...We desperately need a 15+ passenger vehicle so I can drive all the kids places alone...Please pray God will supply ALL our needs..As we know he will...

Thanks again to everyone for their kind words of encouragement and support..It is you that helps make it easier to go on.. We love you all and thank you for embracing our ministry to these kids.