Ep. 5 – Our Marriage, Our Mission: Foster & Adopt ft. Mike Bartlett, Jamie Bartlett, Stephanie TeSlaa

In our first “Our Marriage, Our Mission” conversation, Stephanie TeSlaa sits down with Mike & Jamie Bartlett to talk about their journey with foster care and adoption. After planting Redemption City Church in Grand Rapids, the Bartletts—parents of four boys—felt called to open their home to teenage girls through foster care. In this episode, they share their story, the lessons they’ve learned, and how God has used their marriage as both a source of strength and provision for one another.DQ1: If you’re in a season of discouragement, what might God be calling you to release? (For Mike it was control; for Jamie it was her timeline.)DQ2: How does remembering that God is in control of every story—and that no one is beyond His redemption—challenge your current way of thinking?DQ3: What “rough edges” has God smoothed in your marriage through different seasons?DQ4: In what ways is your marriage already on mission together? How else might God be calling you to live missionally in your marriage?If you are a foster and adoption family, here are some additional discussion questions. DQ5: Where have you seen God’s faithfulness in your own journey with foster care or adoption?DQ6: How does Mike & Jamie’s story encourage you? What questions does it raise for you?DQ7: How might trying respite care help you discern God’s calling in foster care and discover what works best for your family?