The Best Weekend Ever

Growing up in Africa as the daughter of AG World Missions (AGWM) missionaries, Shauna Whidden was 11 years old and helping to care for children in an African AIDS orphanage. While holding a little boy, she experienced a remarkable moment as Jesus called her to spend her life caring for His children.

Two weeks later, the young boy died. Whidden was crushed. Yet she did not waiver from the call she knew she had heard — Christ had called her into the deep, to stand on behalf of the most vulnerable.

“My great-grandparents, grandparents and parents were all AGWM missionaries,” Whidden says, “and I thought I would live in Africa and run an orphanage.”

Yet the Lord had more surprises for her, calling her instead to serve foster children in the United States.

Whidden is now an AG U.S. missionary with Chaplaincy Ministries, and her husband Nathan is lead pastor of Calvary Assembly of God in Elkhart, Indiana. They have six children ranging from 17 to 8 years old — three biological and three adopted.

Nine years ago, when their adoption journey began, the Whiddens had assumed the children would be able to reunite with their biological families. But that was not to be. All three needed permanent homes. In 2017, Nathan and Shauna found themselves faced with the decision to keep all three children, making their new family arrangement permanent.

Whidden fell on her knees in prayer, unsure if she was capable of mothering six children well. Again, she says God spoke, urging her not to give up.

“I knew then that their lives were not for my convenience,” Whidden says. “My life was for them to have a chance to know Jesus. My convenience will not go to heaven. Their souls will.”

WAITING FOR A HERITAGE

Today all six Whidden children have been introduced to the redeeming love of Jesus and He is richly developing their gifts and talents.

For one year after becoming a family of eight, the Whiddens took two cars everywhere because they did not have a big enough vehicle. Or dining table. Or house. Yet the Lord called and He provided.

“Our lives are full and big but it is the coolest thing to see Jesus working in the kids,” Whidden says. “My great-grandparents prayed over all my children and our adopted children are grafted in. All the prayers and the godly heritage is theirs to claim!”

Nathan and Shauna now are stepping up both practically and spiritually on behalf of many more foster children and families.

Whidden states that there are currently 400,000 children in the United States foster system. Of that number, 100,000 have had parental rights terminated and are adrift, waiting for permanent adoptive homes.

“If they age out of the system, they will likely be trafficked, homeless or imprisoned. That is the reality,” she says.

Heavily burdened for these children awaiting their own godly heritage, Whidden became involved in a serious discussion with the Indiana AG district regarding the creation of brass-tacks support for foster families.

They were aware of Royal Family Kids Camp, deeply rooted in the AG and an excellent resource for children in foster care, yet knew of nothing to support the entire foster and/or adoptive family. The desire was born to have an event for the entire family unit, like “old school family camp,” Whidden says.

THE BEST WEEKEND EVER

Memorial Day weekend, the Indiana district came alongside Whidden and three other ministry couples who are also foster and adoptive parents to host “The Best Weekend Ever” — their first camp especially for foster, adoptive and kinship families. Sixty children and 25 adults were served.

The event was held at the Indiana District Campgrounds. Determined to make the camp affordable, Whidden was able to secure funding through churches and BGMC, reducing the cost for families to just $25 per person — a virtually unheard-of price for a special week away.

On the first afternoon, every child and every family was greeted with gifts. Kids were given a tote bag and allowed to go through a line, choosing goods such as blankets, sunglasses, water bottles, toys and more.

“When you deal with [the] foster care system and such hard places, choices are made for them,” Whidden says. “The kids are just told where they are going and what they are doing. We wanted to give them the opportunity to choose their own things. Even the teens loved it.”

The camp featured hotel style rooms, swimming, fishing, games, church services, and more. Services were family oriented, with children and adults all meeting together. A commitment was made to strengthen and create shared experiences for families, not to separate and babysit.

“These are families giving their lives to show Jesus on a daily basis for these kids,” Whidden says. “You never clock out. It is all in your home — highs, lows, good, bad. To be there with like-minded people was so powerful. They didn’t have to worry about the kids making noise. No one had to explain. Everyone understood.”

One evening prior to an altar call, the speaker addressed the pieces of broken lives, which God will always put back together. Families gathered at the altars, with many fathers crying out before the Lord on behalf of their families.

At the end of the week, every child was gifted a good-quality weighted stuffed animal.

“We wanted to create the best weekend ever and Jesus accomplished it,” Whidden says.

One of the attending foster mothers shared, "Foster care is a journey, and camp was a great time to get away and spend time with others who are going through the same thing. There was such a peace about camp. God showed up during worship with a refreshing wind. I came home with hope that God will see me through the journey!"

INTO THE DEEP

Some weeks ago, Nathan and Shauna were able to preview Angel Studios’ “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot” (pending release on July 4). A follow-up to “Sound of Freedom,” the film tells the true story of a small Texas church that decided to step up, supporting 23 of its families as they adopted 77 of the town’s most challenging foster children, eliminating the waiting list for adoption.

The Whiddens wept as they watched. “We want to see that happen on a national level,” Whidden says. “I understand that being a foster or adoptive parent is not for everyone, but we can all do something. This is an equal opportunity but not an equal responsibility situation. And I do believe there are those who should open their homes but have yet to do so.”

Today, Whidden oversees the Indiana district’s foster and adoptive care ministry. She longs to see every district and ministry network provide the same, though she knows it is a challenge.

Chad McAtee, superintendent of the Indiana district, says, “We are excited by how the Lord is using Shauna and Nathan and the Indiana district’s Foster Care and Adoption ministry. We pray for congregations to continue partnering with the Whiddens to help children in Indiana’s foster care system.

He continues that in 2023, a challenge was sent out to Indiana AG churches to step up and help by supplying needs, fostering children in their homes, and adopting children into their families.

Congregants are indeed responding. He says, “We are grateful to the Whiddens for following God’s call and leading by example.”

Whidden concludes, “This is hard work. It is a dying to self like I’ve never experienced. It is taking back from what the enemy has stolen and is a deep spiritual battle. It is a powerful ministry helping families to open their homes, knowing the Church stands behind them saying, ‘We’ve got you. You can go into the deep because we’ve got you.’ I want families to know they are not alone in this.”