Every year, hundreds of thousands of children are placed into the foster care system. As our nation faces the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, an already stressed child welfare system is bracing for impact. According to scripture, the Church has a pivotal role to play in caring for those children and participating in the work of Christ to heal trauma with his radical love and acceptance.
In Tori Hope Petersen’s new book Fostered: One Woman’s Powerful Story of Finding Faith and Family through Foster Care (B&H Publishing, August 30, 2022), she describes her own experience as a survivor of abuse, foster child, and eventually, a foster parent and foster care system reform advocate who was crowned Mrs. Universe 2022. Her journey from brokenness to belonging paints a portrait of what is possible when we open our hearts to God’s love.
“If not the ‘how’ question, we get asked the ‘why’ question a lot,” Tori writes of her family’s choice to open their home to so many people. “Why do we do all these things? We do all these things because God’s love compels us. And even when the world tells us to slow down and shut our doors to the community around us for the sake of our own comfort, we have experienced that the more we open them, the more energy the Holy Spirit gives us for His mission.”
Fostered gives readers a realistic glimpse into the life of a foster child and serves as a testament to the love of God expressed through the care of his disciples. Tori’s testimony of heartbreak and healing helped her to deeply know her Heavenly Father’s love, and now she is sharing it with anyone she can-–including those who need a home. Through pre-sales alone, the book is already a best-seller.
Tori is available for interviews and can speak to the following:
- Challenges of growing up in an environment with drugs and mental illness
- The importance of contradicting trauma
- Unplanned pregnancy and the true expression of pro-life values
- Foster care system reform: Recognizing the impossibly overwhelming caseloads carried by many social workers, addressing issues that often arise in institutionalized group homes, and more
- What it means to be radically hospitable and why the Church should embrace it
- Struggling with labels and identity as a biracial woman
Tori Hope Petersen (Pictured below; named Mrs. Universe in 2021; Track and Field All-American) is a former foster youth letting her Abba be known. She is passionate about foster care reform, adoption advocacy, vulnerable populations, and seeing the love of God change people’s lives! Tori speaks across the nation sharing her powerful story, but her favorite form of art and communication is writing. Tori and her husband, Jacob, have the three sweetest kids: a biological son and daughter, Leyonder and Ezzeri, and an adopted adult son, Sar. Follow her on Instagram @torihopepetersen and find her new book, Fostered, available nationwide on August 30, 2022.
