HeyJaredThe Defender Podcast
The Defender Podcast is a ministry of Lifeline Children's Services where we seek to equip the body of Christ to manifest the gospel to vulnerable children and families.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 12
- Latest publication
- Sep 17, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 29, 2026
Latest episodes
God Doesn't Waste Anything: Katie Adams on Faith, Family, and International Adoption (opens the original)
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Katie Adams, manager of Lifeline's expat adoption program, joins Dr. Rick to trace her path from a childhood on Fort Benning through a faith awakening in high school, a major shift from nursing to social work at Samford, and a season of service with kids with special needs. She shares how a global pandemic redirected her toward Lifeline, how she fell unexpectedly in love with India's adoption program, and how she now helps missionary and military families overseas navigate the practical, financi
Opening the Doors: How One Church Is Rewriting the Story for Kids Aging Out of Foster Care (opens the original)
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In this episode of the Defender Podcast, Executive Director Herbie Newell and Ford sit down with Tommy DeRamos of Shades Mountain Baptist Church to talk about Heritage Builders, a Lifeline-created, church-run mentoring program for teens in foster care. Tommy shares how a small monthly meeting with fifteen kids grew into a five-year ministry teaching life skills like budgeting, job interviews, and car maintenance, all wrapped in biblical teaching and steady adult presence. The conversation lands
Why Fewer Kids Are Coming Home Through Adoption in 2025 (opens the original)
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On this episode of The Defender, Rob, Herbie, Karla, and Ford unpack the newly released 2025 intercountry adoption numbers, down to 973 children from 1,172 the year before. They break down why the drop isn't about declining need but about a harder process: older kids, sibling groups, more complex needs, and mounting bureaucratic delays. The team talks through what Lifeline is doing in response (focusing on smaller emerging programs, hosting initiatives, and advocacy), and makes a direct call to
From Orphan to 'Baby Whisperer': Vikram's Story (opens the original)
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Vikram grew up in a leper colony in Rajasthan before being taken in by a Christian orphanage that eventually became home to over a thousand kids. On this episode of What's Your Story, he shares his journey from orphan to Bible college graduate to houseparent over 450 children, and how a wandering season away from faith ended when God put a church next door to his home. Today Vikram serves as Lifeline's India program coordinator, helping adoptive families navigate the hardest first days of bondin
16 Kids, One Brother's Sacrifice (opens the original)
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This summer Lifeline had sixteen kids come to the US for two weeks through the international hosting program, most of whom had already been passed over by families both in Colombia and abroad. On this episode of The Defender, Karla shares what happens from the airport arrival to the hard goodbye, including the story of two brothers where the older boy gave up his own shot at adoption so his little brother could find a family. Six of these sixteen kids still need forever families. Watch the full
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