Episode 283: Fourteen Children, One Family (w/ Beth van der Wel)
The Forgotten Podcast
The Forgotten Initiative
4.9 • 532 Ratings
🗓️ 24 November 2025
⏱️ 39 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
My guest for this conversation didn’t set out to have fourteen children in her home. But through every step of her journey, she boldly trusted in the Lord and kept stepping out in faith.
Beth van der Wel is not only a biological mom to three, but she is also an adoptive and foster parent to an additional 11 children. Throughout their nearly three decades of marriage, Beth and her husband, Robin, have opened their hearts and their home to however the Lord would lead, which would include welcoming entire sibling groups into their home all at once.
From an unexpected nudge toward adoption to watching God bring life and hope to children the world had given up on, Beth has seen firsthand that you don’t have to have a perfect plan to be used by God. Beth recently joined the TFI Team as an Advocate in Marshall County, Alabama.
In this episode, Beth shares how she is living out her call to serve vulnerable children, the importance of making caseworkers feel seen and supported, how even 24 hours can have a profound impact on a child’s life, and much more.
Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes for this episode: https://theforgotteninitiative.org/beth-van-der-wel-283/
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | We had him 24 hours, and in that 24 hours, when I had to take him back to D.H.R., he said, |
| 0:13.9 | well, the next time my parents are in jail, can I come to your house? And it broke my heart. |
| 0:20.6 | And I thought, you know, he felt God's love in that 24 |
| 0:25.3 | hours and it changed him. Hey, it's Jamie Cabe. Welcome to the Forgotten podcast where we are |
| 0:32.4 | highlighting the stories of the people of foster care. We want to bring you hope and encouragement in your journey |
| 0:39.2 | and help you support the foster care community where you live. This podcast is a resource of the |
| 0:45.5 | Forgotten Initiative. Learn more about our work across America and how you can get involved by |
| 0:51.2 | visiting the forgotteninitiative.org. |
| 0:54.6 | And please consider joining with us on mission with a gift of any amount. |
| 0:59.8 | You can do this by texting the word forgotten to 44321. |
| 1:05.7 | Okay, it's time. Let's do this. |
| 1:08.9 | Let's do this. |
| 1:22.3 | Today's guest, Beth Vanderwell is living a beautiful story. It's a picture of God's handiwork, woven with redemption, resilience, and relentless love. With almost three decades of marriage, she and her |
| 1:29.8 | husband Robin have opened their hearts and homes to not just their three biological children, |
| 1:34.0 | but also multiple children they've adopted and fostered, including welcoming some entire |
| 1:40.8 | sibling groups at once, which I'm excited to talk through. From an unexpected nudge |
| 1:46.4 | towards adoption to long nights navigating trauma to watching God bring life and hope to children |
| 1:52.0 | the world had given up on, Beth has seen firsthand that you don't have to have it all together |
| 1:57.2 | to be used by God. Beth is also an advocate with the forgotten initiative. |
| 2:02.8 | She is a brand new member of our TFI family. We are so happy to know her, and that's actually |
| 2:08.6 | how we got to first hear your story. Today, you're going to hear how she's living out her calling |
| 2:13.9 | to serve vulnerable children, love their families, and care for social workers |
... |
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