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April 10, 20250

The courtroom was packed as friends and family gathered in matching shirts proudly reading “The Wood Clan Est. 1979.” After two years of love and growing together, the moment finally arrived—Adalynn was officially becoming a Wood.

Adalynn was just one week old when she was placed with Caleb and Jessica Wood. From the very beginning, she became family. Now, at two-years-old, she’s full of personality, joy and is the perfect piece to the Wood’s family puzzle. To sweeten the pie, Adalynn and her grandmother, who barely left her side during the adoption hearing, share an extra special bond.

The morning was overflowing with happy tears, hugs and celebration as Adalynn Joel officially joined the Wood Clan forever!



April 10, 20250

Natalia’s adoption story is a beautiful testament to love, faith, and family. Since joining the Arrow community in 2021, the Cummins family has held a heartfelt hope—to adopt a child who would complete their home. That dream came true in 2024 when Natalia officially became part of their forever family.

From the moment they met her, the Cummins knew Natalia was the one. Every step in the process unfolded smoothly, as if each moment had been guided by something greater. What began as a hope turned into a story of connection and belonging. Natalia quickly became a source of joy, laughter, and light in their lives.

On the day of the adoption, family and friends gathered to witness a life-changing moment in Natalia’s adoption story. As the judge made it official, tears flowed freely, hugs were shared, and hearts overflowed with gratitude. It wasn’t just about signing papers—it was about affirming what everyone already knew: Natalia was always meant to be a Cummins.

Now at home, Natalia’s days are filled with love, structure, and playful energy. Her bond with the family is strong, and her smile says everything. She’s not just part of the Cummins family—she is the heart of it.

Natalia’s adoption story is one of many that reflect the mission of Arrow: to help kids and strengthen families. Every child deserves a loving, stable home, and every adoption is a celebration of hope fulfilled.

We’re proud to support families like the Cummins and honored to share these stories of forever love.



April 10, 20250

One morning, a little girl named Ella was placed with the Moore family—a family that found a pocket of joy through the adoption of her older sister Charleigh in 2022.

On March 13, 2025, Ella’s journey came full circle as her adoption was finalized. The people who have walked alongside every step of the way surrounded her. In this photo, you’ll see Jacque Gunter, her case manager; Ella herself; her proud big sister Charleigh; and Courtney Moore, the incredible foster mom turned forever mom—twice.

These moments of creating connections, building families and helping love grow is what Arrow is all about.

Courtney says their family is complete, but we have a feeling a little brother could change her mind.



April 10, 20250

The Power of Adoption: A Heartwarming Arrow Family Story

In March 2025, the inspiring journey of one incredible Arrow family was shared with the Houston community on KHOU 11. Their story is a beautiful reminder of the power of love, family, and the life-changing impact of adoption.

Licensed through Arrow Child & Family Ministries, this amazing family opened their hearts and home to twin sisters, Malaina and Alaina. What began as a foster placement soon became a forever bond, and in August 2021, they officially became a family.

At Arrow, we believe every child deserves stability, love, and a place to call home. Stories like this highlight the importance of dedicated foster and adoptive families, and we are honored to play a role in helping children transition into safe, loving environments.

Watch their full story here: KHOU 11 Feature

💙 Interested in making a difference? Visit the Get Involved section on the Arrow website!



April 1, 20250

At Arrow Child & Family Ministries, we believe every child deserves a safe, loving home — and the Shelton family is a shining example of what that dream can look like when it becomes reality.

After opening their hearts and home through foster care, the Sheltons embraced the opportunity to care for a child in need. Their journey was one marked by patience, compassion, and unwavering commitment. And recently, that journey reached a beautiful milestone: they finalized the adoption of their child, officially creating a forever family.

Moments like this are powerful reminders of why our mission matters. Behind every placement is a child seeking love and security — and behind every success story is a family willing to say “yes.” We celebrate the Shelton family and their incredible dedication to helping a child grow, heal, and thrive in a home filled with love.

To the Sheltons and all our foster and adoptive families — thank you for making forever possible.



December 5, 20240

 

Longview, Texas (KLTV) -New forever families continue to be formed in this National Adoption Month. On Nov. 15, six families adopted seven children into their families inside the Gregg County Courthouse, one pair being twin brothers Mathew and Makai. Their adoptive mother Verniita Gipson says the twins’ adoption was a moment that was years in the making. “Their mother is a relative of mine, and unfortunately she was going through some things in her life, you know,” Gipson says. Agreeing to foster the brothers since they were just four months old, Gipson was able to be there for them when their biological mother couldn’t. “We had spoken previously to her having her children, if she ever got in a situation… that I would be willing to help her as much as I possibly could.”

After two and a half years of fostering the boys, Gipson took the steps to take them in fully. “I’m grateful that she made the decision to put them first, you know, and realize that she wanted something better for them,” Gipson expresses. A better life is what Gipson shares she wants to give the brothers. Having had three children of her own, Gipson is relearning how to be a mother of toddlers again, but it’s an experience she welcomes with joy. “Basically, give them everything that I got to offer to them, what I gave to my first three children,” Gipson says. During Gipson’s court hearing, 307th District Court Judge Tim Womack took the time to acknowledge the adoptive mothers’ efforts up until that point. “There’s just not many people… that have that in them. And you’re one of those very special people, so on behalf of this court …and me personally, I thank you so much for all that you have done and all that you will do,” said Womack. According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, each year, approximately 700 to 900 foster youth age out of foster care.

Womack says that’s why their county’s adoption day means so much. “The fact that we get to do this once a year, bring some attention to this and hopefully, just like you said, maybe bring some new parents into the fold and maybe begin some new families,” Womack says. For people interested in helping children in the system, Gipson’s advice is to just go for it. “There are so many children, and they need that love. It’s nothing, like if you’ve raised one, you can raise another one,” Gipson says. Luckily, the energetic 3-year-olds will never have to go through life alone from this point forward.

If you would like to see kids available for adoption in East Texas, you can email [email protected] or visit the Heart Gallery East Texas.

By Noemy Sanchez

Click Here to View Original Article

 



March 30, 20230
FOSTER CARE SYSTEM IN 23

EAST TEXAS COUNTIES SOON TO BE RUN BY PRIVATE ENTITY

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – One of the biggest changes to the foster care system in East Texas is underway: privatization.

“This transition does create challenges, and there’s lots of need in our community,” said Smith County 321st District Court Judge Robert Wilson during the 4Kids4Families kickoff event at South Spring Baptist Church in Tyler.

Wilson has a deep understanding of the state of foster care. For years, he’s seen many East Texas families on their best and worst days in court. He also doesn’t shy away from the painstaking reality of what it’s like to be in Texas state care in 2023.

“We’ve had as many as 130 kids statewide without placement,” said Wilson. “That means that we have kids sleeping on the floors of CPS offices, in hotel rooms, or in rented spaces … or on gym floors. It’s not any easy solution to fix, but it’s not an acceptable solution at all.”

Read more at: CLICK HERE!



November 15, 20211

Children of all ages come into the foster care system, but the children who wait for adoption the longest are:

  • Children from minority racial groups
  • Children over 10 years old
  • Children in sibling groups
  • Children with physical or emotional disabilities

Arrow is committed to finding these children permanent, loving homes. It can seem frightening to consider adopting an older or disabled child, or a sibling group of three or more. These children require a high level of commitment, patience, and understanding – but many of these children will thrive in a loving home. They have the scars of past abuse and neglect, and sometimes the trauma of multiple foster care moves, but once they become part of a “forever family,” they can begin to heal and blossom into the children and young adults God meant for them to become. Please contact your local office and let them know of your interest to adopt these special kids.



The Vaughn Family finalized the adoption of Dominic Wyatt Vaughn on 10/22/21 after many years in care and over 6 months in their home. We are so excited for them and want to celebrate their wonderful news! Dominic is pictured in the middle in the black shirt and jeans. He was so excited to see himself on the Adoption Zoom that he accidentally muted Mrs. Vaughn answering a question for the Judge.


LEARN MORE ABOUT BEING A FOSTER PARENT

ATTEND AN INFORMATIONAL MEETING

Each month, there are several interactive, live streaming webinars to learn more about foster care and what it takes to become a foster parent. In each webinar, you’ll get an overview of all of Arrow’s foster care programs. And because the webinars are interactive, you can have all your questions answered.


VIEW UPCOMING INFORMATION SESSIONS

The McCarty Family finalized the adoption for Josie Leigh McCarty on 10/26/21 after close to two years of having her placed in their home. The McCarty’s extended family was in attendance as well as their coworkers were able to watch via Zoom. Josie is pictured on the right.



The Williams Family finalized the adoption for siblings, Willow and Hunter on 11/01/221! Willow the young lady on the left has been in the Williams home three years, and her younger brother Hunter, the young man on the left has been here since birth, last week was his 2nd birthday. The family was so excited and nothing could stop them from celebrating. Willow and Hunter were both so very happy to celebrate with friends and family and to be in their forever home.


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August 30, 20180

At the age of 30, Chris and Stephanie Johnson had their first child. Three years later they wanted to grow their family, but they soon discovered adoption was the only way it could happen. They didn’t have the $30,000 to $60,000 it would take for a private adoption, so they put it in God’s hands, and for nearly a decade they just went on with their lives. That is until last year, when God used a truck in need of repairs and the flooding of Hurricane Harvey to fulfill Chris and Stephanie’s greatest desire.

In March of 2017, Stephanie began feeling the pull to complete her family. Even though Chris thought after 10 years they had waited too long, Stephanie hopefully said, “No, let’s just pray about it.”

“Okay, God is going to show a sign,” Stephanie told Chris. “God is going to start opening the doors. When he does, are you ready?” Chris was onboard, but neither of them dreamed it would be just three months later when doors would start opening.

Chris was at the car dealership in Winne, Texas where he was the service manager, when Gregory Wysingle, an adoption coordinator for Arrow came in for truck repairs. Gregory had been on his way to court to participate in a case to have parental rights terminated when he realized he had pushed his luck too far with his truck. It had to be repaired now, even though he was far from home.
During their conversation, Gregory shared that he facilitates adoptions for children in the foster care system. And Chris shared that he and Stephanie had been praying that God would provide a way for them to adopt.

“When Chris came home, he laid Gregory’s business card on the counter,” said Stephanie. “I was in the middle of dinner. Dylan (their 15 year-old son) wasn’t having a good day. And when Chris told me he had a visitor today, I sarcastically told him…you have visitors every day. He said it was a special visitor, and I told him, yeah, I really don’t want to hear about it right now.”

So Chris just left the business card on the counter and went to change clothes. Stephanie looked at the card and saw Gregory’s title.

“So here I go chasing Chris through the house,” said Stephanie. “He told me about Gregory and that he was willing to come to the house to give us more information.”

When Gregory explained all the subsidies adoptable foster children qualified for, and the minimal cost to the adoptive parents, Chris and Stephanie were ready. But then Stephanie described the child she wanted to adopt, and Gregory explained it didn’t work like that. Stephanie needed time to process the idea that she wouldn’t be able to get the child she had longed for over the past 10 years.

Chris and Stephanie discussed the adoption opportunity during a long driving trip all the way to and from Florida. They agreed to hit the ground running as soon as they got back. They completed their foster parent training in just four weeks, and a month later they were licensed foster parents. Thinking they had several months to prepare for their first foster child, they were surprised when in just a matter of days they got the phone call.

“She asked me if we would take a respite,” said Stephanie. “I told her I must have slept through that part of the class, and I asked, what is a respite?”

Stephanie was told there was a foster family that had a 4 year-old girl named Destany, who just needed a temporary place to stay for five days. Even though everyone in southeast Texas, including the Johnsons, were getting ready for Hurricane Harvey, Stephanie agreed to take Destany…for five days.

Destany’s foster mom called Stephanie to arrange the transfer. She explained that Destany’s brother had medical issues, which meant lots of doctor visits. And because of all the attention her brother was needing, Destany would act-out with self-inflicted scratches, and self-inflicted head wounds. The mom would continue to foster Destany’s brother (and later adopt him), but Destany was just too much for her to handle.

“When I got off the phone, I thought, oh my dear lord, what have I gotten myself into,” said Stephanie. “Then when I went to pick up Destany, the foster mom brought more than just a few changes of clothes. She brought all of Destany’s belongings.”

When Stephanie called the Arrow Beaumont office for clarification, she was told that the foster mom couldn’t handle the children by herself anymore and they wouldn’t be going back. Arrow explained they were hoping to find a placement for Destany during the five days she would be with the Johnsons, but that the foster mom had been specifically told not to bring all the child’s belongings.

That night, the flooding of Hurricane Harvey started. The next morning Stephanie and Chris were having a cup of coffee and watching the hurricane updates when they heard the pitter patter of little feet coming down the hallway. Destany turned the corner, threw up her hands and exclaimed, “Momma, I’m home!”

Stephanie looked at Chris and said, “What do we do? She’s not home. She’s only here for five days!”

They attempted to discourage her, but Destany wasn’t buying it. And when Stephanie told her their first names, Destany said, “No. Mommy. Daddy.” And after introducing their 15 year-old son Dylan, Destany instead, called him “bubba.” Destany was very emphatic and could not be swayed.

Then five days turned into 10, then 15. This was Destany’s fifth placement since entering foster care at 16 months-old, and Stephanie told Chris that something had to be done.

“Are you ready to let her go,” asked Chris.

“No, that’s the problem,” said Stephanie. “She’s forming a bond with us. And if they don’t move her, it’s only going to hurt her more, and it’s going to devastate me.”

Once all the flooding receded, a CPS caseworker came to do a home visit so Destany could stay, but she wanted Stephanie and Chris to also take Destany’s younger brother. But Stephanie explained that Destany had not once acted out or hurt herself since being away from her brother, and they weren’t going to disrupt Destany’s progress by bringing her brother into their home. The caseworker went back to her office and explained to her supervisor the remarkable change in Destany. They decided to arrange a conference call between the CPS staff and Arrow staff to decide if the siblings should be separated.

“On the day of the conference call I was on pins and needles,” said Stephanie. “I was just watching the clock and praying. Then the phone rang. They said I could tell Destany she was home. So when she woke up, I told her she was home, that she wasn’t going to have to move anymore, and that this was her home forever. She looked at me with the biggest grin, and said, ‘I know that.’ Then turned around and walked off.”

After delaying the adoption because of Chris’ mother being ill, the adoption was consummated on June 28, 2018, Destany’s fifth birthday. Along with her new family, she now has a new name, Alivia Joy, who on day one with the Johnsons, prophetically proclaimed…“Momma, I’m home!”


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August 8, 2017

 

 

The medical staff at the hospital said the newborn wouldn’t live for more than a couple of weeks. But they hadn’t met the tenacious Tiffany Ross yet.

Tony and Tiffany Ross had married very young, but they stuck together through the struggles, and reached the point where they were content and happy with their lives. Tony had a good job, they had a nice house, and Tiffany was a stay-at-home mom raising their three kids.

In obedience to God’s calling to foster children in need, Tony and Tiffany have fostered about 25 kids over the years. “We both agreed, we don’t need a bigger family, we don’t want a bigger family,” said Tiffany. “We are fostering. That’s our ministry. That’s what God has called us to do.”

They understood their role was to take in broken children with various limitations, do what was necessary to see them healed and whole, and transition them to their forever adoptive home. But through a series of signs they couldn’t ignore, God changed their ministry to include adoption.

Tony and Tiffany have since adopted Joshua now four years-old, and Gracelyn now 3 years-old. Because of state regulations, another adoption would close their home to foster care. Since they wanted to continue fostering, Tony and Tiffany weren’t planning to adopt again. Not until a series of miracles indicated there was one more child who desperately needed them.

Tiffany was convinced that God wanted them to foster a child who had been diagnosed with a terminal condition. On a Friday, while driving to a couple’s retreat, she called Arrow’s State Director of Health Care Services Sharon Kiely to ask if there was a need for a foster home like that. Sharon told her there wasn’t that need right now, but if God was speaking to her heart, He was preparing her. Since Tony had not received the same message, Tiffany asked Sharon to pray for them as they considered taking in a child and loving on them during their last days.

The very next day, a little boy who was scheduled to be adopted was born in Amarillo, Texas, but because of a defect, the doctors didn’t expect Braylen to live more than a couple of weeks. Of course, the adoption agency backed out of the planned adoption. And two days later, Braylen’s mother abandoned him at the hospital.

The very next day, 650 miles away in Beaumont, Texas, Tony lets Tiffany know he also has heard from God, and they need to prepare to minister to a terminally ill child.

The very next day, Child Protective Services calls Sharon at Arrow asking about a possible home for Braylen. Sharon immediately called Tiffany. Tiffany responded, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

The very next day, the medical staff, social services staff, along with Tiffany and Tony conferred on Braylen’s condition. It was decided that Tiffany would fly to Amarillo to bring Braylen back to Beaumont.

The very next day, exactly one week after calling to ask about the need for families to foster terminal children, the CPS supervisor and case worker picked up Tiffany at the Amarillo airport, and took her directly to the hospital. Shortly after arriving, Tiffany shared contact information for the Texas Children’s Comprehensive Care Clinic in Houston. The nurse called the clinic to schedule an appointment for Braylen when they were back home. Normally, an appointment wouldn’t be available for weeks to months, but the clinic was able to see Braylen as soon as they returned, first thing Monday morning at 9:00 am.

Tiffany spent the night with Braylen, and it couldn’t have gone better. Braylen had not been able to finish a full bottle of formula and was being fed through an NG tube. But through the night, and into the next morning, Tiffany was able to get Braylen to take four full bottles. The doctors ordered the NG tube removed.

The very next day, Tiffany and Braylen spent time cuddling and getting to know each other. The connection was instantaneous, Tiffany completely fell in love with this little miracle. Before they left the hospital, the doctor told Tiffany that even though they initially thought Braylen would not be able to survive for more than a couple of weeks at the most, now they really weren’t sure because of his incredible response to Tiffany.

Later that day, when Tiffany arrived at the airport, she noticed things seemed strangely quiet, especially since it was the Christmas season. No people coming or going. The airport seemed almost deserted. As she walked down the hallway with Braylen in her arms, she began to hear singing. She turned and looked into a glass room, and there she saw the back of a choir on risers. They were singing about the newborn Christ-child, “Away in a Manger.”

At the ticket counter, the agent mentioned how precious and tiny Braylen was, and Tiffany responded by telling the agent she was concerned that the flight might be painful for Braylen. The agent assured her that he would be fine. Prior to take off, the pilot and another crew member came back to Tiffany’s seat to talk with her. They understood Braylen had just come from the hospital and that she was concerned about the effects of altitude pressure. The pilot explained that he found a lower altitude that they were cleared for, so he would be able to fly at a level that would have the least possible impact on Braylen. Then the pilot escorted Tiffany and Braylen to first class.

As they flew home through the dark, Tiffany looked down at the clouds and watched a beautiful glowing light below the clouds that led them on their way home.
At Braylen’s Monday morning doctor’s appointment, the prognosis was the same. Braylen had Hydranencephaly and was still considered terminal, with no prediction on how long he might survive.

Within the first month, Braylen’s head started growing exponentially. It surpassed the second and third percentile, and continued to grow until it was no longer measurable for his age category.

Braylen desperately needed surgery to relieve the building pressure in his head, but the earliest the surgeon would attempt it would be at the age of six to nine months. Braylen was 1 month old.

“Braylen was in such pain, he would scream day and night,” Tiffany said. “I stayed with him during the day until Tony came home at 5:00 or 6:00 and I would sleep until midnight. Then I’d stay up all night with Braylen while Tony slept. Tony would go to work in the morning and we’d do the same thing all over again.”

The situation finally escalated to the point where Tony and Tiffany had to take Braylen to the emergency room. While they were waiting for all the consults, Braylen started sundowning. Changes in his condition were changing so rapidly, the hospital admitted them.

The surgeon and two teams examined Braylen and came to the conclusion that Braylen’s discomfort wasn’t from increased intracranial pressure, but was just acid reflux. They put him on Tylenol around the clock and anti-reflux medication. Tiffany wasn’t buying it. She told them, “We’re not going home until we have a happy baby.”

After Tony and Tiffany spoke with another doctor, and after getting patient advocates involved, the surgeon finally agreed to put in a shunt to relieve the intracranial pressure.

When the doctor came out of surgery to let Tiffany and Tony know how the surgery went, he told them that when they pierced the membrane in Braylen’s head, there was quite a bit of pressure that was released. Tiffany thanked him for acknowledging and confirming her diagnosis.

“Braylen was a completely different kid,” said Tiffany. “He was happy. His head growth reverted to a normal growth rate. But even though the procedure brought relief, Braylen still had the looming ‘terminal’ label.”

At their next follow up visit with the surgeon, Tony and Tiffany meet with a palliative care team, who would help keep Braylen comfortable as the end of life came near. They also encourage Tony and Tiffany to prearrange funeral services, which they did. And then they consulted with the Gift of Life team about organ donation.

But Tiffany wasn’t ready to give up. She had been researching online, and found a place in Philadelphia that worked with brain injured kids. On the website, she read family testimonials, she watched videos that demonstrated the progress achieved by patients. Encouraged, Tiffany reached out to them, but never heard back.

While making funeral arrangements, Tiffany was asked if she wanted a burial or cremation. Fighting back the tears, she said she just couldn’t make that decision right then. Then her cell phone rang.

The caller ID on her phone said Philadelphia. Tiffany thought to herself, “Is this somebody calling about my student loans again, or is this actually what I pray it could be?”

After everyone left, she ran outside to a quiet spot and returned the call. It was the team at the Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential. Tiffany knew right at that very moment, God was saying, “Don’t give up hope yet.”

Tiffany explained Braylen’s condition, and the response was “That’s great! Let me tell you how we can help and you can see if that works for you.”

Tiffany breathed a prayer, “God, you didn’t give me a kid that was hopeless, you gave me a kid that I could fix. I just didn’t know it at the time.”

The Philadelphia team is currently overseeing Braylen’s intensive treatment program and working with the doctors at Texas Children’s Hospital, but it’s Tony and Tiffany who are administering Braylen’s daily therapy. They send the team videos of Braylen’s progress so adjustments in therapy can be made if necessary. And right now, Braylen is doing remarkably well.

Tony and Tiffany had a big decision to make. Do they continue to foster Braylen, or adopt Braylen giving him a forever family, but at the same time creating a “full house” which closes their home to fostering any more kids.

They had come too far with Braylen. He was already their son. Now they just needed to make it official. So on June 1st, the family celebrated the consummation of Braylen’s adoption. Their new son joined his other five siblings in completing the Ross family. Tony and Tiffany expressed their appreciation to everyone that helped them on their journey in the following note:

“We want to take a moment to say a HUGE thank you to everyone for their help, thoughts, and prayers! Today was a landmark day in Baby Braylen’s Journey as he was “officially” adopted into our family! A day, early on, we weren’t sure he’d live to see, but God clearly has big plans for our little man!

“It was so beautiful to see everyone who came out to support us today! What an emotional experience… adoption is a little like the birth experience in the sense that emotions are high and the love for your baby is overwhelming! But it’s also a bit like a wedding, where everyone is there to witness as you vow before God and the court to raise that child as if he were born from our own bodies. The magnitude of that responsibility is so great, yet it’s such an easy thing to commit to!

“Braylen is such a huge part of our lives and the love we have for him has taken over our hearts so much that it really feels like he was born from my body…adoption is definitely a God thing! And we’re so blessed and honored He chose us to be Baby Braylen’s mom and dad!!!”

Tony & Tiffany Ross