Alex & Liz Thomson
Alex on a walk with one of the Thomsons’ foster kids.
What’s your name?
Alex and Liz Thomson
How do you spend your days? (family, work, hobbies)
Just before the pandemic began, we had two foster kids move in with us: an eight-year-old boy and a three-month-old girl. We’ve spent the past year learning about these kids, watching them grow up, and navigating life as foster parents. Alex has been working for Capital One from home and Liz has continued to run her food blog.
Liz’s view during another one of many walks!
What part of town do you live in?
We live in the Museum District.
How long have you been going to City Church?
It’s been just over eight years! Liz started coming in the summer of 2012 and Alex started coming in early 2013, when we began dating.
How are you attending City Church these days?
We’ve been watching the live-stream at home.
What did you expect from 2020 when it started?
We had recently finished our foster parenting classes, so we were expecting the year to bring a lot of change and unpredictability. We felt strongly that God was calling us in this direction, and we went into the year trying to have an open mind for what the future would bring.
If you could describe 2020 in three words, what words would you choose?
Challenging, uncertain, hopeful
What did the events of 2020 reveal to you about yourself and about Jesus?
It made us realize that, up until 2020 our lives had been pretty easy and comfortable. As we opened up our home to kids in need, we also invited in the hard, messy, and broken parts of this world. While it was difficult, there was also a peace in knowing we were doing what God was calling us to do. Even during quarantine, when we couldn’t see our families or friends, we felt the love and support of our community. From tangible needs like car seats and clothing to spiritual needs like texts of encouragement or offering up prayers, we felt God’s support through the church.
How have the events of 2020 pushed you to reimagine your story? How have they pushed you to reimagine your faith?
So much of our lives has revolved around our desires, our needs, and our comforts. But this year made us re-examine our priorities and how we spent our time. The pandemic put our past life on hold and that gave us the opportunity to spend a lot more time with the kids. We got to see a baby grow into a toddler. We got to celebrate a 4th grade report card with all A’s. We wiped away tears and saw a child process hard feelings. We played games, we took walks, and we realized that what God was calling us to do was to simply keep showing up for these kids. It made us realized that sometimes “living our faith” is just lots of small, simple acts.
A fun portrait of the Thomsons with their foster kids.
What is your biggest hope for 2021?
Our foster kids recently started staying with a relative and we’re hopeful that it works out. Their situation has had a lot of unpredictable ups and downs but we’re hopeful this will be a positive outcome for them.
We’re also hopeful that after we process the recent transition we can continue our foster parenting journey.