Dear Friends and Family,

In late October, our family was faced with a once in a lifetime decision: Joey's brother, and only living, adult relative, had lost custody of his children, and our family was given the choice to provide them with a short-term, but stable home, or allow the kids to be sent to foster care, and be separated from one another for the first time in their lives. Without hesitation, we welcomed these two young children into our home.

Ash is a bright five year old boy, and Sequoia is a spunky two year girl. We've known both of the kids since birth, but since March of this year, we've had the opportunity to spend a lot more time with them, hosting sleepovers and doing our best to support Joey's brother Matt in his long-term pursuit of sobriety and stability.

Matt's journey towards sobriety and stability has been a rocky road. And while we support him in his endeavors, we also feel a strong calling from the Lord to protect and provide for Ash and Sequoia while he is legally, emotionally and physically unable to do so. That means that our family of four, has expanded to a family of six for the foreseeable future.

We now have legal guardianship of Ash and Sequoia, and will have guardianship of them until the courts make a final decision regarding Matt's permanent parental rights. The courts will also make a decision regarding the permanent parental rights of Ash and Sequoia's mother, Nikki. There is no firm timeline for this process, as it is based on the behavior of Matt and Nickie, and whether or not they individually fulfill the legal obligations necessary to regain their permanent parental rights.

With that in mind, we are taking things day by day, sometimes even hour by hour! Our highest priority is to ensure a loving, safe, Christ-centered home for all four of the Henderson children God has entrusted to us. Our teenagers, Scottie and Silas, have risen to this challenge alongside us, but the additional care necessary for Ash and Sequoia, and the overall change to the dynamic of our home is a heavy burden for them as well.

Overall, we know that it is not just our family of four that has expanded to protect and provide for Ash and Sequoia. For decades now, our extended families, which by God's blessing includes many, many dear friends, have seen our family through unforeseen seasons of struggle and seasons of rejoicing. Caring for Ash and Sequoia will be a unique blend of both.

We're reaching out to you today, to humbly ask for your help in caring for Ash and Sequoia. We'll be blunt: properly caring for Ash and Sequoia will include a number of expenses our family is not equipped to shoulder at this moment in time. As "kinship guardians" our family receives a nominal sum of money from the State of Utah to provide for Ash and Sequoia, but it is substantially less than non-family foster care providers receive.

While we don't know precisely how long Ash and Sequoia will live with us, we are planning that they will be with us through the holiday season, and well into 2026. The most pressing expense is childcare for Sequoia. We think it is wise to enroll her in a licensed childcare provider where she can learn and play with other children, We expect this to cost around $1300 per month. Ash is attending kindergarten at the public school in our neighborhood. As well, we know our grocery bill will increase substantially! And, we want to be able to provide Ash and Sequoia with clothing, shoes, and other incidentals as they grow. We're estimating those costs to be around $600 per month. If you have hand-me-down clothes, shoes, books or toys for a six year boy, and a two year old girl, we'll certainly take them!

Above all else, we believe wholeheartedly that we are answering God's call to protect and provide for Ash and Sequoia during a tumultuous time in their lives. We trust that God will make a path for us to provide for them, perhaps through the contributions of this incredible extended family to which Ash and Sequoia will belong, well beyond the declaration of the courts, and our temporary status as their legal guardians.

With love,

Paige and Joey