Couple reunites with foster care children after nearly 20 years: ‘Like they were never gone’

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF/Gray News) - May is Foster Care Awareness month, and a Myrtle Beach couple is sharing their story about the joys of being foster care parents.

Gregg and Karen Oberlander said they spent years trying to have children without success until realizing they were called to a bigger mission.

“God had that plan when I was grieving not being able to have my own children; he was just preparing my heart to have over 100 kids,” Karen Oberlander said.

The couple first became foster care parents to two twin girls and their older sister in 2001 while living in Ohio.

Since then, 140 children have called the Oberlander house their home, something the couple said has been a dream come true.

“The whole fostering program is reaching out to others and helping other families,” Gregg Oberlander said. “I just can’t imagine what life would’ve been like without all of these kids that have come through.”

The two moved to South Carolina in 2017 and have since taken on a respite role, giving full-time foster parents some relief.

The veteran caretakers thought they had seen it all until some familiar faces phoned home.

“We get a phone call 17 years later from the twins,” Karen Oberlander said. “They asked us if they could come back and be a part of our family.”

The couple said the reunion with the very first children who were placed in their home is a moment they’ll never forget.

“When they came down the escalator and into our arms, it was amazing,” Karen Oberlander said.

Greg Oberlander added, “It was like they were never gone. There was a bond already there that never left.”

The two said they wouldn’t change a thing and encourage everyone who can to open up their home.

“We would tell them it’s a great way to serve,” Karen Oberlander said. “It’s a great way to take care of those around you. Children need help and anybody can do it. You just have to have a heart for kids and a heart for service.”

Through fostering, the Oberlanders adopted three boys and now have their original three foster daughters living with them once again.

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