Michael and Sarah Skelton are the proud and grateful parents of seven children. Zoe, Piper, Sam, Scout, Joel, Beau, and Axel, ranging from adulthood to eight years old.  In the fall of 2013 the Skelton family was confronted with the worst reality that any parent could ever possibly fear.  That November 6th, the Skeltons lost Joel at the age of twenty-two months.

At once, the Skeltons were thrust into a storm of grief, pain, regret, and unimaginable loss.  Michael and Sarah were blessed to have a strong circle of support with family, church, and close friends who were immediately by their side, providing emotional, spiritual, and practical care while they reeled from the shock of losing their child.  As the days and weeks passed, after laying Joel to rest, people began resuming their normal lives, as should be expected… but the Skelton family was left to carry on, in the aftermath of incomprehensible loss.

By God’s provision, Michael and Sarah, and their surviving children were able to navigate their way through the grief, and the guilt, and the turmoil of losing Joel.  It was a time filled with unrest, uncertainty, tears, and misplaced anger.  It was also a time of counseling, understanding, revelation, and healing.  This period of time, stretching over a span of 12 years, led the Skelton family to a place where they were able to recognize God’s sovereignty and unwavering love during a time of tribulation.

In the Summer of 2025, in the most unexpected of ways, God put a calling, directly and obviously, on Michael and Sarah’s hearts.  On an otherwise normal August day, they resolved to follow God and form a non-profit organization dedicated to caring for parents and families who lost a child or children.  So was born Hope In The Aftermath!  Out of the ashes of loss and pain came a ministry of God’s calling, to reach out to hurting parents and families, suffering the same painful walk through child loss, that the Skeltons traveled, and are still traveling.  To care for and be with the broken hearted survivors of child loss.  And to let them know that they are not alone, and that they can, in all truth, come to find hope in the aftermath of utter devastation.