Malia Witham

Jesus Follower, Wife, Mama (Bio, Adoptive, Foster), Justice Seeker, I’ve Heard it Both Ways
Likes: Good Coffee, The Pacific Northwest, Plate Lunch, Podcasts, Being Seen, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Experiencing New Cultures, Girls Night Out
Dislikes: Grumpy People, Tea, Doing Dishes
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Malia was raised in Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was there that she experienced community that would shape her life forever. Her family moved to Oregon when she was in junior high and she has lived in Salem/Keizer ever since. Malia and her husband Shane have been married for 23 years. When their first-born daughter Damaris was two months old, the Holy Spirit pressed on her heart that they had a daughter in Haiti and that someday they would need to go get her. They welcomed their son Kruse to the family next, and when he was six months old they began their adoption journey to bring Hope home. Parenting three kids three years apart in age kept them busy for a season, but on a mission trip to Uganda and Ethiopia the Holy Spirit again whispered, and before they knew it they were certified foster parents welcoming twins as their first placement. It has been over 10 years being foster parents and they have loved over 30 children. They have had a front row seat to redemption, sometimes in returning children to birth families and sometimes in the forming of new families through adoption. They have witnessed miracles in healing both physically and emotionally and they have watched their forever children grow in compassion and servanthood in ways they never would have if they hadn’t grown up in a foster home. Malia partnered with DHS in spearheading visit room makeovers, bringing Welcome Boxes to Marion County, as well as bringing monthly treats to staff once a month for eight years. She is so excited to work with foster families (her people) through the Love Box Program, to match mentors and teens through Dare to Dream, and to continue her relationship with the DHS staff she so admires. Malia will be our Caseworker and feels like it is a perfect fit for her as their family transitions into a new season