Foster Pride!

There have been quite a few people that have expressed interest in our decision to become a foster family. So, I thought that would be a good topic to post about :) Here goes...

Many of those close to Paul and I know the length of time it took for us to have our biological children, about 8 years in fact. We were disappointed yes, but open to what the Lord had in mind for us, so we decided to pursue the road to adoption. We read books, took classes, had a home study, found an adoption lawyer, and everything else a couple does to prepare in this way (this is the short version).

On several different occasions, we were notified that we may have a  baby, but, each time, it fell through. By the last time, we were just emotionally drained, and decided to put the adoption process on hold. Again, we were disappointed, but by now I really was okay with the idea that the Lord might not have it in mind for us to be parents.

Then...the cliche "surprise" happened, and we joyfully discovered that I was expecting our oldest. Less than 19 months after that, our youngest was born.

Through it all, the topic of adoption was still in the corners of my mind.

(As a quick aside right here, I had always hoped to have some kind of side ministry with Paul.)

Fast forward to about 6 months ago. I knew of quite a few friends and acquaintances that fostered. The idea began coming up over and over, and I just couldn't shake the thought that we should be foster parents. All the while, I had a running argument with myself...I already had my hands full with our girls, homeschooling...it would be crazy! When I had prayed about it for a while, I decided to bring it up to Paul to see what he would say. His response? Let's do it.

So here we are. We applied to a local agency that a friend fostered through, and now, we attend our first foster training classes this weekend. It feels right. The girls are very excited to be foster sisters. I have felt further confirmation from the response of our families, and their immediate and enthusiastic support of this decision. Not that their approval would carry more weight than what we feel God is calling us to do, but they have been a consistent plumb line for us in various situations we have faced. And, it's the ministry I had hoped to have with my husband.

I'll update as we move closer to an actual placement. If you feel so led, we would covet your prayers as we continue this journey. Until next time...:)