Our journey continues...

Last summer, Jay shared with me that he felt led by the Lord for us to become foster parents. That was a place I could never have imagined myself going. The thought of loving a child and then them leaving after months or even years...was something my heart and mind could not fathom at the time. But, Jay was insistent that we at least go to the orientation with the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS).

We went and at the time I was simply following my husband and the Lord in obedience. I was still really anxious and scared. It was a road I just couldn't imagine. But, we began our 7 weeks of IMPACT training each Tuesday night for 7 weeks. Some weeks were so hard that I didn't want to go back...and yet every week we returned. It was hard to hear about what children in our own country...down the street...are going through in their homes. It broke my heart to hear the stories. And as hard as it was to hear...my heart ached at the children LIVING that reality!

We got to the end, were verbally approved and just waiting on paperwork to be cleared, when we found out about the chance to adopt from Uganda despite my "history of cancer." We still had such a heart to adopt, that we jumped at the chance to start the paperwork to adopt from Uganda. I was so happy to be going down the adoption route!

In the same month that we began adoption paperwork from Uganda, I began volunteering each week at My Sister's House in downtown Atlanta. This is a shelter and recovery home for women and children from all over the United States. I am lead their GED classes each Tuesday and I have gotten VERY close with all of my "girls." As we have been together each week for a YEAR, I have gotten to know them and their stories. Many of my sweet friends have children in foster care while they are working daily to recover from addictions and begin to live a life that glorifies the Lord. For most of them, being in this recovery home is a part of their judges "plan" to get their children back.

For months I have held women's hands as they cried over their children who are not with them due to poor decisions they have made. Yet, I also see these women week in and week out coming to classes to get "clean", get their GED, learn more about the Lord through discipleship classes, and this month...

FIVE of my girls are commencing from the program and will graduate completely in just a WEEK!!!!

PRAISE GOD!!!!!

A few months ago, Jay and I began to pray about re-entering the system as foster parents. This time...I had real situations to remember. I had real women who are working so hard to reunite their families. I have FRIENDS now that are on the other end of the situation.

And. I. Love. Them.

I want them to get their lives back in line with the Lord and GET THEIR BABIES BACK! I work weekly with them to that very end. I can now imagine loving and caring for children with mommas just like my girls...and wanting so badly for them to go back. I can SEE it now. I can IMAGINE it now. I DESIRE it.

I am no longer scared of this system. I am no longer worried about meeting a birth mom who is struggling. I hang with those ladies every. single. week. I LOVE it! I'm not fearful of loving and then having the children leave...because it is no longer about ME.

So, as you can guess, we are re-entering the foster care system. We haven't ever really been in it...we never got through the approval of our paperwork since we changed to adoption. We are working with a private agency that mediates between their 40 families and DFCS. They support us, they give respite time, they provide activities for foster families to have fun and connect. They only have a few families and they care deeply for each one. Their only job is to support us and care for us and help us in any way possible.

We are excited! For the first time I can say that and truly MEAN it! Our girls are over the moon thrilled.

We have gotten our first TWO calls this very week!

We accepted both of the placements, but due to issues in both cases, they were placed with other families. One had an older brother (which we were not eligible to care for) and they were all placed together (PRAISE THE LORD!) and the twins on Thursday were placed with a family in their county (we are in a different county...so they found a willing family in the same county. That makes things cheaper and easier.).

We know it won't be easy...no parenting is! We know it will be impossible in our own strength. We know that this is where it gets sticky, uncomfortable, and hard. But, we know that if the Lord is calling us there...HE WILL PROVIDE!

We just know that His word MANDATES that we care for the fatherless, the orphan, and the widow, the poor, the homeless, those in prison, the lost...the least of these. Because as we have cared for them, Jesus says we have cared for Him. Wow.

So, that is another reason my blogging has been a little sparse :-) I wanted to wait until we were completely through the process and had begun to get calls. It is pretty funny having to explain to an event coordinator that though I was on a panel of speakers...I had to take my phone on STAGE with me in case I got a call from Jay :-) I didn't and I know they were glad! It's a 24 hour on call kind of thing...

It's been a roller coaster week as we have learned the system a little better...but then again...we haven't gotten a placement yet! Keep us in your prayers and as my mom always say about our lives...

Stay tuned!