Walking That Road Again

I haven't been a great blogger lately because my energy has been other places, but I wanted to take a moment to share with you what God has been doing in our family the last several months.  In February, we received a call that a relative needed someone to care for her two small children because she was no longer able. Our immediate (terrified) response was absolutely.  Well, that didn't end up happening but God used those few weeks to water a seed in our hearts for foster care.

We finished the required classes about 6 weeks ago to become licensed foster parents.  I will go ahead and confess that I was all about letting God know what child would fit best in our home.  I wanted a 6 month old (sleeping through the night) little girl (so we would have 2 of each) who was 1/2 african american and 1/2 hispanic (those babies are GORGEOUS) and had fat rolls (none of my other kids did and I still feel cheated).  I mean that is not too much to ask right?  After all, I am agreeing to take in another child! :)

Well, as usual, God's plans were different from my own.  We had a few calls in the first few weeks but for different reasons they did not end up in our home.  Then last Monday I awoke with a strange sense of peace.  I just felt like it was going to be the day for our placement.  At breakfast we prayed as a family specifically for a placement that day which was out of the ordinary for us to be that specific.  Late morning I received a call for a young boy with needs that were a little more involved than I had prepared myself for but I knew that we were supposed to say yes.  We brought him home that evening and have spent the last week helping him heal and incorporating him into our family.

I have watched this child go from being a terrified boy to a trusting child who has started calling my husband, "daddy".  Caring for his emotional and physical needs is not easy.  My husband spent most of today at the hospital for his treatment, with our other 3 kids, while I was work.  It is a family sacrifice, but we are better for it.  Our kids are learning to extend grace to someone who has not had all of the luxuries and positive upbringing that they have, they are seeing first hand how their own challenges can pale in comparison to someone else's story, and they are teaching Trent and I how to love immediately and unconditionally not because something was done for you first but because God commands us to.  

I have to be limited in what I share publicly here out of respect for the privacy of our new addition but I do hope to share about the lessons God teaches us as we walk faithfully down this path He has set before us.  It won't be easy, but it will be so worth it.