Foster Care: Why We're Doing This

I've been scared to death to post this even though I've had it written for a few weeks. We've shared this with our families and close friends, and now it's time to make it public. Please pray for us as we go through training, home studies, and paperwork. Pray for the child that will come to our home terrified, angry, and in desperate need of a home and a Savior.

Our Story:

Before we met, Clint and I both felt a call to missions. In fact, we both made that decision public before our church families when we were sixteen, before we knew the other existed. At that time, I expected that I would become a foreign missionary. When Clint and I started seriously dating, we made sure that we both were committed to this calling to missions. We had no idea what God had in store for us, but we were determined to follow his leading.

We both served as summer missionaries to South Carolina and worked with underprivileged children. He led backyard Bible schools in the northern part of the state while I led sports camps in the southern region. Maybe that’s where our interest and compassion for children started. Our senior year of college, we drove the church van through the government projects and run-down neighborhoods of Ruston. By the end of the school year, we had 17 children riding the church mini-bus. One of them, Kendrick, gave his life to Christ and was baptized.

Also during our senior year, Clint was offered the opportunity to pursue a master’s degree at Mississippi State University. He would have an assistantship, which would pay for his tuition and allow us a stipend every month. We struggled with this decision, because we had previously made a commitment to missions and didn’t want to do the wrong thing. However, after much prayer, we decided that pursuing a masters in Forestry was the right thing to do and we headed to Starkville, MS.

I got a job at Lee Middle School. It was the most challenging job I can ever imagine. I taught 7^th and 8^th grade Language Arts. The students at Lee Middle School were low-income and high-maintenance. I learned through many, many mistakes and dealt with some very difficult kids. I knew God was preparing me for something, but I didn’t know what.

We also had our first child, Jack while living in Starkville. Jack is an enormous joy in our lives. From the day he was born, he has been full of energy and never lacking for words. We cannot imagine our lives without him.

In May 2008 Clint finished his master’s degree and landed a job as a forestry consultant in Alexandria, LA. I got a job teaching biology at Alexandria Senior High. We were thrilled to finally be done with school and working a “real job,” but still felt confused about what God was calling us to. We still felt a strong call to missions, but also knew that we were being obedient by accepting the jobs in Alexandria. We prayed fervently that God would reveal himself to us.

And He did.

During summer 2008, God spoke to our hearts about adoption. It was not just a fleeting thought, but a consuming passion that was always on our hearts. We educated ourselves about international and domestic adoption and decided that we would pursue a Rwandan adoption.

Summer 2009 we found out we were expecting again, and Sydney was born in February 2010. Sydney is the sweetest baby, and her smiles absolutely melt our hearts. I am so thankful for a little girl to share my life with. Yet, even in the hospital, I knew our family wasn’t complete.

After Sydney was born we still felt a longing to adopt, but this time we knew God was calling us to something else. He was calling us to full-time orphan care. We weren’t sure what that meant, but it scared both of us! We researched different venues, such as the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home, and the International Mission Board, but the words that kept coming back to mind were “foster care.”

I came up with all kinds of reasons why we shouldn’t do this. And they were good reasons, too! I am working full-time, we have two kids that require all of our attention, we live in a small house, we’re not experienced enough parents. I also had fears. What if they were violent? What if I couldn’t handle their tantrums? What if their biological family was unsafe? What if I can’t give my own children the attention they deserve?

In the end, we had to make a decision: Would we be obedient to the call that God has unmistakably placed on our lives? Or would we give into our fears and going on living our comfortable existence?

We’ve decided to be obedient.

We will be certified foster/adoptive parents for the state of Louisiana in October. We will accept one child, boy or girl, between the ages of pre-K through third grade. Because we have small children, we will not be able to accept a child with major discipline (such as violence, sexual acting-out), major medical, or major psychiatric needs.

Yes, we are scared. Yes, we are crazy.

Yes, we are living in peace because we know that we are being obedient to our heavenly Father. We are excited to see what He is going to do through us. Our prayer is that He will break the cycle of abuse in a generation. Maybe one child will grow to have a healthy family.

Maybe an entire family will give their lives to Christ and be forever changed.