National Foster Care Month

May is National Foster Care Month. Coincidentally, DH & I will begin the process of becoming licensed foster parents within the next week or so. We’ve considered fostering and/or adopting for several years, and we even began the process for both at different times. The first time we began the fostering process (through a private agency), we got pregnant with AJ (6). A few years later, we began the process to adopt a sibling group from Guatemala and got pregnant with AC(3). With AG(1) we were not starting any processes. We had figured out by then, and my doctor was convinced as well, that my body had decided to cooperate in the baby-making department.

People have asked if we thought we may actually, one day, complete an adoption. I joked and said, “We’ll try that again AFTER menopause.” Well, haha! God got the last laugh on that one since I had to have the hysterectomy with AG’s delivery.

So here we are, one year past that, and we’re preparing to begin foster certification. But not for reasons you might think. I mean, it’s true–we do love children, and we are very sad that I can’t physically have any more. But we are not becoming licensed to take in just any children. We are becoming licensed, because we have a niece & three nephews ages four & under that are currently in the foster system.

So what do you do when four innocent children, who happen to be related to you, are in a difficult circumstance that they have no control over? We didn’t have to thing long or hard about it, but we have been praying about it. We called DHS right away and made them aware that these children have family (us) that are willing to care for them during this time.

Why? Why in the world would we burden ourselves with four small children when we already have four of our own? WHY NOT?

God’s word says:

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27 The parents of these four are living, but I count them as social orphans because their parents cannot care for them at this time.

If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 1 Timothy 5:8 They are not our immediate family, but they are family nontheless.

But how will we feed them all? And how will we manage such a large brood? etc, etc.

Philippians 4:19 says, But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. He has never let us go hungry.

Matthew 6:24-26 says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

and Matthew 6:34 says, Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

and finally, James 4:17 says, Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

Don’t think I’m hallucinating. I know this will not be an easy task. When you think about it, most things in life worth doing…aren’t very easy. It just means we’ll need to rely on Christ a little bit more, and that is never a bad thing.

We are taking things one day at a time and waiting on Him.

Also, we did have them here with us for 12 days back in November, similar situation but short-term. (Don’t think I posted about it then; probably didn’t have time, ha!) Once they had gone home to their parents, my kids moped around for days talking about how they missed them. If they had celebrated them leaving the first time, I would not so readily entertain the idea of taking them again. (We have to be licensed this time because it appears this will be a longer placement.)

So May is National Foster Care Month. You can go here to find out more about being a foster parent if you feel so lead. Either way, please pray for these four that will hopefully be coming into our home soon, and pray for the nearly 600,000 kids in foster care in the US.