We have turned in our initial application and tonight at 6:00, we will attend our first of six trainings to become licensed foster care parents!
I would be lying if I said I was full of only joy and excitement. Whereas I have both of those things, I have also felt a great deal of fear and anxiety creep up since we signed up for our first class. (Which was only 2 days ago. It happened a lot faster than I was thinking.) We were originally not going to be able to start training until August because of scheduling conflicts, but this night opened up for us and we jumped on it. If we can get one done in July, that's less we have to do in August. Which gets us closer to getting our children!
Please pray for us tonight. Please pray that God will give us peace, that He will give Heath and I continued unity. (Heath is really excited about this. It's so cute.) Don't tell him I said that. We both have such a huge desire for more children now more than ever. It is a really sweet thing for me to watch that twinkle in my husband's eyes as he looks at random people with itty bitty precious babies.
Please pray that the stories of the trauma that foster children have been through will not overwhelm my spirit to the point of my body giving in to that fear and anxiety that is knocking at my mind's door. This is my #1 fear at this point.
We are so thankful for y'all! And for your prayers. I will let you know how it goes.
If you are new to our story, you can click on the links to the right titled "Infertility Journey" to read our story of dealing with infertility for the past 2 years and how God has led us to this point.
Sing to God, sing praise to His name, extol Him who rides on the clouds, His name is the LORD—and rejoice before Him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families!
Psalm 68:4-6
9 comments:
Janelle, I have a huge lump in my throat right now. I am so proud of you and Heath. I know it must be very difficult for you to know the things you now know. You have such a tender heart and you know what? God gave you that tender heart and He is going to use it to minister to these children. He is going to give you His might and strength to stand up and serve them through traumatic times. I love you so much and I rejoice with you in the future of your family!
Janelle,
I don't know you but I just saw Amanda's tweet. We are foster parents and I want to encourage you! We were licensed in January and have cared for three children since then (a five year old boy and, now, a four month old and two year old). God has taught me more in the last several months than I had anticipated and the joy and blessings we have experienced are unprecedented. I want to recommend to you Foster Parenting Podcast (www.fosterpodcast.com). Our friends, Tim & Wendy, started it a few years ago and we have recently guest hosted. Also, please feel free to contact me any time at prvbs308@gmail.com.
Janelle, I understand the mixture of emotions you are experiencing right now. I felt them all myself three years ago when we started our training classes...And I would be lying if I said that I felt totally at peace throughout our training (we really should chat on the phone sometime :). You and Heath are embarking on a journey with so many uncertainties and potential hurts but knowing God has called you to such a time as this will keep you going and give you peace.
I will echo what "K" suggested. The Foster Parenting Podcast has been a great source of encouragement to me as well over the past few years. You should check it out!
Praying with you!
Hello there! I also saw Amanda's tweet and jumped on over. My husband and I have been foster parents for nearly five years. We started after our first son passed away, hoping to expand our family through adoption. That has not been in God's plan yet, though in those five years we have had two little boys born to us. We have had six or seven foster kids along the way. We live in a small town in Washington and do not have any Christian foster agencies nearby, so I am really excited for you to have that option! What a blessing! Our experience working with the state has been very challenging - we're thankful for the handful of believing caseworkers we've been able to work with.
May you be richly blessed in your journey! I will be reading!
hi janelle,
I found you off of Amanda's twitter request.
I'm a foster mom to 13 children in johannesburg, south africa.
Yes, trauma is an issue, but God hand selects each child into your care (just as he would knit a baby in a womb). We can continue confidently towards healing from the Lord because we know he entrusted this child to us.
If you need anything, let me know. I'll be following on the blog!
grace grace,
amy
Janelle,
I have goosebumps and excitement as I see God working all through this process.
I pray for you and Heath everyday and I will add these requests to my lists.
I am looking forward to seeing what precious children God has for you and your family.
Much love
Janelle,
I am so excited for you as you embark on this new journey. God has called you and He will equip you to deal with each and every child He brings into your care. I am praying for you to have wisdom and discernment and most importantly for your heart to overflow with love for these sweet babies. :) Hugs honey.
Love,
LeighAnne
Janelle
prayers to you and your family as you all become part of the world of foster care and adoption. My husband and I became foster parts nearly 5 years ago when we realized as well that God had different plans for our family. I also had no issue getting pregnant the first time, was told multiple times when trying for our 2nd child that they could not find any reason for us not to be able to get pregnant again. We found a Christian based agency here in Waco and moved ahead at what seemed "lightning" speed.
I wouldn't change anything about our foster care and adoption experience. We have learned some much over the years, and at times, have realized just how sheltered our lives are. When we first started out, it was adoption only. Then, we received a call about three little ones that had been alone in care center for 6 weeks and would be spending Christmas alone. I couldn't stand the thought of it and knew God was telling me to jump in and love these kids and show them how a family should be. It was an awesome experience for our family -- our whole family, all the way to my 4 year old little niece who freely gave her own toys to them because they "needed" them in her opinion.
On our way to adoption, we fostered fifteen different children, each one knowing that they impacted our lives, just as we impacted theirs. You fall in love with each one for different reasons and they always hold a place in your heart. There are a few that we have contact with even after they have returned home.
I wish you all the best and may God bless you each and every day.
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