As mentioned in my previous post, one of the first steps in our plan for our "foster-to-adopt" saga was to take classes in February of 2014 since they would be offering them in McKinney. We thought this would be the easiest option since classes would be held so close to home. After sending in our application and waiting a few days, we got word that we'd basically have to take classes THIS year in either Dallas or Arlington or our file would be closed and we'd have to start over next year. After looking at the training schedule, we realized this could actually be possible. Ray would just have to take off two days from work, and I wouldn't have to take off any. We weren't sure if Ray would be able to take off two Saturdays in a row (especially on such short notice), but I knew that if GOD wanted it to happen, it would happen. Ray spoke to his boss today and got off work, so it looks like we'll be taking our first class on September 13th! :-)
Let me just say right here that I am a person of planning. At the moment, we are NOT prepared to have another child in our house. Not that you can ever really be prepared - but there are certain things we have to have in our home in order to be approved by the agency (such as a fire extinguisher, baby-proofing the house, diaper genie, etc. etc.) We don't have any money saved up for adoption, even though that would come at a later date much farther down the road anyways (about 9-12 months). We also don't have a bed for another child either. And if it's a girl (!!!) we have -zero- clothes. I know that God will provide all of these things - but I was just thinking we had more time.
Time is another thing that has me anxious. If we were just open to fostering children, chances are we could get children in our home very quickly. Foster children are children that were removed from the family home, but will most-likely be reunited with their family. Children that are "open" to adoption may take longer to get. These are children whose parents have had (or will have) their parental rights terminated by CPS/court system. This may take longer to "find" the right child; but I'm hoping that isn't the case. I'm hoping that by spring of next year, we will have an "open" child to adopt.
A thought came to me when I found out we'd have to move classes up or be "closed." The thought was so profound that they weren't my words at all - they were Gods. He said,
"Classes in September, not February.
The child I have waiting for you needs your help as soon as possible."
This kind of debunks my thought on the timing issue. The more I ruminate over these words, the more they affect me. It nearly brings me to tears every time I think about it. Our child is out there. Our next son or daughter. I pray continually that God will keep them safe. I also pray for their parents - that they will seek help and take care of our son/daughter. That through all of this, they would seek Christ.
I know people think foster-to-adopt is an impossible process. It's not impossible. Domestic foster-to-adoption isn't crazy expensive either. We will have to pay for CPR classes and first aid (which I'm already certified in - cost savings there) as well as fingerprinting (which I already have taken care of with my SLP license). The classes and training are FREE and provided by the agency. Ray and I are also going to a seminar in October provided by a ministry out of Irving for FREE. Yes, it takes work. Yes, there is a lot of paperwork. But what mother wouldn't do anything for their child - biological or not?
Our Needs:
Pray that we can get child care for Micah for the days we have training (just five days; three Fridays and two Saturdays). Be sure to insert the word "FREE" in your prayers as we need to keep costs down and save what money we can!
Please, please pray for our "little one." Pray that God keeps them safe. Pray that God will wipe away their tears when no one cares. Pray that God will heal their hearts of the neglect they are probably facing.
Pray that God will give us wisdom. Pray that God will open doors and provide. We thank you in advance!
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
A Big Announcement!!!
Let me first preface this post by disproving what you're probably thinking.
No, I'm not pregnant.
Now that we have that out of the way - what I do have to share is just as exciting! But it took a lot of time and a lot of work on my heart to get us to where we are now.
Ray and I have made the recent decision to........
Wait for it.....
wait for it.....
wait for it.....
............
..........................
FOSTER to ADOPT!!! :-D
But believe me, this was no small decision. As I've mentioned before in a previous post - Ray and I have "not tried, not prevented" to have a second child since Micah was four months old. Yeah, that's almost two years.
Nearly two years of waiting. Waiting. Anxiously waiting. At first I expected to get pregnant as easily the second time around as the first. But over the months, that hope began to fade. Hope faded into disbelief.
I struggled with depression over "being infertile" for a while. Questions arose in my mind - especially the "why?" Honestly, I never found out the "why." God doesn't always answer all of our "why's." But he always shows us the way.
It wasn't until a couple months ago that my heart started to open to adoption. It was through my women's bible study group (hosted primarily by Erin McCullough, one of the best neighbors ever!) that God gave me hope.
The Bible is full of people that screwed up. Two of these people are Abraham and Sarah. Abraham and Sarah wanted a child so badly - but after decades, were completely barren. They thought they could get around God's will and go their own way, which didn't turn out so well.
But God still blessed them with a son. Their only son.
Good gracious, it nearly makes me cry to type that. Here I was, with only one child - my only son - wishing so deeply to have another. I felt selfish, really. But God gave me hope. I had only waited for baby #2 for 18 months. Sarah waited for 20+ years.
God spoke to me through that lesson in Genesis. But that didn't open my heart to adoption. Just waiting.
A couple months ago I started seeing a little girl for speech services. She was adopted from Haiti and had two siblings that were also adopted domestically. That was really where my heart started to change.
"But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." (Matt 19:14)
The Bible teaches that children are a blessing. But it never says that only biological children are a blessing (though they are!) Christians are also commanded to "Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow." (Isaiah 1:17)
I really can't even begin to say how God changed my heart - but He did. And the one person that I expected to be against it is actually for it. That would be my husband. Ray isn't exactly an "emotional" type of man - but in his eloquent words, "adopting isn't really just about adding to our family - but it's about saving a child's life, ya know?"
I couldn't agree more myself. And believe me - once we came together in the decision to adopt, my joy was unspeakable!!! It's been unbearable for me to keep in a secret as long as I have (about two weeks - I'm bad with secrets!) I'm just as excited as I would be if I were pregnant - but I can have all the coffee I want and don't have to worry about the weight gain. ;)
The Facts:
There are roughly 29,000 children in Texas' foster care system.
57% of these children are 1-5 years old.
There are roughly 13,000 children in Texas waiting to be adopted. This number was only ~8,000 in 2003.
The need is there!!!
Our Bible Verses:
"Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy." Psalm 82:3
"Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress." Psalm 10:17-18
Our Song:
Kings and Queens by Audio Adrenaline
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=WDGYYGNX
Our Expectations:
We expect the wait to be hard.
We expect a lot of questions.
We expect people to question us and our motives.
We expect having a foster child to be challenging.
We expect people to have mixed reactions to our announcement. Some will be excited, some won't understand.
Our Agency:
Covenant Kids out of Plano, TX.
Our Desire:
Boy or girl age six months to three years old. Our new little one could not even be born yet! :)
Our Plans:
We just emailed the application (all TWENTY PAGES of it) yesterday.
Our references should be checked soon. :)
We plan to take the required classes when they have the new series offered in McKinney in February, 2014.
After the classes comes the home study.
We should *hopefully* be licensed and ready to accept a child come March or April of next year! :-D
Our Requests:
Please pray for us!
Pray for our child. Pray that they will stay safe. Pray that their needs will be met. Pray that they will be kept from harm.
Pray for his/her mother and father that are struggling.
Pray for the process and everything to go smoothly.
More posts to follow detailing our adventure in foster-to-adopt-ing..... :-)
No, I'm not pregnant.
Now that we have that out of the way - what I do have to share is just as exciting! But it took a lot of time and a lot of work on my heart to get us to where we are now.
Ray and I have made the recent decision to........
Wait for it.....
wait for it.....
wait for it.....
............
..........................
FOSTER to ADOPT!!! :-D
But believe me, this was no small decision. As I've mentioned before in a previous post - Ray and I have "not tried, not prevented" to have a second child since Micah was four months old. Yeah, that's almost two years.
Nearly two years of waiting. Waiting. Anxiously waiting. At first I expected to get pregnant as easily the second time around as the first. But over the months, that hope began to fade. Hope faded into disbelief.
I struggled with depression over "being infertile" for a while. Questions arose in my mind - especially the "why?" Honestly, I never found out the "why." God doesn't always answer all of our "why's." But he always shows us the way.
It wasn't until a couple months ago that my heart started to open to adoption. It was through my women's bible study group (hosted primarily by Erin McCullough, one of the best neighbors ever!) that God gave me hope.
The Bible is full of people that screwed up. Two of these people are Abraham and Sarah. Abraham and Sarah wanted a child so badly - but after decades, were completely barren. They thought they could get around God's will and go their own way, which didn't turn out so well.
But God still blessed them with a son. Their only son.
Good gracious, it nearly makes me cry to type that. Here I was, with only one child - my only son - wishing so deeply to have another. I felt selfish, really. But God gave me hope. I had only waited for baby #2 for 18 months. Sarah waited for 20+ years.
God spoke to me through that lesson in Genesis. But that didn't open my heart to adoption. Just waiting.
A couple months ago I started seeing a little girl for speech services. She was adopted from Haiti and had two siblings that were also adopted domestically. That was really where my heart started to change.
"But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." (Matt 19:14)
The Bible teaches that children are a blessing. But it never says that only biological children are a blessing (though they are!) Christians are also commanded to "Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow." (Isaiah 1:17)
I really can't even begin to say how God changed my heart - but He did. And the one person that I expected to be against it is actually for it. That would be my husband. Ray isn't exactly an "emotional" type of man - but in his eloquent words, "adopting isn't really just about adding to our family - but it's about saving a child's life, ya know?"
I couldn't agree more myself. And believe me - once we came together in the decision to adopt, my joy was unspeakable!!! It's been unbearable for me to keep in a secret as long as I have (about two weeks - I'm bad with secrets!) I'm just as excited as I would be if I were pregnant - but I can have all the coffee I want and don't have to worry about the weight gain. ;)
The Facts:
There are roughly 29,000 children in Texas' foster care system.
57% of these children are 1-5 years old.
There are roughly 13,000 children in Texas waiting to be adopted. This number was only ~8,000 in 2003.
The need is there!!!
Our Bible Verses:
"Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy." Psalm 82:3
"Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress." Psalm 10:17-18
Our Song:
Kings and Queens by Audio Adrenaline
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=WDGYYGNX
Our Expectations:
We expect the wait to be hard.
We expect a lot of questions.
We expect people to question us and our motives.
We expect having a foster child to be challenging.
We expect people to have mixed reactions to our announcement. Some will be excited, some won't understand.
Our Agency:
Covenant Kids out of Plano, TX.
Our Desire:
Boy or girl age six months to three years old. Our new little one could not even be born yet! :)
Our Plans:
We just emailed the application (all TWENTY PAGES of it) yesterday.
Our references should be checked soon. :)
We plan to take the required classes when they have the new series offered in McKinney in February, 2014.
After the classes comes the home study.
We should *hopefully* be licensed and ready to accept a child come March or April of next year! :-D
Our Requests:
Please pray for us!
Pray for our child. Pray that they will stay safe. Pray that their needs will be met. Pray that they will be kept from harm.
Pray for his/her mother and father that are struggling.
Pray for the process and everything to go smoothly.
More posts to follow detailing our adventure in foster-to-adopt-ing..... :-)
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