So this is the short of it...it started when Jason and I got married and we both talked about how it would be neat to adopt one day. And that was the extent of the conversation. It wasn't until after Jude was born that we began to seriously pursue the process...especially after witnessing a few of our friends adopting children. So we decided to try in-state first. We wanted to wait until Jude was at least one years old, just in case the process of adopting went faster than we had thought. So last summer we started with all of the paper work, finger printing, criminal background check, TB tests, etc. We then took a 15 hour course (3 Saturdays) and a home study...and were licensed in November for a child that was 5 years old or younger. We had never even considered fostering because I didn't want to have to give back a child that we all got attached to and thought of our own. But it's amazing how God can work in your heart to mold it to his will. So in December we changed it to fostering, in hopes of being able to adopt if that ended up being an option. Four months later we got a call that there was a newborn that needed a foster home. At first I wasn't too sure because, honestly, a newborn is a lot of work...and I didn't have 9 months to prepare myself. But here we are with Baby J. He was exposed to drugs in-utero, but so far has not showed many signs of it yet. Even though he is such an easy-going baby, it has not all been a piece of cake. But through many great encouragers in my life, I am being reminded to pray a lot and trust that God is with us through this whole process....and that He has a great plan for this little guy that we get to be a part of. I wish I could show pictures of him because once you see his sweet little face you can't help but want to kiss that cute little head.
I hope to journal a little bit along the way of my emotions and thoughts. God is already stretching me through this process and at the same time bringing me comfort and peace to my anxious heart.
3 comments:
It IS incredible how God will mold your heart to His will. God bless you guys, Erin! I think this adventure in foster care is amazing and exciting. I'll pray for you as you are stretched in so many ways. : )
Hi Erin,
I found your blog on Covblogs, my husband Nathaniel and I were both RAs at Covenant when Jason was in Student Dev. Anyways, I completely understand what you said about fost/adopt because we are going through the same thing right now! We were liscensed in early March through an Christian agency in CA, and our intentions were to adopt a baby girl, and only one who is up for adoption. God has since changed our hearts and we are now open to fostering any child under 4, even siblings! It is amazing how God shapes our hearts and gives us strength to do things that we never thought we could do. We are still waiting for the call which will change our world, but in the meantime, it is soo encouraging to read about your story, and how God has blessed you with this little one, and is giving you the grace to care for him, even without the assurance that he will be yours forever. Thanks for posting about this, and I'll be checking back to see how your journey is progressing!
Blessings,
Alicia Gutierrez
Erin, I love hearing about your life and this new chapter is so exciting. We praise God for his plan for your lives and for baby J. I wish I was there to take Ethan and Jude to the park so that you could nap. Without needing to nurse you could just start drinking Mt. Dew with Jason and just be awake all the time! :)
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