Adoption/Foster Journey #3 Part 7

Adoption/Foster Journey #3 Part 7

September 29th, 2020 

We are about a month into preparing our home to foster.  I feel like a lot of this process looks very similar to international adoption, and parts of it are very different.  I am a little shocked at how quickly it all seems to be moving, but I guess multiple international adoptions prepares you to move at warp speed when you can.  So, as far as what we can do on our end, we are finishing up loose ends.  We had about 35 hours of training to do, which was all virtual sessions.  We had 2 home walk through's, which were also virtual. We safety proofed our house with all the things Texas requires to be a licensed foster home, including lots of locks, fences, fire extinguishers, home rules, pool rules, escape plans, escape ladders, background checks, fingerprints, CPR, medical exams etc.  We have our final walk through (in-person) on Thursday, and our home-study on Friday.  I am not really sure what happens after that. Ha! I just keep doing what I am told. :)

We have began to pray not only for any child that comes in our home, but also for our hearts and our children's hearts.  With another adoption from China, the end goal was always adoption.  This is not the case with fostering.  Are we open to adoption?... absolutely.  But the primary goal is re-unification with birth parents.  Lord teach us to love and serve birth parents well.  This is something I always wished I had a tie to for our girls...I wish I could tell their birth moms they were ok, and that I loved them and they were safe.  So whether a child is with us one day, one year, or longer, I pray I can share with their birth parents that I will love this child like my own and love the birth parents as long as needed...well past any re-unification date. I pray each child will see our love, and see Christ's love through that. And I pray that somehow, any birth parent, will see Christ's love through us as well.  

Will our hearts get broken....? I think almost certainly so.  But isn't that our prayer?  For the Lord to break our hearts for what breaks His.  And if our little bit of brokenness, can bring a little bit of light, the light of Jesus...then it was all worth it.