First Foster Care Assignment

In my last post, I made reference to a crazy, roller coaster spring and summer. Much of that was due to the effort we were expending to be licensed as foster parents. The training, home improvements, baby-proofing, and inspections culminated in our being licensed in August. We went on the placement list the first of September. Since then, every time the phone rings, I wonder if it is "the call."

Well, "the call" finally came. We are scheduled to have a respite care placement the last weekend of September -- two sisters ages 1 and 5. They are with another foster family and we will be giving those foster parents a well-deserved weekend break. The next week we are probably going to have our first long term placement -- a 2 year old boy, 4 year old girl, and 5 year old boy. They will probably be with us for a couple of months. 

As we prepare to welcome these children into our hearts and home, I am burdened to pray for them. These months might be the only ones in their lives where they can experience the love of Christ in action. I am praying for our own children -- that they will be welcoming, generous, "on board" with us in this ministry.This is a huge undertaking that we would never take on unless we felt the call of God on our lives. 

Even with the Lord's calling and blessing, I know there will be tough times and lots of adjustments. Satan has already begun throwing his fiery darts, and we need to be walking in love and grace like never before.

I will chronicle this journey, no matter how messy it may be. In order to protect the privacy of our foster children, I cannot post identifying details or photos, so any images I use will be generic ones and not children in our care.

Faten your seat belts and come along for the ride!

Quick update

I am just making a quick update in case anyone wonders if I fell of the face of the earth!

This spring and summer were beyond crazy, and I had to make difficult choices on how to spend my time and efforts. The more I let the blog go, the easier it became to ignore it. The tougher life got, the harder it was to write posts that were honest and transparent. Now I am at the point where I need to either overcome my embarrassment and post something, or abandon my blog altogether. I am choosing to persevere and hopefully to be more consistent.

The big news is that we are now licensed as a foster family. We can have up to 4 foster children, ages 0-7. We haven't had a placement yet, but we got a call about a potential placement last week, so at least we know we are in the loop!

Basketball practice begins in full swing tomorrow. Syd is coaching our JV boys' team, which Josiah and Gideon will be participating in, Leah will play on the JV girls' team, and David is back on the varsity boys' team. Three different practices, three days a week, plus games beginning the end of October and going through February. YIKES!

We are back in school, trying to get settled in a routine. As I've said before, "Routine is the oil that keep this machine running." Working on schedules, menus, and academic plans has been keeping me busy.

I am reading some good books lately. For daily devotions/Bible reading I am using the My Utmost Devotional Bible. I really love this. The bible is divided into 365 daily readings, one OT passage, a Psalm, Proverbs, and a NT passage. There is also an Oswald Chambers devotional reading for each day that relates to one of the Bible passages. I am always challenged to deeper faith by Chambers' writings, and they have been very timely as we have traveled this foster care journey.I am also reading Radical by David Platt. Talk about something that will make you examine the very core of your faith and walk with the Lord! This book is convicting, challenging, enlightening, and tough -- really tough. I hope to post more on my reactions to it at a later date.

I am turning over a new leaf and am determined to get more sleep. I am 90 minutes behind schedule already, so I best close for now. I am praying for renewed hope, comittment, and vision for this blog.

God is in the details

This week I spent 5 hours sitting in the orthodontist’s office with Leah. For this pleasure, I plunked down $4725.00, and we still have $1600 remaining to pay over the next 9 months. Lovely.

 Here is Leah, just hours after the braces were applied.

I think it is pretty neat that the money I earned from writing over the past several months was $4700 – just $25 shy of what we needed to get Leah’s braces started. It reminds me of a day almost 15 years ago when the caseworker from our adoption agency called and asked us if we would consider adopting Leah. We had NO money since we had just paid adoption fees for David and Miriam in the previous year. We said “yes” anyway, confident the Lord would provide the money we needed. 

The week before she was born, my publisher sent me a royalty check for the exact amount we needed for her fees, plus an extra $40 for us to go out to dinner and celebrate. What was even neater was that the books had gone to the printer nine months prior to the payment – at the same time Leah was conceived. And to think, some people don’t believe that God really cares about the details of our lives. Posh! I know He is all about the details.

  

Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.  

Luke 12:6-8 (New American Standard Bible)