In November of 2011 I went to the ACE conference at North Phoenix Baptist Church. During break time we could have lunch and walk around the bookstore and booths. I really do not like the booths much (ya know the ones at the fair that give you FREE stuff to put in a bag), but my friend wanted to walk around them. I was at a booth and my friend called me over to another booth because they were having a giveaway. So I filled out all the info and the form had questions on it like are you interested in more info on foster care, adoption, how to help the homeless etc. I looked to see what booth I was at and it was Arizona Baptist Children’s Services. I asked some questions about the foster care/adoption and moved on. A week later I was at Wendy’s and they now have a program that does foster care. I mentioned all these things to R and it was left at that.
At the beginning of each new year I like to ask God to show me a verse that He would like me to focus on for the year and he gave me a few:
Matthew 22:
37-39
37 You shall
love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your mind. 38 This is the first and
greatest commandment. 39 And the second
is like it You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
1 John 3:17
17 But if
anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart
against him, how does God’s love abide in Him.
In March I
started a Bible study on Nehemiah: A Heart That Can Break (which is a fab study
if you have time). During this study she
asked: Is there something that you have
not dreamt in the presence of God because you are afraid? I answered:
Yes, about adding children to our family because I know that it is
medically not possible. Even fostering
would be amazing! With God all things
are possible!
At the end
of April R was at the men’s retreat so I was at church alone. I went to first service and at the beginning of
the sermon the pastor asked: Is God
calling you to be a foster parent or adopt?
I heard that and started crying.
I do not recall what the rest of the sermon was about. Then at second service (choir and orchestra
normally are there at the beginning of service then get dismissed) I felt God
tell me that he wanted me to stay for second service. So after I was dismissed I texted R to let
him know I wouldn’t be home just in case he got home while I was there and then
prayed to God and said to him. Lord, if
that is what you wanted me to hear (Foster Care) then please Lord say it
again. I sat down and listened. Only this time the pastor didn’t say it. I still do not know what the sermon was about
that day because I just began praying and talking to God though the
service. Then towards the end of the
sermon pastor said it again: Maybe God
is asking you to foster or adopt… Wow
God. I was amazed. Then the pastor said something that is so
true, but I didn’t realize at the time.
This is the reason why God had me stay for second service. He said:
When two people are married and God is calling one person to do
something he will call them both. Then
at the end of the service the pastor stood up at the front to pray with people
if they needed while we all sang. God
told me to go pray with him that day.
**So far out of my comfort zone** We prayed for R that day and his
heart. Then I asked a lot of people to
pray for R’s heart to be softened to this idea to show him too! Then I waited…I wanted this all to be from
God not something that I was putting in R’s head.In May our Young Married’s Group was asked to put on a Foster Care event for Arizona Baptist Children’s Services. So we planned crafts, games and singing for them. We went and did that the Friday before mother’s day and it was amazing! Those children were so precious and so were the families that they were with. After I asked R what he thought and he said it was good and not much more. I didn’t want to push him.
After that I
thought about something…if I do not mention something to R about this then how
will he know that it is on my heart. You
see I hadn’t mentioned anything since November of last year. So we had a date night and I asked God to
open an opportunity for me to ask him about it.
God provided that time. I asked
him, so what is God showing you about being a foster parent? He said I feel a peace about it. I shared a little with him, but not too much
not to sway him. Then I asked him again
the same question. He said that he feels
a peace about it and that God talks to him differently than he does with
you. He said that where God uses
scripture over and over or has things “pop” up over and over for you he gives
me a peace that everything will be ok.
He said I feel that this is something that we will do. I told him more of what God has shown me and
asked him if I could call Arizona Baptist Children’s Services that upcoming
week and he said yes!
That week I
was praying that God would show me what Bible Study to lead in the summer and
God just was not telling me! So I had
decided that I would just pick one. That
next day I called Arizona Baptist Children’s Services and expected to leave a
message, but they answered. I told her
who we were (from the event) and that we felt called to be foster parents. She said where do you want to start just a
meeting to learn about it or classes! I
said classes we are ready. She said ok
they start June 5th. The
exact same day that the Bible Study I was going to lead was to start. God wasn’t answering me because He knew that
he had these classes for us to start and that I would not be leading the Bible
Study.R and I had talked about wanting to Foster when we were dating! God knew then that He had this path for us!
God has been
so amazing through all this and the 10 weeks of classes! He showed us that His hand was in this. He prepared this path for us and has blessed
us!
We are done
with classes now and any day now we will be certified and have a child(ren) in
our home. We are excited and nervous,
but we know that God has our back and will protect and provide for us!
