Steppin' Out!

Ok - for those of you who don't know me

or certainly don't know the details of what it took God

to bring us to this place may not see this post 

as anything significant.

 BUT ...

This decision for our family was HUGE.

It needed to be made, but it was HUGE.

He gave us peace once we brought it to Him, but it was HUGE.

Are you getting it?

This was H.U.G.E.

Let me back up a bit first.

When God put the tug on our hearts for the orphan crisis

it was no problem to submit to it.

We knew immediately it was Him.

Then (our loving Savior knew our hearts and 

that we needed to be eased into it!) He began to reveal

that He was calling us to foster.

Again, not knowing our back-story this is no big deal,

but it was huge for us

because we spent years raising Bill's first two children

(from a prior marriage)

and raising children with other (unsaved) influences is HARD.

(and messy, and frustrating, and sad)...

Adoption?  No problem!

Fostering?  This would mean trying to "fix" other people's messes...

AGAIN. Ugh!

At first we totally rejected the idea - 

and then God brought me around - 

and a year later Bill submitted as well.

Our process through the foster system getting our home and 

family licensed was LONG and PAINFUL...

(and will have to share that in another post)

 Many times we wanted to just back out and go back to our

"normal" everyday lives.

But we serve a faithful God who called us to it

and He continued to be with us through it all.

So here we are, only 2 years licensed

and we were faced with a surprising decision.

The courts wanted to "fast-track" Skylar and 

wanted to know if we would adopt her.

Again, if you know our back story

we are fighting and praying so we can adopt

Amara and Aiyana...

DYFS regulations limit your minor count to 6

(including your bio children)

which means that if we said "yes" to Skylar

that our home would be closed to fostering.

Wow.

All that chaos and pain.

Two years.

Six total children.

Three awaiting adoption.

CLOSED

All that for only those few children, God?

ABSOLUTELY!

As I walk through this whole process I am amazed

at the love the Father has for His children.

All of them.

You.

Me.

and every one

(seen and unseen by the world)

But even more - 

His heart for the lost and forgotten!

The ones that don't have a voice.

That most of the world would rather just pretend didn't exist.

But God!

Again, our favorite words in scripture...

So there we were faced with placing our home on "closed"

and to be quite honest my first instinct was to say no.

But God eased my heart and showed me glipses of how our ministry

could and would continue.

He is opening doors to make adoption possible in the future

in a way that we never dreamed!

So we released it to Him and He brought us peace to say...

"YES!"

So Skylar is on her way to becoming forever ours!

A forever home for our littlest member :o)

Little, but not forgotten by her Father.

Born, barely survived, abused before she had even left the womb...

But God!

Her father has already surrendered custody and waiting on mom

(the courts are due to sever in January if she doesn't voluntarily)

Great God!

So join us on our first journey to adoption...

STEPPIN' OUT!!!!