Our Mission Field

We are foster parents.

We started fostering while we already had two small children at home.

Children who don't quite understand and whose innocence we still needed to protect.

When we accepted our first placement (you know him as little man) we decided to share a little bit with our kids about foster care. Only enough that they would understand that the child they knew as their brother could one day leave our home. We worked and prayed hard to find the right words. The words that would inform but not rob them of innocence.

Not knowing what our cases would look like, we simply told the kids that the babies who came to stay with us had another mommy and daddy who couldn't take care of them right now. That we didn't know their situation yet but they might be sick or have to go away for a little while. If they got better and were able to take care of the baby, the baby would go home. If the mommy and daddy stayed sick or in another place then the baby would stay with us forever.

Talon who is still only two, had no clue what we were talking about. Rhiannon who is 4, seemed to understand quite well. She is proud to be a foster family. She informs people often that Little Man is our foster baby but he is still her brother right now. When she grows up she wants only one baby to come from her belly and the rest will be foster babies. She wants to love and help the babies and their mommies. 

She got it. We were good. We thought.

Then this week as we talked about the new baby coming soon, As we shared our joy of baby Corbin, a look of fear washed over her. She looked at me and stated sadly "and if you and daddy get sick, he will go live with another family".

My heart broke. While trying to protect her we put fear in her little heart. We had explain a little bit more about Little Mans family. We spared as much detail as we could.  It was still more than we wanted to say.

The truth is, we live in a broken world. We live in a world full of scary and not so nice things. Things no child should have to try to understand. 

We speak often about how our home is a mission field. By being foster parents we are reaching out to a broken world starting right within our own walls. This is the first time our lives have really had the effect of it all. It was rough.

As I sat saddened by the fact that my four year old had to hear of some of these things, my heart ached. It ached even more thinking of how my one year old has had to live through them. He had to witness them first hand. 

Our baby who is only one has lived and seen more of this broken world than many adults. He didn't have parents who were protecting his innocence. 

But he does now. 

Our children need to be protected. They need to be allowed to believe in a world that is better. 

They also need to understand that we live in a broken world. A world that needs Jesus. That they are the light that can shine for Him. 

I just wish it could start later than four years old.

My girl knows The Lord though. She knows that she loves Him and He loves her. She wants to serve Him. She already desires to mother orphans. To follow His will. 

Foster care is tough but it has built us up. It has helped us grow. To serve. To love. It has molded and shaped all of us. 

It has done this by breaking us first. We have to surrender daily. We have to seek The Lord regularly. He have to be ready to hear from Him and trust in Him to help us answer even the tough questions.