The Time is Now

Aaron and I will attend our very first foster care training session tomorrow night and we will have all day training sessions on Saturday and Sunday. We are both very excited to begin learning more about the in's and out's of foster care and the things we can begin working towards to make ourselves and our home ready for the child or children the Lord will place into our care.  As excited as I am, I'm also a bit apprehensive - it's hitting me that things are about to "get real".  I feel like at this point we could still decide to wait it out just a little longer until we are more ready...more in our savings, more time for "just us", more money to spend on some things around the house like furniture of our very own and not hand-me-downs.  Technically, we aren't super invested yet and our heart strings haven't been tugged on quite hard enough at this point for it to really effect us if we choose to wait a little longer, right??  However, I know that after this weekend, these feelings will change as we hear story after story of orphans in our own communities with no place to call home.  We will know that just as these children can't wait "just a little longer" to need a family, that we can't wait any longer to work towards giving them one.  No turning back after tomorrow, folks.  

Our desire is ultimately foster to adopt, meaning that we will eventually have the opportunity to adopt the child in our care.  We understand with our minds that this may not always be a reality - who knows if our hearts will ever understand this? Just over the last few days, I've been asking the Lord to remind both of us that our ultimate goal in this isn't to fulfill our desire to parent, but that it would be to provide a safe and healthy environment for a child and give them a chance to hear the Gospel of Jesus. 

Thankfully we have many dear friends that have "paved the road" before us with foster and adoption care.  Oh, how thankful we are for this! To know that there are others who know how to pray more specifically for you than you know how to pray for yourself is a pretty huge comfort.  We are thankful for them and their examples in our lives.  

Pray for us this weekend that the Lord would change our hearts to love and care for others like He does.  We look forward to updating you and sharing with you what we learn.  

I will leave you with this song that I was reminded of today by a friend's post on Facebook.  This friend is the Daddy of two of our most favorite little "adopted" boys ever!