Some Important Documents

These two pieces of paper represent a new step in our lives. Riky and I are now licensed Foster Parents. The white paper is our adoptive home study. We are approved to be foster parents and adoptive parents until we need to renew in May of 2011. Please pray with us in this new direction that God is leading us in. We are excited and nervous at the same time. Mostly excited, though. I know that God's timing is perfect, but it is hard not to just want to get our first placement over with. God is definitely teaching us patience in this process. We started filling out paperwork in October, finally took our classes in Jan/Feb, finished our home study in March and have been waiting for a placement since then. Getting these papers in the mail was really just a technicality, because we could have had placements since March. At least this is something tangible, to appease me, I guess.
When we started this whole thing we were told that there was "such a need" for foster parents. We have since discovered that there is a need, but there is also a lot of waiting. It seems that as I talk to other foster parents, what we are going through is average. We have a nursery, cribs, clothes, car seats, diapers, pullups, toys, food, bottles, sippys, a license, a desire to help, and we wait. We are licensed for 2 children ages 0-4 right now, so I have gathered all the supplies that I can think of that we may need for that broad range of ages, the only things that we don't have is a toddler bed, socks and shoes. Of course we will need more of everything, but we have the basics to get by on once we find out if we will have a boy or girl and their age... staying with us. A few weeks ago I watched Sherri's 5 kids and it was awesome. It wasn't a countdown to when she and Josh would be back, it was wonderful to have all of them here and I was sad when they were gone to go back to "just" my 3 boys. I'd keep them forever if I could. I love those children especially so very much. Riky and I have always loved children and the more the merrier. We have never minded babysitting, or having others over. If you recall, we did daycare in our home for about 7 years when we were first married. I always had extras with me. My church family loved Brooklyn (the one that I had the most often) as if she was mine. Frankly, her mom often got overwhelmed with being a mom and we would have that girl for weeks at a time. I offered to take custody of her, even. Her mom concidered it, but just couldn't bring herself to do it in the end.
One of the most often spoken phrases when it comes to Foster Parenting is " Oh, I could never do that, I would get too attached." We know that we are going to get attached. We know that we will have our hearts broken over and over again. We know. But how is it any different than Josh and Sherri moving away? My heart will be broken then, too. What can I do about it? Nothing. Should I have not loved them or their children? Should I not have loved Jon and Debie's son? They moved away. We see them once a year now, but I love Josiah as if he is one of my own sons. Should I not love our bus children? Or the Sunday school class kids? What happens when one of them moves away? Should we not love them like it's forever and deal with it when it comes to an end? Shouldn't we do what we can to make sure they are safe and loved and secure "in the meantime" of their lives? Of course we should!!! Jesus said " suffer the little children to come unto me" (Mark 10:14) how can we do any less?
We know that it is likely that we will have children with problems, behavioral, health, social... otherwise they wouldn't be in the system if they came from a nice, well balanced, loving, Christian home. We are ready (we think). We know that God loves these children and that He will give us all we need to cope. We know that He has placed this desire in our hearts and that He will give us the ability to fulfill His will for our lives.

Even so. Please pray with us about this. We covet your prayers.