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Married in 2002, we always knew that we wanted kids, but we had no idea the amazing way that God would work through us to create our family. When we were diagnosed as infertile in 2005, we automatically turned to adoption. We immediately started the paperwork, but everything took a turn at the start of 2007 when we felt a call to foster-to-adopt a specific child, who became our oldest son.
Stone arrived March 1, 2007 and we thought our family was complete, but God had very different plans for us. Much to our surprise and great joy, we found out in December 2007 that we were expecting! What a joy and extreme privilege to experience both birth processes!
With Stone’s adoption finalized in February 2008, we moved forward with the pregnancy and the excitement of the blessing of raising two boys… but God still had bigger plans. We received a call in May that Child Protective Services had obtained custody of Stone’s biological brother and was interested in placing him in our care on a foster-to-adopt basis. Cash arrived on July 18, 2008 and almost exactly one month later, on August 20, 2008, I delivered Holden via C-section.
In the Fall of 2009, I began working with a group in our church that ministered to teenage mothers. Teen MOPS is a national organization, and our local chapter was just beginning. I thought it was a great place to serve - especially since several of the girls were considering adoption. I thought I could be an asset.
Little did I know that God was again at work. In February of 2010, one of the girls asked if her daughter could live with us for a while. She needed to work through a CPS case and find a safe place to live. After prayer, we agreed. It was supposed to be short term, a month or two, but she remained in our care for more than a year. She went back home with her mom after this time and our family took in another child, a sweet boy. He spent about a year with us as well. Foster care was written on our hearts and we knew that it was our job to fill the kids in our home with good food, lots of love and a strong yearning for the gospel - no matter how long they stayed.
Our sweet Anna came back to us in the Summer of 2013 and became a permanent member of our family on April 23, 2014. She is the perfect #4 for our family and loves having three older brothers to pal around with.
Will we foster/adopt again? It's not something that we are actively pursuing now, but I won't say that it will not be a part of our future. Our story is still being written...
