I always said that if I ever wrote a book about our adoption story it would be entitled “Yours, Mine, Ours, and Somebody Else’s.” My husband and I had both been married previously, and each had one child when we married. I had a son and he had a daughter and we had two sons together. I wanted a girl, and the adoption journey began. Some of you may know how difficult it can be to adopt because the waiting lists are long and particularly if you want a young child.
When we began to consider adoption, we were advised to become foster parents first and so we did. We got our first foster placement in 1991, a sibling group…shortly thereafter, we received a call to come pick up our 3rd foster child. Number three would become our 1st adopted child…a BOY!!! He was 9 months old when he came to us. We had been investigating other avenues in search of a baby girl but we weren’t having any success. I told my husband that we weren’t going to look anymore because God had given me an assurance that He was going to give me a baby girl and that He would bring her to me. About 6 months later, in December 1991, my husband had to go to his home country of Venezuela on business.
Shortly after he arrived there, he called me and asked me how I would like it if he brought me back a baby girl. My mother-in-law had been praying for a year that we would get this child and never told us anything about her. God worked out all the details and right before Christmas, I got my baby girl!!! She was 14 months old. We continued to do foster care and in the years we worked with foster children, we had about 20-25 in our home. In 1995 we were asked by DSS to consider adopting two sisters who were classified as special needs. We agreed to meet with them, and in July they became part of our family. They were 6 and 8 years old. In 1999 the caboose to our train came along…he was another special needs child and 2 years old.
We started out with 2 and ended with 9. We are our own “mini” United Nations! I will not lie and tell you that everything has been rosy and there haven’t been any bumps along the way. There have been many! But God has been so faithful and He has sustained us through all the times…the good, the bad, the happy, and the sad. People tell us we have been a blessing to the children we have brought into our home, but the real truth is that we are the ones who have been and continue to be blessed. We now have 11 grandchildren!!! I have volunteered on our county Foster Care Review Board for the past 17 years so I know firsthand that the needs are great.
Have you ever considered foster care or adoption?? It can be difficult, but it is oh, so rewarding.