All in orphan-care

You Don't Always Reap What You Sow

As a foster mom, you may not get the fruit of prayers answered and hopes realized. You may not get proms, graduations, weddings, and grandchildren. Let’s be real. You may not even get the fruit of bedtime routines achieved, table manners acquired, multiplication tables learned, or secrets whispered. But what you will get, what we foster parents are working for, is the joy of being faithful right now. Today, I have today. And I will faithfully train and parent and love this child today and for as many more “todays” as I get.

Meet the state.

But helping these children meant dealing with the state agency, the one I had been afraid of and looked down upon, the one I had warned others about...I met the recruiter.  She met me with an inviting smile and helpful answer. She had a heart for adoption, a burden to see the church rise up and champion foster care, and a genuine love for the children she advocated for. She was “the state.”

Write Your Heart Out - Guest Post: Jenni's Story

Some of them are writers and some are “just” moms, but they were all faithful to write and share their story with others and, eventually, with me. I want to give them the gift that others gave to me in sharing their words. But more importantly, I want to give you the gift of reading their words and entering their stories...It wasn't my arms they were placed into, and their daddy wasn't there to cut the cord. He couldn't carry them swaddled to me for the first time like their sister.

Write Your Heart Out - Guest Series: Janice's Story

Some of them are writers and some are “just” moms, but they were all faithful to write and share their story with others and, eventually, with me. I want to give them the gift that others gave to me in sharing their words. But more importantly, I want to give you the gift of reading their words and entering their stories... "Healing days are about trauma and rewiring her brain. They need to happen for her to be healthy. But when the healing days become healing weeks, the weight of her suffering feels all consuming."

Write Your Heart Out - Guest Series: Sarah's Story

Some of them are writers and some are “just” moms, but they were all faithful to write and share their story with others and, eventually, with me. I want to give them the gift that others gave to me in sharing their words. But more importantly, I want to give you the gift of reading their words and entering their stories... "Then, the text came. It was my mom. “I know you have decided not to foster, but there is a family who has foster children that will most likely need to be adopted. Are you interested?”

Write Your Heart Out - Guest Series: Krista's Story

Some of them are writers and some are “just” moms, but they were all faithful to write and share their story with others and, eventually, with me. I want to give them the gift that others gave to me in sharing their words. But more importantly, I want to give you the gift of reading their words and entering their stories..."I'm reading about how sharing your story can change the world. I'm a terrible story teller. I do have a story, but not sure how to begin to tell it."

Adoption & T-Shirts - Support an Adoptive Family

In the global community of 2016, maybe the definition of “neighbor” has grown past our own local communities...So, NEIGHBOR, I want to make you aware of a need so that you, too, can consider if it's one of the ways you're meant to be involved in orphan care...my friends are having a fundraiser, selling super cool shirts to help fund the massive expensive of giving this little one a family. 

Her Other Mommy

In three weeks a judge will take away her legal rights as this little girl’s mother.  In a year, our daughter’s birth certificate will show my name as her only mother. This woman was first stripped of her relationship as mother, will soon be stripped of her rights as mother, but nothing can take her biology as mother.

"Storytelling changes the world"

I am passionate about being just an ordinary mom to my 4+ bio/adoptive/foster children. Loving my two foster daughters well is the best thing I can do to “fix the system.” But I am also passionate about helping give a voice to the other 150 million children who don’t have a mom loving them well. This is why I love The Archibald Project.

When Randy Alcorn shares your story...

RANDY ALCORN shared my story on his blog.  If you’re wondering how in all the world this happened, I’ll tell you exactly how it went down.  I wrote my little blog post and sent it to him, 100% sure that he would never lay eyes on it but figuring I had nothing to lose.  This is what is known as “swinging for the fences.”  That was a sports analogy.  I believe it was a baseball analogy.