Sunday morning church!
Can I play in that brown stuff, too?
So sweet!
The girls placed his bunny there when he feel asleep. Too cute!
Such a bundle of JOY!
The big kids wanted to feel little again, too. :)
Sweet angel is praying!
So fun to have a real live patient to play doctor!
30 days…
That’s how long we had the littles in our home. Yesterday, we had the joy of returning them to their parents. If you knew just how far their parents have come, you could only say it’s a MIRACLE.
When we first met them, these two were so desperate and broken, they actually considered giving their children up for adoption.
Thankfully, Safe Families was something they found through the internet.
Let me start off by saying this experience was nothing like I thought it was going to be. I had no idea that caring for these children would be just a part of the ministry my family was about to embark on.
It wasn’t long before Morgan and I realized what we were being called to do.
For those that know us, you know Morgan has the same passion for biblical fatherhood as I have for biblical motherhood. It certainly doesn’t mean we have it all together, it just means that God calls us to encourage others towards His vision of parenthood and family.
As the days passed, it became very clear this is was our primary mission. This family had no outside support, no friends, and no family. We were it. Through countless texts, emails, phone calls, Skype, visits, etc. we began to help these folks get back on their feet and embrace their God-given roles as parents.
I was privileged to witness God’s amazing faithfulness as I stepped WAY out of my comfort zone. And lest you think I have some sort of warm, fuzzy, gynormous Mother Teresa type heart, let me assure you, I don’t.
I’m just an average mom and a selfish sinner who on some days, can barely take care of the family God gave me. But because of God’s sacrificial love for me, He gave me the courage to say YES to Him.
I had no idea what that would look like. I thought it was going to be all about taking care of a child. Little did I know it was TWO! And I surely had NO CLUE that He would use my family as a living testimony to His amazing power of love and redemption.
Today at church, some friends asked, “Isn’t it sad, you had to give the babies back?”
My answer: “No, it’s a good thing.”
Although we went into this being open about whatever God called us to do, our goal has always been to get these children back to their parents. Why? Because we believe that’s what God would want.
And that, ultimately, overrides any sort of loss we may feel.
In fact, this whole experience has made me appreciate my own little family even more. It brought us all closer to the heart of God and it allowed our children to see what it truly means to serve the least of these. Talk about a homeschooling lesson on love!
So, don’t let the pictures fool you. It wasn’t always easy… or fun. In fact, it was down right hard at times. However, with the Lord’s strength, we prevailed.
After a few days, we fell into a rhythm and soon enough, I found myself doing regular things like grocery shopping twice a week with 4 kids. I’m actually quite proud to say that I cooked dinner EVERY NIGHT of those 30 days. Whew!
It has certainly been a season of life we will never forget!
We will continue to keep in contact and encourage this family in the Lord. In fact, we realize the first week or so may be the hardest adjustment for them all. They still need our prayers.
As for us, it was a little quieter around the house this morning… I slept wonderfully and uninterrupted ALL NIGHT. It’s been a day full of worshipping God, spending time with the treasured family He gave me, and taking a moment to share a little piece of my story, here with you.
Saying Yes to God is sometimes scary, never predictable, but always, always WORTH IT.
As we drove home from spending the day with the family and dropping off the littles, we heard this song on the radio and the girls both said it reminded them of the babies.
To God be the Glory!
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