By Crystal Webb
Proverbs 29:25 “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe”.
I always wanted a family. I wanted to sit down to dinner with a mom and dad and siblings. I wanted to go on family vacations and attend family reunions. Oh yes, I had a family but it was just my mom and I. This was the same for my husband as well. When we got married we both wanted to fulfill this dream by having children of our own, but after losing 2 pregnancies and 4 years of infertility, we soon came to find out that God had a plan we had not considered before.
The Lord blessed us through Adoption. We now have 8 children.
We chose adoption through foster care because we simply did not have the $20,000.00 to pay for a private adoption. Through foster care, the adoption fees are waived, funds are available for medical, vision, dental and financial assistance through adoption subsidies until the child reaches age 18. Foster care is tough emotionally and is physical demanding. But if God can use my husband and I (both from broken homes) to raise 6 adopted foster children in addition to our 2 biological children, he can use you.
There are so many unwanted children that are waiting to be a part of a “forever family”.
Many are sibling groups that will most likely be separated from one another in order to find a permanent home. Children are a blessing from the Lord and who would want to say “no” to more of the Lord’s blessings? I believe that the most successful placements are Christian homes. We live in the most wealthy country in the world and most of us can afford to give just one child that dream of a family. It is my hope that you will allow God to work in your heart and consider this as a possibly that you have not considered before.
I have counseled many families interested in adoption to become adoptive parents through foster care. What stops most people is fear. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 29:25, “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe”. What better way to conquer that fear and learn more about how God can use you to make the difference in the life of a child in your community then by trusting in him? Many children just wait for someone to come forward. Taking that first step to call your local foster care agency and registering for an orientation/informational meeting could be all it takes to changing the life of a child and if more Christians did this, think of what this would do for our families, our churches, our community, our country.
We are not a perfect family but we have made ourselves available.
If God can use ordinary people like us then God can use you. God used our church to show us how to raise our children. We were faithful to be in church every time the doors were open and to involve our children in ministry with us. Because our church had many family centered trainings, a Christian school and a youth pastor that genuinely cared for our teens, our kids have grown up surrounded by Christians and Biblical teachings. They have now all chosen to serve God in their daily lives.
As a result, we are just now beginning to see the fruits of our labor. Our oldest daughter is serving as Nursery Director in Indiana as she home schools her 2 children and serves the teens in her church with her husband, Our next daughter(20) is serving as a camp counselor at Teen Extreme at Pensacola Christian College in Florida, Our son(19) is traveling with Neighborhood Bible Time doing weekly rallies telling children about Jesus this summer, Our next daughter(16) just returned from a missions trip in Honduras where she dreams to work in a children’s home some day, Our next daughter(16) is the teacher at Camp Liberty in the 3’s and 4’s class on Sundays at church, Our son(14) is serving as an S.O.S. and door knocking every day with the summer missionaries, Our youngest daughters(11 and 10) serve in the children’s choir. How amazing God is using these “unwanted children”!
Daily Tip: Lose your fear and get involved with adopted/foster children. Open up your home for just one child or possibly to a sibling group that would otherwise be separated. It only takes a phone call to set up an orientation training. Perhaps you or your church could rally around a family that has already adopted children from foster care with encouragement, prayers, and help. These parents would love an evening out or a weekend with their spouse. These children need college money for Christian college because financial assistance ends once the child turns 18. Perhaps you would feel led to be a blessing to an adopted foster child in your church or you would like to get involved helping the children in your community. Please consider taking a leap of faith by getting involved in foster care adoption.
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