- M
It was late July when we received the phone call. I had just made it back home from Oklahoma City, where I led my last youth ministry trip for the summer. It wasn’t the first call we received, but it was the first yes we gave. It felt right, and the timing was right. We were told there was a baby boy at the hospital and if we were ready, we could be the family to take him home.
Emily and I were not sure if we were ready to be resource parents. We had already decided we weren’t ready to be parents—not yet at least. But becoming resource parents (a.k.a. foster parents) was not about expanding our family; it was about doing a work that we both are passionate about: serving God’s kingdom by caring for God’s children. Up until this point, I had been a youth minister for a number of years, and Emily had been an eighth grade English/Language Arts teacher. We both at different times felt a desire to foster. A conversation we would have randomly, but we never made efforts to do anything about. Then one day we committed to get certified. Our thought was, we can always say no, but we can never say yes until we have been certified. So we started the process. Little did we know, the calls would come rolling in immediately after our home was approved. And saying no would be a lot harder than either us imagined. From the time we got certified right at the end of Spring/early Summer, timing was an issue for a number of the calls we received. It felt like every call came right as I was getting ready to walk out the door for a summer activity that would take me away from home for days at a time.
But this call was different, it came the day after I got back from my last trip. This was it. He was born on July 22, 2018 and we picked him up on July 30th. We weren’t sure how long he would be with us, but we were certain he would have a home as long as he needed it.
We’ve been blessed to have Jay as a part of our family for these last couple years. And we’re grateful to announce that he is eligible to be adopted. Unfortunately, due to our state government being overwhelmed with adoption cases and the COVID pandemic making a bad problem worse, Emily and I have decided to hire a private attorney to finish up our case. One reason being that I have accepted a new job in another state, and finalizing his adoption before we leave will make our transition a lot less complicated. Another reason is because we have already been waiting over a year since he’s been eligible, and there is no guarantee that this will be finalized anytime soon.
Jay will be three years old next month, and it’s important to us that he knows that from day one he has always had a place he belonged. The good news is our attorney has already moved our case to where it will be heard in a matter of weeks, if not days. Though it will be the easiest money we’ve ever spent, it’s money we didn’t think we would have to spend. Especially on the eve of so many transitions for our family.
In full disclosure, our attorney fees are a total of $8,500. Roughly half of that we’ve already paid. Emily and I are prepared to pay the entire amount. However, many of you have asked us how you can help, and we would be honored to have you join us on this journey as we circle the final lap of making Jay permanently ours.
Due to the circumstances of our situation, we are not able to share this on social media. And we ask that you don’t as well. However, you’re more than welcome to share this with friends through private channels like text message, email, direct message and so forth.
Here’s what we ask of you:
1.) Consider helping us financially if you feel led to do so, but please feel no obligation to. We’ve been extremely blessed to have all our needs met, and we don’t see that changing anytime soon.
2.) Pray that our case is finalized swiftly. Nothing would make us happier than when we gather to celebrate Jay’s birthday next month that we would get to celebrate not only his birth, but his permanent place in our hearts and in our home.
3.) Please, please, please pray for all the children that are in state custody, whether here in Mississippi or other states across our country. Our foster care system in this country is in crisis and many children’s lives are left in limbo as our government officials and child advocates scramble to find a solution.
Emily and I were not sure if we were ready to be resource parents. We had already decided we weren’t ready to be parents—not yet at least. But becoming resource parents (a.k.a. foster parents) was not about expanding our family; it was about doing a work that we both are passionate about: serving God’s kingdom by caring for God’s children. Up until this point, I had been a youth minister for a number of years, and Emily had been an eighth grade English/Language Arts teacher. We both at different times felt a desire to foster. A conversation we would have randomly, but we never made efforts to do anything about. Then one day we committed to get certified. Our thought was, we can always say no, but we can never say yes until we have been certified. So we started the process. Little did we know, the calls would come rolling in immediately after our home was approved. And saying no would be a lot harder than either us imagined. From the time we got certified right at the end of Spring/early Summer, timing was an issue for a number of the calls we received. It felt like every call came right as I was getting ready to walk out the door for a summer activity that would take me away from home for days at a time.
But this call was different, it came the day after I got back from my last trip. This was it. He was born on July 22, 2018 and we picked him up on July 30th. We weren’t sure how long he would be with us, but we were certain he would have a home as long as he needed it.
We’ve been blessed to have Jay as a part of our family for these last couple years. And we’re grateful to announce that he is eligible to be adopted. Unfortunately, due to our state government being overwhelmed with adoption cases and the COVID pandemic making a bad problem worse, Emily and I have decided to hire a private attorney to finish up our case. One reason being that I have accepted a new job in another state, and finalizing his adoption before we leave will make our transition a lot less complicated. Another reason is because we have already been waiting over a year since he’s been eligible, and there is no guarantee that this will be finalized anytime soon.
Jay will be three years old next month, and it’s important to us that he knows that from day one he has always had a place he belonged. The good news is our attorney has already moved our case to where it will be heard in a matter of weeks, if not days. Though it will be the easiest money we’ve ever spent, it’s money we didn’t think we would have to spend. Especially on the eve of so many transitions for our family.
In full disclosure, our attorney fees are a total of $8,500. Roughly half of that we’ve already paid. Emily and I are prepared to pay the entire amount. However, many of you have asked us how you can help, and we would be honored to have you join us on this journey as we circle the final lap of making Jay permanently ours.
Due to the circumstances of our situation, we are not able to share this on social media. And we ask that you don’t as well. However, you’re more than welcome to share this with friends through private channels like text message, email, direct message and so forth.
Here’s what we ask of you:
1.) Consider helping us financially if you feel led to do so, but please feel no obligation to. We’ve been extremely blessed to have all our needs met, and we don’t see that changing anytime soon.
2.) Pray that our case is finalized swiftly. Nothing would make us happier than when we gather to celebrate Jay’s birthday next month that we would get to celebrate not only his birth, but his permanent place in our hearts and in our home.
3.) Please, please, please pray for all the children that are in state custody, whether here in Mississippi or other states across our country. Our foster care system in this country is in crisis and many children’s lives are left in limbo as our government officials and child advocates scramble to find a solution.