- P
- J
Our Family Journey
We never imagined that an emailed lab result from our doctor would deliver the most devastating blow of our lives. And yet, there it was, a note indicating that our greatest fear was now in fact a reality—infertility.
We have always wanted and prayed for children of our own. So, our hearts sank in 2018 when our doctor told us that we have a very slim chance of conceiving children naturally. If you know anything about our life together then you know that we absolutely LOVE & ADORE children. We like to believe we are the best uncle and aunt duo to our nephews and nieces—who also are the best ever! Our love for them and times spent with them have been near the top of what brings us joy!
I wondered in my own heart why God would allow barrenness, childlessness, for my wife. I thought to myself, “Surely, I’ve done more than enough damage in my life to be undeserving of parenthood, but why her? Why, Lord?” Although I truly don’t deserve it, I know I would be a great dad; and Leigh a great mom. So, why not? This was my struggle during that season of grief.
Meanwhile, my dear wife experienced both deep sorrow and sweet relief in those few months after receiving the diagnosis. You see, she had spent almost every month of our first three years of marriage hopefully awaiting a positive pregnancy test. Yet as the months quickly turned into 3 years gone, the recurring grief had already taken a toll on her mind and heart. After much crying, soul-searching, and seeking the Lord’s will, we now believe that our hope for biological children has come to an indefinite hiatus (although we still believe that God can do anything!). Realizing and trusting in the truth that God has other ways for us was accompanied with sweet relief to pursue a different family path.
As the Lord began to comfort us both during this season of loss, we began to talk & pray about the different ways by which we could “have children.” Our doctor did suggest in-vitro fertilization (IVF), but almost instantly, we knew that this was not our path. Instead, the Lord brought to mind a very simple but profound conversation we had when we were first courting, in which Leigh had asked me if I was open to adoption if we weren’t able to have children naturally. Yes! Yes! She went on to share her dreams of having a house full of children of all skin tones, different hair textures, and eye colors; the “children of the world” as described and sung in Jesus Loves the Little Children. Although these were just dreams, she believed that they would be fulfilled one day.
Fast forward five years, and the Lord has slowly been preparing us for this coming reality! Together, we have begun to go after that vision and have continued to seek God’s direction for us as a family. We are currently pursuing foster care certification through a local foster/adoption agency; we desire to be a resource to children from families who are struggling with ongoing cycles of addiction, abuse, violence, and neglect. The journey has been slow, with many providential turns along the way, but in July we were finally “Pre-Approved” to take our training classes and prepare for certification.
Believing in this call from God and an opportunity for our faith to be put to work, our mission has become more and more clear. The more we learn about the hundreds of thousands of children and families facing crisis in our country (an estimated 30,000 in LA County alone), the stronger our desire and greater our passion to answer the call to help via fostering.
When we started this pursuit in 2018, we naively thought that our little one-bedroom duplex would be sufficient to care for one infant or toddler; however, over time we have learned that we need to “enlarge our territory” (& our trust) for the possibility of more than one child. So in preparation for our growing family, we had initially been on the hunt for a larger rental home in the Lakewood/Long Beach area. However, the rental community has neither been kind nor shy about rejections; and thereby, discouragement and uncertainty started to set in again.
So, we’ve stepped back with open hands and hearts and have asked, “Lord, what do you have for us?” After some encouraging counsel and prayer, we strongly believe that God is leading us to pursue purchasing a house—one that will provide more room, safety, and security for our foster children. And prayerfully one day, a child (or two, or three) would even be able to call it their forever home.
The bottom line is this: many children need foster families! Our hands and hearts are ready and willing to serve and love any child that we could be so honored and privileged to care for. They need us and we need them. Our hope is to welcome them in a bigger home, not a single-room duplex. We believe a house is necessary to answer the call to help children in need, to love and affirm, and to provide safety and security—and hopefully a forever home for those we will adopt.
This past year, with the help of some financial focus/direction/encouragement from Financial Peace University (Dave Ramsey), we have been diligent to pay off $20,000 in school loans and credit card debt. And although we will spend several more years hacking away at our school debt, we have now shifted the bulk of our extra resources into savings for this next step in our journey.
We believe that as we finish up our certification process, we need to also be ready to purchase a home. In faith, and with some help, we believe we can do it! Leigh and I are confident that through God’s personal provision to us, we can save a portion toward a down payment for a home by March 2021. Truthfully, we still need help. We are praying for the Lord’s continued provision, and we believe He can do that through our family, friends, and community. We want to invite you to pray and please consider donating toward the funds needed to get into a reasonable home for our ministry to foster children. We would be so honored and grateful if you would join us in this journey!
With love and grace, Bert & Leigh
We never imagined that an emailed lab result from our doctor would deliver the most devastating blow of our lives. And yet, there it was, a note indicating that our greatest fear was now in fact a reality—infertility.
We have always wanted and prayed for children of our own. So, our hearts sank in 2018 when our doctor told us that we have a very slim chance of conceiving children naturally. If you know anything about our life together then you know that we absolutely LOVE & ADORE children. We like to believe we are the best uncle and aunt duo to our nephews and nieces—who also are the best ever! Our love for them and times spent with them have been near the top of what brings us joy!
I wondered in my own heart why God would allow barrenness, childlessness, for my wife. I thought to myself, “Surely, I’ve done more than enough damage in my life to be undeserving of parenthood, but why her? Why, Lord?” Although I truly don’t deserve it, I know I would be a great dad; and Leigh a great mom. So, why not? This was my struggle during that season of grief.
Meanwhile, my dear wife experienced both deep sorrow and sweet relief in those few months after receiving the diagnosis. You see, she had spent almost every month of our first three years of marriage hopefully awaiting a positive pregnancy test. Yet as the months quickly turned into 3 years gone, the recurring grief had already taken a toll on her mind and heart. After much crying, soul-searching, and seeking the Lord’s will, we now believe that our hope for biological children has come to an indefinite hiatus (although we still believe that God can do anything!). Realizing and trusting in the truth that God has other ways for us was accompanied with sweet relief to pursue a different family path.
As the Lord began to comfort us both during this season of loss, we began to talk & pray about the different ways by which we could “have children.” Our doctor did suggest in-vitro fertilization (IVF), but almost instantly, we knew that this was not our path. Instead, the Lord brought to mind a very simple but profound conversation we had when we were first courting, in which Leigh had asked me if I was open to adoption if we weren’t able to have children naturally. Yes! Yes! She went on to share her dreams of having a house full of children of all skin tones, different hair textures, and eye colors; the “children of the world” as described and sung in Jesus Loves the Little Children. Although these were just dreams, she believed that they would be fulfilled one day.
Fast forward five years, and the Lord has slowly been preparing us for this coming reality! Together, we have begun to go after that vision and have continued to seek God’s direction for us as a family. We are currently pursuing foster care certification through a local foster/adoption agency; we desire to be a resource to children from families who are struggling with ongoing cycles of addiction, abuse, violence, and neglect. The journey has been slow, with many providential turns along the way, but in July we were finally “Pre-Approved” to take our training classes and prepare for certification.
Believing in this call from God and an opportunity for our faith to be put to work, our mission has become more and more clear. The more we learn about the hundreds of thousands of children and families facing crisis in our country (an estimated 30,000 in LA County alone), the stronger our desire and greater our passion to answer the call to help via fostering.
When we started this pursuit in 2018, we naively thought that our little one-bedroom duplex would be sufficient to care for one infant or toddler; however, over time we have learned that we need to “enlarge our territory” (& our trust) for the possibility of more than one child. So in preparation for our growing family, we had initially been on the hunt for a larger rental home in the Lakewood/Long Beach area. However, the rental community has neither been kind nor shy about rejections; and thereby, discouragement and uncertainty started to set in again.
So, we’ve stepped back with open hands and hearts and have asked, “Lord, what do you have for us?” After some encouraging counsel and prayer, we strongly believe that God is leading us to pursue purchasing a house—one that will provide more room, safety, and security for our foster children. And prayerfully one day, a child (or two, or three) would even be able to call it their forever home.
The bottom line is this: many children need foster families! Our hands and hearts are ready and willing to serve and love any child that we could be so honored and privileged to care for. They need us and we need them. Our hope is to welcome them in a bigger home, not a single-room duplex. We believe a house is necessary to answer the call to help children in need, to love and affirm, and to provide safety and security—and hopefully a forever home for those we will adopt.
This past year, with the help of some financial focus/direction/encouragement from Financial Peace University (Dave Ramsey), we have been diligent to pay off $20,000 in school loans and credit card debt. And although we will spend several more years hacking away at our school debt, we have now shifted the bulk of our extra resources into savings for this next step in our journey.
We believe that as we finish up our certification process, we need to also be ready to purchase a home. In faith, and with some help, we believe we can do it! Leigh and I are confident that through God’s personal provision to us, we can save a portion toward a down payment for a home by March 2021. Truthfully, we still need help. We are praying for the Lord’s continued provision, and we believe He can do that through our family, friends, and community. We want to invite you to pray and please consider donating toward the funds needed to get into a reasonable home for our ministry to foster children. We would be so honored and grateful if you would join us in this journey!
With love and grace, Bert & Leigh