We have been fostering for about 9 months.
❔ Why did you begin fostering?
We began fostering because we felt convicted that we had a spare bedroom in our house that was just collecting our stuff and being used as storage. Though we don’t have a lot, what we do have, we need to share with others who need it. Once we realized that almost no one in the county is willing to take in teenagers, we immediately knew we had to do something about that. We decided to commit to fostering teenagers for the duration of our time in Greenville while we both complete our degrees.
❔ What has God taught you during your foster care journey?
For Jesse and I, faith-in-action comes pretty easily because we both have personalities that are do-ers and we both feel called to be among the marginalized. However, through our foster care journey, we have learned that we cannot substitute intimacy with God for serving God. God has taught us that in order to sustain us during the challenges of foster care (and of life!), we need to be daily cultivating intimacy with Him, in order to know Him better and to deeply internalize how truly known we are by Him.
❔ What hope do you hold onto during the difficult seasons?
We find hope in knowing that no matter how overwhelming our concern for these kids feel, God loves them even more. As sad or angry we can become on their behalf, God weeps and fights for them. We find freedom in knowing that it is not our job to save these kids because that’s Jesus’ job. Somehow, mysteriously, He has already won.