First of all thank you for your sweet encouraging messages and prayers. This journey has taught me more than any other season of my life. Jesus has shown up through the community around me and it has been amazing to see. Thank you for your concern for our family and the support you pour out.
Over the last few weeks as our move date approaches closer and closer I hear the question "what is happening with the girls? Have you found out if they can move with you?" I realized so much has happened the last two weeks that I needed to update the so many praying for us and also put out much needed information for other foster families in this situation.
Let's go back 3 weeks ago. I got a message from a fellow foster mama friend saying she just read the foster parent handbook where she found a section titled "SC foster parents moving out of state with foster child". It was as if the Lord had placed the answer right in front of us. In the section it didn't tell in what situations it's allowed or how to go about it. I picked up the phone and gave my supervisor a call. I told her what we found. Her answer "oh wow I don't think I knew we had a handbook. Ok I will make a few phone calls and don't you worry I have it under control". Now I don't like to talk bad on social workers. They have one of the hardest jobs, but they also have way too many kids on their case loads which normally means they forget things often. I hung up the phone expecting her to forget and me to have to call back in a week to be the squeeky wheel. 5 days later my phone rang, "Mrs. B?" Yeah that's me "Yes this is Ms F. I have called Columbia and asked about your move. They told me what we need to do on this end and turn all the paperwork in 45 days prior to your move. It looks like everything should be good". I hung up the phone amazed. Amazed that the social worker was on the ball. Amazed that Columbia gave a verbal ok. Amazed that this strange clause was written out as if just for us. Tears came to my eyes as I realized the Lord was giving the girls back to me. What I am learning on this journey is that we need to live with out hands open wide ready to not only receive but also give up. Sometimes when we give up He shows up in an amazing way and sometimes He gives the gift back. I am learning that I am not in control of my life. We often have this false sense of control. Thinking if we only do this then that will happen. If we only do this thing our kids will be safe. If we only stop doing that our family will be ok. When any day life can change no matter what we do. God is the only one in control. He is the one who is our constant. In midst of joys He is there, in midst of pain He is there, in midst of our darkness He is there. The moment I released my girls to the Lord and said You know what is best for my children, ALL my children. I trust you. Slowly slowly my hands opened, it hurt, there was fear, but those fingers opened one by one releasing my death grip on what I desired. As I stand before Him with my hands open He fills them with Himself and in this moment after the phone call there is a quiet "in this moment I pick you. I pick you to love these girls. You are what's best in this moment". Through my tears of thankfulness I won't lie there is still fear. Satan loves to put fear in our hearts. Fear that I don't know if I can do this. Fear that I am not enough for them. Fear of what our future looks like. Yet one thing I have been told and what I have read is that fear never comes from the Lord so I quickly recognize that those thoughts are not of Him. I stand in my living room turn my favorite bethel music station on and worship. I stand and worship the one who gives us good gifts, praise the one who gave back what I gave to Him. Praise the one who writes the most beautiful stories.
So what now?
We still wait for the girls trial for termination of rights so we can finalize adoption, but in the meantime we will take our verbal ok and move forward to move the end of June. If all goes well we will still be foster parents in South Carolina but we will be living in Alabama until adoption happens. Thank you for your prayers and I ask you to continue to pray that everything goes smoothly. That all our paperwork goes through and there aren't any loopholes in the end. Continue to pray that we bind together as one family and can understand each other's needs.
We are on our first family "vacation" (a trip that doesn't involve a holiday). We are all very excited. Stops with friends, a wedding, and then Disney! Thankful for time away to be together.
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