We tried to conceive for over seven years. We had one failed IVF, three failed IUIs, three unsuccessful rounds of Clomid, and two miscarriages with D&C. So many disappointments and so much money wasted on the endeavor to birth a child. We didn’t want to adopt, but were open to it. Our attitude was that if God wanted us to adopt, He would make it perfectly clear. When we moved to Texas from California the first people we met lived across the street. They were in the process of adopting from China and helped to found the adoption ministry at their church. Looked like a sign so we started the process of Chinese adoption. That wasn’t the path we were supposed to be on and the door closed.
Foster parenting came in front of us. We went to an informational meeting that was very interesting. There were so many people at this meeting that we were sitting in the hall. We left the meeting and I said there was no way we were going to do this. After all the losses we’d experienced, I couldn’t let children come into our home and then leave. Foster parenting was what we were supposed to be doing, however. I got an audible message that the choice to foster wasn’t about me. The children needed a loving home with loving parents. We fit that. Even though most of the children would be temporary, we’d have children in our home. Wasn’t that the goal of trying to have a baby?
Our neighbors’ church had become our church. The adoption ministry sponsored a fair about adoption that we attended. We were drawn to the booth on foster parenting through the state. We spoke with an incredible social worker. We went to another informational meeting at church and about a month later started PRIDE training.
I’ll write more about what happened next.