And so it begins...
We don't get our mail very often. On the surface, it may seem pathetic, because its not as though we have to go across town to the post office to gather it up. No, its right on our curb, 20 or 30 feet from our front door. In fact, we're so bad about getting our mail that our box was so full once, our mailman thought we were on vacation. So, yes, its a little pathetic, but its not out of laziness that we do not get our mail, its out of "its just going to land in a pile of mail on our counter until we're ready to sort through it and we have enough messes already, so just leave it in the mailbox for now." However, this month, our mailbox has been cleared out regularly! Why? Because M knew our foster/adopt license was suppoes to be arriving sometime this month, and she has been asking for months "when are we going to get another kid?" So most days, she has checked the mailbox for the long-awaited package!
M was not around on Friday to check the mailbox, but I did...and guess what? It was there! That means we are officially foster parents and we will now start getting phone calls about kids in need. These kids will have parents of their own, and we will have NO rights over them. We cannot even get their hair cut without permission. We will be doing our best to take care of them and help them adjust to life at our house, while still working with them & their parents on getting back home. Over 80% of foster kids go back home, so most of the time, it will be short-term (although there are always exceptions to the rule).
So, just to fill you in...be aware that HIPAA (privacy) laws do not allow us to talk about the kids or to even tell you that they are foster kids. We can't even tell teachers that they are foster kids. We cannot post pictures or stories on social networks, etc. So just know that if you see us with an extra child or two, they just may be staying with us for awhile....or they just may be neighborhood kids here to hang out for a day! We are a house that is always overflowing with kids! You just never know who you may find around here!
When that call comes in from "matching" for the first time, we will have butterflies in our stomachs! Sometimes, the kids need an urgent placement...within 2 hours, other times, we may have a few days. Either way, the need is so great for good foster homes, that we've been told to expect lots of phone calls until the point our "licensed openings" are "full." For us, the limit is 2 since that's how many more people we can fit in our car! :)
So with nervous hearts, we move forward. Prayers for our family are certainly needed, as we listen to the stories of the kids we are called about, we need to be able to discern which ones are right for us and which ones would be better served by another family. More often than not, we will need to make that decision quickly. We know that God has a plan for us, but don't know exactly how it is suppose to play out. Yet we know that He will work it out for us as we start this journey of faithfulness.
