My wife and I had a plan early in our marriage. We would have a biological child and then we'd adopt one. And as so often happens, God had a different plan for us. My wife went through several difficulties. These were heartbreaking times for us both. We felt we were not meant to be biological parents and that God wanted us to adopt. So we embarked on several trips to Guatemala to begin the adoption process. This was an incredible journey. We eventually adopted a baby boy, Santo. A few years later, we again tried to have a biological… Read More
Adoption/Foster Care
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You could say our house is a little busy. We adopted five children from China, all with special needs, after having four biological children. Scripture says to take care of the widows and the orphans, and this is a passion the Lord has given us. My husband and I felt we needed to do something beyond just living a comfortable lifestyle in the suburbs. He has a good job and we wanted to extend that blessing and share the love of Christ. Two of our kids require blood transfusions every three weeks to keep alive, but you'd never know it by the… Read More
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When we became foster parents 16 years ago, we had little to no support. But, we knew God had called us to foster. We live in Spartanburg County, which currently has more kids in foster care than any other county in South Carolina. When we began, we were disheartened by the lack of attention given to foster care and the lack of support for foster care parents. Recognizing a need, we began P.S. I Love You Ministries. It started as a church ministry where we provided childcare for monthly foster care meetings. In addition, we wanted to be… Read More
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I have two adopted children and they are my world. My husband and I used to be a part of this foster-to-adopt-program, and the process, although absolutely worth it, was excruciating. After experiencing some very difficult circumstances, we decided to tell our social worker not to contact us for a few months about adopting. However, Jesus had other plans. Isaiah 55:8 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord." One day, as I was walking back to my car from my kids' school, I waved to another mom walking up, and… Read More
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When I was 12 years old, my parents sat me down and told me we were moving. They were becoming house parents at Big Oak Ranch, a Christian home for children needing a chance. It’s one thing to talk the talk, but another thing to actually commit your life to making a difference, and that’s what my parents decided we were going to do. My parents showed me through this sacrifice that life is all about what you do to serve others using the gifts God has given you. We stepped out of our “comfort zone” as a… Read More
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I did not grow up a Christian or in a Christian household. But my spiritual life dramatically changed when I met my future wife, since she was very grounded in her Christian faith. She is a teacher and has always worked with young children, so loving kids was always in her heart. Even before we had our four biological children, we always talked about adopting a child at some point. We thought a good first step would be to become a foster family to kids looking for a forever family. Our family ended up fostering two brothers, and I could… Read More