A great blessing that helps bring closure

One of the hardest positions we have placed our family in willingly has been the job of being a foster and adoptive family. In this capacity come a great many sadnesses but also many blessings. A little over a year ago we watched as an infant and toddler were taken from our home and returned to a questionable circumstance. They had been with us for 8 months and we had had hopes of adopting them. Since that time we heard they had been moved out of those questionable circumstances and into a new foster/adoptive home. Although we had known when they left us that they would never return to our home again it had always been the desire of my heart to see them again and know they were ok. God grants us the desires of our hearts.

In the midst of what has been a very difficult few days for our family for reasons I won't speak of here, we received a huge blessing. I am leading the Beth Moore "Daniel" bible study and the first class was held last night. After the class, a woman visiting from another church to participate in the study came up to tell me that she was these children's adoptive mom! I was ecstatic, especially when she told me the youngest child was in the nursery right now and invited us to see him. Our 10 year old daughter burst into tears. She was so helpful and involved in their care and to be reminded they would never come back hurt, but I also told her to remember that we knew they weren't returning and isn't it a great thing they have a good home and are doing well AND God gave us the opportunity to know that. She agreed. Our entire family filed into the church nursery and there he was-the younger of the two, now a barely two year old-happy, healthy and BIG. He always was a big boy, bigger than his sister that was nearly a year older than him, but he had grown so much we nearly didn't recognize him. It was his laugh that proved to us this was the same baby we had spent so much time with.

We plan to give the new parents all of the photos on disc we have of 8 months of these children's lives. this will fill in some of the time they were unable to have with them and give them baby pictures. Whether or not we see the older child at a later date is yet to be determined. We do not want to frighten her into thinking things are uncertain again so will tread carefully and follow all of the wishes of their new parents.

Thank you God for blessings in the midst of trials. You are good.