Sometimes Things Don't Turn Out the Way You Plan

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When we were setting up our spare bedroom over a year ago to begin our foster care journey, we were setting up a nursery. We built a crib, painted and refurbished a desk to create a changing table (thanks Pinterest!), decorated the room, and bought toddler toys. We told the licensing worker our age range would be birth -1 year-old. We had never been parents, so we didn't know how to parent older kids. We wanted to start from the beginning.

Things certainly don't turn out the way you plan.

Our nursery now sits in storage. We have spent the past months building big boy dressers, setting up electronics, and putting together a bunk bed. ​​

​We have an 8 year-old living with us. And God willing, we will be adopting him soon. But that's not what we planned. We still don't know how to be parents to an older kid, but we are figuring it out one day at a time. 

God knew what he was doing when he brought Kris into our lives. He planned everything out right down to the very last detail. He laughed as we bought cribs and strollers. He waited patiently as we begged him for a baby. And I know that He must have smiled the day that we moved all of our son's stuff into our house for good.

Our licensing worker actually laughed at us the other day when we came to a foster care training and dropped him off in the babysitting room. She asked how things were going, and when we said they were going great, she said "Age range zero to one? Hah!"

​Jeremiah 29:11 says, "I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for." (The Message)

Yes, things certainly don't turn out the way you plan...they turn out better!

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Thank you to Brianna Jerman for contributing this blog post. Chris and Brianna are Student Ministry Pastors at Clinton First Assembly of God.

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The Southern Missouri District recognizes and supports churches in the crucial and viable ministry to foster and adoptive parents. The following organizations may be of help in the development of this type of ministry:

• Backyard Orphans, Contact: Eric Porter
• Compact Family Services, Contact: Paula J. Hall, LPC
• Care Portal - a support network for fostering and adoptive families

Please note: These organizations are not funded nor sponsored by the SMD.