Just the beginning...

Hey everyone,

If you are keeping up with our blog you know we haven't posted in a while... mostly because not a lot has happened. Until last week we really hadn't heard anything from the agency and didn't really know what was going on. Last Wednesday we heard from them and it was a bit nerve wrecking what they had to tell us. Apparently the state wants to try and take on handling ESC (emergency shelter care) cases themselves and is refusing to sign the contract with the agency to handle ESC. So basically since we are signed up for ESC (as well as normal foster care) we had to make a choice whether to hang in there with the agency and potentially wait 6 months to a year to have a child in our home, or go ahead and switch over to going through the state's system. After hearing this I was really discouraged and after talking with Brian we couldn't come up with a decision right away... We both disagreed on what choice to make. On one hand I was thinking "how selfish would it be if we were to stay with the agency just to wait 6 months to a year, and how many children could we have been helping in that time frame with the state?" I thought it would be selfish to stay with the agency. However on the other hand, Brian was thinking "How selfish would it be for us to go with the state just so we could care for more children more quickly?" We were at opposite ends of the spectrum, but only had 24 hours to make a decision. We went to bed without resolving anything and just prayed that God would help us to sleep on it and think more clearly in the morning. So, when we woke up that next morning we both knew what we should do - and we decided it would be in the best interest of our family and any child(ren) we would care for if we remained at the agency. We decided this because we will have support, therapy, ongoing training, networking nights, etc. that we would never have with the state. We feel as though staying with the agency will allow us to be the best foster parents (and bio parents) we can be. We can't imagine doing this without support and involvement with the other people in each child's life. The state has so much going on, and now they are trying to save money by taking on ESC themselves. It really is sad that they do not see that the well being of children is worth a little more out of the bank. Instead I am sure they are purchasing new leather office chairs. Who knows. We believe we made the right decision and are trusting that the Lord will guide and provide throughout all of this. When the timing is right we will be blessed with a call or a knock on the door and a child in our home. And we are trusting/hoping it won't be 6 months :(

On another note - we did get an email from the agency telling us that our file was completed and had been sent in for a homestudy. We were told we would get a call to schedule the homestudy by the beginning of this week. Well it's Tuesday and still no call. After tomorrow afternoon I will be contacting them. Out of respect for them they are extremely busy, but we need to keep our names fresh in their minds so they think of us and do not put us to the side or forget about us. We want them to know we are dedicated to this and that we will do whatever it takes on our part to make sure we are able to help as many children as possible.

~Amanda