No Matter Where I Go: God's Love for Kids in Foster Care

My husband and I met in 2014, and one of my prerequisites for marriage was that he had to be ok with adoption. It was a non-negotiable for me. “How did you and your husband begin to foster?” 

On our very first date, we talked about how we both thought we would like to adopt one day. We didn’t really know all that it would entail, but we knew we wanted to adopt children into our families. Fast forward nine months later, and we got married.

We said we would wait for a while before we had “our own kids.” We thought it was important to establish “our own” family before taking other kids into our home. But boy did we have a lot to learn. When we had been married for about two years, we started trying to get pregnant, but nothing was happening. It was a dark time for both of us, but God held us. Through those sorrowful times we still thought about adoption. 

In 2018, we attended a conference at our church for fostering and adoptive families, where we learned about the foster care crisis in our state and nation. When we left the parking lot that day, we said to each other, “I think we’re supposed to foster.”

As foster parents, we realized we were not our children’s saviors. The only thing we could do was love them. We knew that as we introduced them to new ways of living that we were planting seeds. Their wounds were not for us to heal. But we could be a safe place for them in which many different people and the gift of time would allow them to heal and learn what true love is. 

Life with Jesus is complicated and messy and it is extremely unconventional. But it is rich and beautiful, and we wouldn’t trade it for anything. Because the hard things are always worth it. 

My first children’s book, No Matter Where I Go, is a story about a girl who learns to trust God’s love for her, even when it doesn’t make sense. My heart for this book is for children in foster care to know they are loved, for families who are not fostering to talk about it with their children and pray for vulnerable children, and for churches and organizations that support foster families to be able to offer them a resource that will help their children feel seen. 

If this book blesses you, it would be a joy and honor for me if you would share it with others. You can write a review on Amazon, share it on social media, give it to a foster family, or share it with your local church or school. 

And if you have a story to share of how this book specifically encourages you or a child you know, I want to hear it!