12:52 P.M., May 29, 2012

It was at 12:52 P.M. on May 29, 2012 that we received a call and found out we were certified as foster parents!

I give praise to our heavenly Father! I praise Him, because He changed our hearts and in turn our prayers changed. I praise Him, because he has opened doors when we thought doors would never open. I praise Him, because He has chosen us for a child at an appointed time we do not yet know. I praise Him, because He knows the plans and they are not of evil, but of HOPE!

I am thankful for our family and friends who have been with us through this journey and will continue to walk the miles with us.

My heart is overfilled with joy!

I get to be a momma :)

Exciting things are already taking place... some we know, some we don't know. Please keep in mind that I will only be able to share certain information due to the confidentiality of the children who will come in our home. Please continue to pray for us and for the children. We want to give them a chance when they have no chance. We want to give them hope when they have lost all hope.

"Then Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high..."

 (1 Samuel 2:1a)  

It takes a village...

I am a very lucky woman... I have several women in my life who have helped to raise and continue to influence me. First and foremost, I begin with my own mother, Momma a.k.a. Ma. God knew what He was doing when He brought me into her life as her first born child. (Yes, I am bragging about myself!) He gave her the opportunity to raise a girl into a young woman and He chose the BEST role model. She is the most kind hearted, loving, selfless, Christ loving woman I know.

"Momma and Me at my shower in Flowood"



" Momma fixing my hair for my wedding"



 "Memaw, Me, and Momma (Circa '96)"

Second, there was my Memaw (my mother's mother). I was so blessed to be called her granddaughter (and her only granddaughter for 21 years!). She gave everything she could for her children, her grandchildren, and even those she did not know. She set the bar high for all of her "girls". She even told my momma, in what happened to be the last year of her life, that I had become like one of her daughters. That is as close as you can get to your grandmother, in my eyes anyways. I spent many, many nights on the phone outside my dorm room at NSU planning for my future. Everytime we ended the phone call she would say "Well, I guess we have it figured out now". I could always call her and she was always there, unless of course she had "some interest in this movie" on Lifetime. :)

"Memaw and Me:September 2007"



Third, there are my aunts, Stephanie and Sharon. They gave me many fond memories growing up and have always supported me in everything I do. I can always count on them to have my back! And I always thought it was so cool to hear the cashiers say "Is she your daughter? She looks just like you!"

 "Stephanie (+Preslee), Me, and Sharon (a.k.a. Sissy): September 2007"

(They hosted one of my wedding showers)

There have been and continue to be other women in my life as well. I could not be more blessed to say that I have been reared in a Christian home and surrounded by Christian women. My prayer is that I can one day be the mother example that my mother and these women were for me!

Love you all!

Happy Mothers Day to ALL the mothers in my life!



The Power of Prayer

I am witness to the power of prayers. I have to say the most influential body of believers were those at FBC Gueydan. That group of believers BELIEVED in some prayer. I saw the affect of their faith. I have seen my own momma healed by prayers and I have seen families changed by prayers.

As I reflect over the past 2 years of our marriage I can see how prayer has helped us to grow. At first our prayer was to be blessed with our own biological children. Now our prayer is to be blessed with the opportunity to have children in our home. Some, no, most people don't understand our prayer and that's OK. Something I don't share with many people is that according to the fertility specialist invitro is our closest step to biological children. I am not completly comfortable with this idea, so it's one reason we haven't taken that route. I know my God is greater than any doctor and can perform miracles, but I also know he prepares us for things we do not know.. just like he did the Israelites. I just know that I don't want to miss his blessings, no matter what form they come to us in.

I think the knowing we wanted "noise" in our home happened when we hosted the Junior High girls for a D-NOW weekend. We had SO much fun with them in our home! After the fumes of the hairspray, the smell perfume, and they actually left our house we missed them. (I know, who misses teen girls in their home?) I think it was just the fact of having "noise" in our home, besides the 2 of us. Don't get me wrong we are enough for each other,but it was nice having others to share with.

Lance and I are truly blessed in more ways than we ever thought imaginable. This is one of the main reasons we feel lead to be foster parents. There are many children out there who are dealt a bad hand in life based on other peoples choices. We want to be the safe haven for them. We want to show them and share with them the love of Christ. Yes, we hope to adopt in the process... but as a co-teacher described a foster home she once knew... we hope to be a home with a revolving door.

The power of prayer can bring people a long way. Prayer is our way of communicating with the Most High. When we pray we need to remember that it is communication... as I tell my students: communication takes place when one person listens and one person talks and then the roles are turned. Sometimes I think we confuse communication with us being the only ones to talk and God to be the only one to listen. He speaks... we need to take the time to listen.

Cold Water and Microwaves

Good news from far away is like cold water to the thirsty

 Proverbs 25:25

We received a little note from our worker, Ms. B a couple of weeks ago:

We were told that everything was in place... well, that was not the case. As of today, we now have all paper work turned in! She was suppose to staff with her supervisor this morning and then turn it in to the state office for certification. From people I have talked with, once our home study goes to the state it shouldn't be long.

However; God speaks in a still, small voice... He is continuously reminding me in His word that it's all about His timing. AMEN! There is a child out there just for us and I don't want to miss that blessing. So my prayer is that everything works in accordance to His timing.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us and continues to support us! We love you all and are blessed to have you as family and friends.

From Our Daily Bread today...

"Maybe we need to be reminded that some things take time-God's time. ... During that time He prepared them (Israelites), taught them, and challenged them. (Ex. 13-17-18)."

"In our microwave world, we want everything done instantaneously. But sometimes that's not God's plan. Let's seek God's help and learn to accept His timing."