Podcasts Education Self-Improvement Crystal Paine Show 65. Our Journey to Becoming Foster Parents

65. Our Journey to Becoming Foster Parents

Published: Jan. 7, 2020, 11:27 a.m.

Our Journey to Becoming Foster Parents

\u201cWhat\u2019s your plan for foster care? How many kids are you planning to accept at a time? What ages of kids are you planning to foster? Are you hoping to adopt from the foster care system?\u201d

These questions and many more have been asked by very well-meaning, caring people over the last few months as we\u2019ve shared the news that we were becoming foster parents.

If you know me, you know I\u2019m a planner. I\u2019m a to do list queen. I love having order and organization in our lives. I\u2019m a big proponent of setting goals.

And yet, when it comes to foster care, I don\u2019t have a pre-determined plan or fill-in-the-blank answers. In fact, my answer to pretty much every question is, \u201cI don\u2019t know. We\u2019re open to how God leads.\u201d

That might seem vague or even like a cop out. But it\u2019s the truest answer I have to give right now.

Why We Said Yes to Foster Parenting

You see, we aren\u2019t saying yes to foster care because it fits into a grand plan we\u2019ve written out for the next 10 years of our life. In all honesty, saying yes to foster care feels pretty crazy with our current workload and responsibilities and season of life.

And yet, to the deepest part of our core, we know this is God\u2019s call on our life and we know that He has a plan for our future that is greater and bigger and crazier than what we could dream up.

So we've jumped off the cliff of our comfort and plunging into the unknown in full confidence that God\u2019s got this. He knows what the future holds and He\u2019s the One Who holds the future \u2014 and we can trust Him to carry us, even on the really hard days.

In this week's episode of the podcast, Jesse and I share in-depth how we ended up on this journey (it wasn't one we ever anticipated being on!), why we made the decision to pursue getting licensed, what the licensing process was like, and what we've learned along the way. We also answer some of your most often-asked questions regarding foster care.

In This Episode:\xa0

[01:23] My exercise ball and cleaning out our closets have been saving our lives. We share why.

[06:38] I just finished reading Parenting and wanted to share a few of my favorite quotes.

[10:56] Jesse is reading Hunter Killer.

[12:40] The unexpected path that led us to become foster parents.\xa0

[19:37] We talk about what the classes and certification were like.\xa0

[26:00] After finishing all the classes, we moved on to the home study.

[29:18] What the best step to start with to look into fostering?

[32:21] Why we decided to actively involve our kids in the decision-making process.

[34:51] What are some of the best ways others can come alongside and help foster families?\xa0

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