We felt God’s calling to help children and families in need. Soon after we were approved we got the call for our first placement; however, it wasn’t a usual situation. This child was already available for adoption and we had to decide if we were ready to be his forever home without even meeting him. We asked for a few moments to ourselves so we could pray about it. As soon as we prayed I asked my husband “what are you thinking?” and his reply, “I think we have us a red-headed little boy.” And that was only the beginning!
Soon after Travis’ adoption was finalized we got a call that his bio-mom had given birth again and we were asked to foster him too. Of course we said yes and began visiting him in the NICU because he was born drug positive and had to go through withdrawals. Fast forward a couple of months and we decided to tell the bio-mom that we had adopted her other son. You could see the walls crumble down and she became much more open with us. Two weeks later she surrendered her rights so we could adopt the baby too and the siblings could grow up together.
We continued to keep our home open in case the bio-mom had more children. We did have children in our care over the years who were able to go back home or with a family member and some of those we have been able to keep in contact. In total we have had 20 children in our care and have adopted 4.
A few years after the adoption we got a call from our social worker about bio-mom having a little girl who was 6 months old at the time. It was a very rough situation involving drugs and the baby’s needs not being met. We entered the hardest two years of our lives as bio-mom was attempting to work a case plan; however, she could not overcome her addictions. She eventually surrendered her rights and we soon adopted her.
We then realized 3 kids were more than enough and began thinking about closing our home; however, God still had plans for our family. It was a few short years and we got a call from the bio-mom telling us she was pregnant and asking if we would adopt this one too. By this time we had a relationship with bio-mom and allowed the children to see her and their bio-grandmother a couple of times a year even though it’s not required. We felt it was the right thing to do. In a few months, the baby was born and we adopted him soon after. The day after his adoption we decided to close our home.
Our home and hearts are full! Our children are half-siblings by birth, but made whole through adoption. We consider them “Halves Made Whole.”
Hey, it’s Jolie here…The Garner Family was invited to be celebrated in 2023 but the weather had other plans. We postponed the celebration to the 2024 season and we got to spend not one but two nights together with this family. Thank you to the Garner Family for going bananas with us all year long and for making a difference in the foster care community!
If you or someone you know is a foster family and are interested in sharing your story with us, please visit Tell Your Story.
Created by Jolie Chabala, Bananas Foster