My 4th post since starting this blog 8 months ago. Well...not that bad considering all that has happened since February! Here's a not so quick run down:

February 2014:
-Went to the IF:Gathering in Austin, Texas. Saw the Lord move in ways I hadn't in a long time. Knew that the Lord was calling us to Orphan Care in a serious way. Was it Safe Families? Was it Foster Care? We didn't know.

March 2014:
-Felt super discouraged after coming home from "IF" and not being able to take action towards any of the things I felt called to.
-Continued interviewing for part-time jobs, desperate to find something that allowed me to stay within my field but also be home with our precious daughter.
-Continued to receive an overwhelming amount of alerts regarding children needing a Safe Family placement. Kept calling in to get more information, but kept receiving a "closed door" from the Lord.

April 2014: (Things started picking up...)
-RECEIVED AN OFFER TO GO PART TIME!!! Such a huge blessing and answer to prayer in so many ways.
-We started praying about becoming a Foster Parent.
-More Safe Family alerts, yet nothing was happening.

May 2014:
-Filled out our first round of paperwork to get started with our Foster License!
-Made a deal with the Lord (I'm sure He was laughing) that we would accept the next phone call we received regarding a Safe Family placement. Here we go...

June 2014:
-Completed our home study and more paperwork for Foster Care license. Things were moving quickly!
-Went part time. This was honestly the biggest answer to prayer. I am so grateful to be home with our daughter, and to have the time to invest in the lives of others.
-Got a phone call a few weeks after making my "deal" with the Lord, and we welcomed 2 teenage girls into our home via Safe Families on June 26th. We agreed to a 3-4 week placement for the girls.

July 2014:
-Realized the girls would not be ready to return home in just 3-4 weeks. Started registering the girls for school, with a planned return home date of December. Our placement was now expected to last 6 months.
-Started our PRIDE training for our Foster License!

August 2014:
-The girls started school here in Woodstock. Friends & family provided beds, school supplies, clothes, gift cards, meals, etc. We were so overwhelmed with the love and support of so many people!
-Completed our PRIDE training for our Foster License!

September 2014:
-Drama with our Foster License. Our worker told us we could not move forward with our license unless we "got rid of" our Safe Family girls. However, the Lord quickly resolved that issue and our worker agreed to move forward whether the girls were with us or not.
-Baby Grayce (Gigi's sister) was born on September 29th.

And here we are now in October! Our Foster License should be approved by the State at any time. Court is coming up a week from tomorrow for Gigi & Grayce. Our Safe Family girls are still here with us and are doing well, all things considered.

So.

In a matter of time, we could have 5 children in our home. 2 teenagers. And 3 under 2.

Whoa.