Expecting the Unexpected

Only three days after finishing their foster parent certification, Bryce and Christina Smith* were shocked to receive a phone call asking if they'd be a potential adoptive placement for a baby boy.
 
The Smiths knew they'd eventually be open to adoption, but they didn't expect their first placement to be adoptive. Christina recalls, "I called my husband, and we prayed about it. We felt God's peace, so we said, 'Yes. '"

They didn't hear anything back from their placement agency for 14 days as the agency waited to hear when the boy would be released from the hospital.  
 
Then, in a Walmart parking lot, she received a call from Hope's Promise and the child's caseworker. The baby boy, Charlie*, would be joining the Smith family.
 
Christina and Bryce learned that Charlie was being cared for by a single foster mom who was unable to keep him at home in order to meet his medical needs. Charlie got sick easily, had trouble breathing, and had been in and out of the hospital for the first year of his life.  Since Charlie's case was heading toward termination of parental rights, the foster mom knew she needed to help him find a permanent home.
 
The foster mom was a Christian and wanted him with a Christian family willing to allow her to stay involved in his life.  The Smiths coordinated with her to do a transition week for Charlie, working together to help him switch homes. The family realized this was a unique opportunity as foster parents do not usually get a week to transition.
 
Christina was extremely sick the day Charlie officially moved in, stuck upstairs in bed and hardly moving. Bryce had to do the transition with his father-in-law, meeting with Charlie's caseworker and keeping the medically fragile child away from the germs in the home.  
 
The first few weeks with Charlie, Christina remembers thinking, "What are we doing? Are we the best fit? Can we even do this?"
 
The Smiths also had a biological son, Jonah*, who was only eight months older than Charlie. Christina remembers Jonah struggling to share toys and share his parents with Charlie. The family needed to get doubles of most baby equipment. She remembers the difficulty of juggling naps and bedtimes with the two boys, grocery shopping, and figuring out where to put two toddlers in the shopping cart.
 
They were extremely thankful to have family and community wrap around them in the early days. Their support team brought meals, helped care for the boys when Christina was sick, and prayed for them. They found hope through a couple at their church who had adopted, whom they could call anytime and ask questions. Once, Christina's sister came to the ER and sat with her and Charlie for 8 hours. She brought items they needed from the house and made lunch so Christina wouldn't have to worry about bringing food to the hospital and feeding the boys as they waited.  
 
Christina shares, "Bryce and I were very independent people when we started this journey, but we quickly learned we needed others. If you're thinking about stepping into foster care, pray and know that God will give you peace if it's what you're supposed to do. Know where your support is, because you can't do it without support."

Charlie has now been with the Smith family for four months. Christina and Bryce can't imagine him not being a part of the family. They've loved watching him grow and watching Jonah and the rest of their community love Charlie well. Charlie's caseworkers have also been incredible in advocating for Charlie and the family.  
 
"Through all of this, we've seen that God is faithful. He was faithful when we decided to foster, and He was faithful when we said yes. We don't know the outcome of our story with Charlie or foster care, but we know God will be faithful."

By Jenny Watson, Director of Communication and Development

​*Names have been changed to protect the identity of the children and family.