One Yes Changed Everything

I didn’t know it that night, but the decision we made sitting cross-legged on the edge of our bed, holding hands and holding back tears, would change everything.

We were tired—emotionally, spiritually, even physically tired of waiting, of praying, of wondering if our “yes” to God would ever matter. We had been certified for six months. Six long months of silence. Of empty bedrooms. Of baby clothes folded neatly in drawers never opened. Of friends asking, “Any word yet?” and us replying, “Not yet… but we’re trusting God.”

That night, the phone finally rang.

A boy. Three years old. Emergency placement. History of neglect. Multiple homes. Needed someone that night.

My heart dropped. We had asked for a baby. We had dreamed of onesies and bottles. Not tantrums and trauma.

But then I heard it—God’s voice, soft and sure: “You asked Me to send you the one who needs love the most.”

So we said yes. One shaky, terrified, mustard-seed-of-faith “yes.”

And it changed everything.

Background & Personal Journey: How We Got to That Yes

Our journey into foster care didn’t start with a grand calling or a prophetic word. It started with heartbreak.

We had been trying to grow our family for over five years. After countless appointments, procedures, and prayers, our doctor finally looked at us with gentle eyes and said, “Maybe it’s time to consider another path.”

I didn’t want another path. I wanted my path—my plan. But God had other plans.

It started subtly—conversations with friends who were fostering, news stories that stirred something in our hearts, sermons that just so happened to touch on caring for the fatherless. One morning during my quiet time, I read James 1:27:
“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress…”

I heard a whisper: “This is the door I want you to open.”

So we opened it. Reluctantly. Clumsily. But we opened it.

We went to the training classes. We filled out the mountains of paperwork. We prayed over every decision. And eventually, we became licensed foster parents.

We thought the hard part was over. We had no idea our journey was just beginning.

Key Struggles & Moments of Faith: When Saying Yes Means Saying Goodbye to Control

The boy who arrived that night came with nothing but a plastic bag filled with broken toys and a pair of shoes two sizes too small. His name was Elijah.

He didn’t speak for the first week. Not one word. He didn’t make eye contact. He screamed in the middle of the night. He lined up his food and ate like he hadn’t eaten in days. He refused to let us help him get dressed. And when I reached out to hug him, he flinched.

I cried in the shower every day for the first two weeks.

I remember one night, standing outside his door, praying as he kicked the wall and cried out in frustration. I whispered through tears, “Lord, I don’t know how to love him. He doesn’t want me.”

And again, God whispered: “But I want him. And I sent him to you because I knew you’d stay.”

That became our resolve: to stay, even when it was hard. Especially when it was hard.

There were battles with the system—missed caseworker visits, inconsistent information, endless court dates. There were moments we felt unseen, unheard, and unsupported. But in the silence, God met us. Again and again.

Breakthrough & Transformation: The Moment Love Broke Through

Three months in, something changed.

We were at the park. Elijah had climbed to the top of the slide but froze. His face turned pale, and I could see panic in his eyes. He looked down at me, and for the first time, he called out, “Mommy!”

It was a whisper. Barely audible. But it echoed in my soul like thunder.

I ran to the slide, held his hand, and walked him down step by step. At the bottom, he collapsed into my arms.

That night, he crawled into bed beside me and whispered again, “Mommy, I had fun today.”

That was the beginning of his healing. And mine.

Over the next few months, he learned how to play, how to trust, how to sleep through the night without fear. He laughed—oh, how he laughed. Loud, belly-deep, joyful laughter that filled our home like music.

We enrolled him in preschool. He started speech therapy. We went to family therapy sessions, slowly unpacking the trauma he had carried in his tiny heart. We celebrated every milestone—every new word, every peaceful bedtime, every hug given freely.

And as we celebrated, I saw something else happening: God was restoring our own broken places through this little boy.

The Adoption Day & What It Meant

Two years after he first walked through our door, Elijah became legally ours.

But in our hearts, he had always been ours.

On adoption day, the courtroom was packed with family, friends, and church members who had walked the journey with us. The judge looked at us and said, “Do you promise to love this child as your own for the rest of your lives?”

Tears streaming down our faces, we said yes.

Yes to the joy. Yes to the unknowns. Yes to the sacred, messy, beautiful calling of being his forever parents.

One yes had led to this moment.

What I Would Say to You, If You’re Thinking About Fostering

If you’re standing at the edge of this journey, wondering if you have what it takes—let me tell you the truth:

You don’t. But God does.

You don’t need to be perfect. You don’t need all the answers. You just need a willing heart and a faith that says, “Lord, if You’re in it, I’ll say yes.”

There will be tears. There will be doubts. But there will also be miracles. Laughter. Healing. Redemption.

And you will never be the same.

Because the moment you say yes to fostering, you are saying yes to walking in the footsteps of Christ—who chose to love us when we were broken, who adopted us into His family, who calls us sons and daughters.

“God sets the lonely in families…” – Psalm 68:6

One yes. That’s all it takes.
And I promise—God will do the rest.