Kids DO grow on trees!

Does it sound cold to say that kids grow on trees? Maybe if you're trying to conceive it does. But for every couple out there struggling to get pregnant there are hundreds more having kids they can't or won't care for. Kids are just growing on trees in all parts of the world and adoptive parents walk through the orchard snatching up the young, tender fruit. The ripe ones are so often over looked.

The Bible is full of tree references. My church, Austin Bible, relies heavily on the tree metaphor to communicate how we operate. Our children's ministry is called "Roots" and each class is called sprouts, seedlings, saplings....all the way up to mighty oaks. Our newsletter is called "The Dirt". So you get the idea. And children do grow on trees....at least in a metaphorical way.
Children need to sprout out of the ground and grow in the Son and contribute to the strength of a family tree.

There is a children's home on the same block where we live. Adoption and foster parenting have been heavy on our hearts since we moved to Round Rock all of 6 months ago. Our good friend Jessica works at that children's home and has been pushing orphans on us like an Amway clone. God bless her. We thought it would be a 'someday' thing. We are learning that the need is not someday...it's now and that we will never be ready or prepared.

28,883 children in foster care in Texas
26.0% of foster children are between ages of 0 and 5
23.2% of foster children are between ages of 6 and 12
50.8% of foster children are between ages of 13 and 21

Average time a child spends in foster care: 2 years (18.9 months)
Nationally: 2 years (21.8 months)

43% of children experience three or more foster care placements
Nationally: 42%

20.1% (5,818) of children live in group care or institutional settings
Nationally: 18.2% (93,521)

We will chronicle our journey to becoming foster parents. It is a very fast process compared to adoption, but very intense. Our journey became official when we received our application from an agency just a few days ago.

Our decision to do this NOW sprang from the potential for Haitian orphans needing homes in a hurry. The Haitian government has not released them yet, but we have decided to be ready either way so we can give our lives away just like our church leaders have raised us and released us to do. We are blessed to pursue this with tremendous support from our biological families and our church family! What a ride it will be!