Next steps

Big news in the Mullins home:

In June, we're opening up our home for foster care!

It's easiest to start there, and then go onto explain how we got to this point.

Let me start by saying, we could not be more excited!

Here are some FAQs about this new stage of our life:

The big one... What made you guys decide to do this?

Great question! Sit back because it's a long answer...

We honestly had no idea this is where our lives would go. We've had a confused look on our faces for the past 2 months asking each other, "So, you know what we're supposed to do yet?".

It all started when a more than devastating earthquake hit Haiti.

Our hearts were broken.

Side story (because I love rambling): Aaron has been to Haiti 2 times. We always made excuses for not going, although we really wanted to go together. Last November we finally said we were going to go. We talked with our small group to see if anyone else was interested in going the summer of 2010. We wanted a night of prayer and discussion about going with them. Aaron and I had pictures and information to share with the group. Guess what day we planned to meet to talk about this? January 12th. We were literally loading pictures when we found out the earthquake had hit. Coincidences give me chills..

And back to my point :)

We watched the news. I literally checked the reports and news lines every hour.

We heard that there might be Haitian children brought to the US that had major medical needs. They would be hosted by families, and the families needed to be licensed in foster care to be able to take them in. Aaron and I talked and prayed a lot about what this meant for us. Could we actually do this?

We don't even have kids!

What help would we be?

We quickly discovered we were actually in the ideal situation of being able to give our undivided love and attention to a child. So, we spent 3 days taking 30 hours worth of foster care training classes with 6 other couples. The classes are typically taken over a 4 week period or longer. Through those 30 hours, our hearts were broken again. We heard story after story of abandonment, failing systems, and utter sadness.

YET!

These people that work with our agency found true joy in their jobs. They saw children after children beat the odds. They saw them reunited with rebuilding families. They saw them fit into families as though they'd never been apart. It was amazing, to say the least.

Once the class was over, it did not look like any Haitian children would be brought to the US. We were at a T in the road. Do we continue with the foster care requirements so that we are certified? Or.. Do we stop the process?

I knew in my heart what we were meant to do. My selfishness got in the way and I started asking God lots of questions, demanding answers in a timely manner.

Um really God? This is not what I had in mind.

What if I get too attached?

What if that child goes back to a home that isn't loving?

How will I be able to handle this new life as a "mom"?

Through all of that, it couldn't have been more clear. We were going to take in children that needed a temporary or forever home. I am going to have to step out and actually live by faith that this is possible. Because I know that it is.

How does Aaron feel about all this?

Aaron was ready to take in a child when we ended our first day of class. He waited patiently for me to see what he already knew :)

Do you give an age/gender range?

You can be as specific as you want. We are hoping to be able to take in little ones. No gender preference.

Will this lead to adoption?

Our hearts are completely open to giving a child a forever home.

So, are you going to have like 10 kids?

Well, I can say that we can't, by law, fit 10 children in our home, praise the Lord! We are trusting that when we get the call, we will know what we're supposed to do. It's quite funny to me that 22 8 year olds don't scare me at all, but 1 that I'm fully responsible for.. oh goodness.

Why June?

School will end the first week of June, and that's when we will say that we are able to take in kiddos. Though I love teaching, I will not be going back to teach in the fall to be able to stay at home. That'll be another blog, for another day.

Are you certified now?

Nope. There are many requirements for each person, the home and more. We've checked many things off the list: TB tests, fingerprinting, building a cabinet with a lock to store cleaning supplies (have I mentioned how amazingly handy my husband is?!), paperwork, paperwork, paperwork...

Here's what we still need to do: build a shed to hold our non-kidfriendly garage items, finish filling out the story of our lives (ie. 24 page home study questionnaire-we're about half way done), install fire extinguishers on both floors of the house, fire and health inspection on the house, and finally have our home study to actually certify us.

So.. that's our big news! Like I said, we couldn't be more excited about the thought of having kids in our home. I'd like to say this will make me better at updating, but let's be honest... we know that's not going to happen. I will keep you posted through the process, and can't wait for the day that I can post about "our" kids :)