Welcome home. I know you’ll only be here for a little while, but I want this space to be yours. Hang anything you want on the bulletin board. That’s your creative space, your wall of art or music or color or good grades or photos or maybe just simplicity. Whatever makes it feel comfortable and familiar to you, I want you to do it. Let’s pick curtains out together. We’ll fill those drawers with your favorite things. We’ll go shopping for clothes that you love. Would you like me to doodle your name? You can take it with you when you go home. Maybe you’ll color it. You can keep the cross on the wall, too.
But there’s something you should know about this bed: it’s been prayed over, a lot. Big prayers. Prayers that if anyone has ever hurt you in a place like it, that you will find healing. Psalm 147:3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” I’m believing that big for you in this place. We pray that you’ll find comfort here and that sleep will bring good dreams. I want this bed to be a safe place for you to rest your head, to retreat after a hard day. I hope you can curl up under the blankets and feel protected. No one will hurt you here.
Whether or not you can read, I pray the Bible verses on these walls fill your room with God’s peace (Psalm 46). I want you to know your heavenly Father has a plan for you, and foster care was not part of His original plan. His heart is broken for you, even more than ours. Don’t get me wrong, we love you. We love you so much, no matter where you came from. But God loves you a thousand-fold, and He will see you through this season. Don’t lose hope. Seasons are temporary.
Maybe you don’t know God, or maybe you feel confused about Him because of what’s happened to you. Fathers on earth don’t compare to the one who designed you from the very beginning. We want to reintroduce you to His great love and compassion (1 John 4:7-12). When you’re ready.
I want you to know you are safe here. You will always have food to eat. I may not cook things the same way your parents do, but I’m happy to learn to make your favorite dish. You can bathe whenever you want here. We’ll take you shopping for shoes and clothes. We’ll help you with school. Don’t be embarrassed if you struggle in an area. Chances are, Danny and I have struggled, too. I’m terrible at math, but he’s great at it. I love reading and writing, and he’ll tell you he doesn’t do well with words. We’ve got you covered. And if you’re up for it, we want you to do something you love. Maybe it’s dance, or soccer, or wrestling. Whatever you choose, we’ll be at each recital, game or competition cheering you on. Someday, maybe we’ll get to help you find a job or learn to drive. I think you’ll make great friends at our church. I hope you invite your friends to come, too.
When you need your space, you can have it. We’re here when you need us, and here when you don’t.
You’ll have a baby brother and sister while you’re with us, too. August is excited to meet you. He’s too young to know why you’re here, but he’s ready to show you all his toys. He’s really proud of his swing set. Eden will love you. Get ready for lots of scrunchy nosed smiles. They might be a little small to play with, but they’ll certainly be a source of silly giggles. Don’t get me wrong, they can throw some tantrums… but maybe that’ll show you our home is a safe place to do that. You might be really angry when you get here, or even after you’ve been here awhile. That’s okay. You’re allowed to feel that way. And if you need to yell and cry, we’ll give you the room to do it.
You should also know that we will absolutely love your birth family. We know how important they are to you, so they’re important to us, too. You can talk to us about them whenever you want. Maybe you look just like your mom. Maybe it’s been awhile since you’ve seen her. I remember seeing my birth parents for the first time, and how big that was. If you want to hear it, I’ll share my adoption story with you. Maybe you have siblings in another home. I’m so sorry you can’t be with them right now. I can’t imagine being separated from my big brother as a kid. Wherever your siblings are, they matter to all of us. We will pray for them and teach you how to, too. We will advocate for you, and we will advocate for relationships that are important to you. Nothing would make us happier than seeing your birth family overcome hardship.
Whatever role we’re meant to play in your story, we’re all in. We’re in this together. With you.
Perhaps even most important: you should know we’re not perfect. Foster care is brand new for us. We’re a little nervous. We’ve never experienced the things you have, but we’re ready to come alongside you and weather the storm. There’s a lot you can teach us. We may not always say the right thing. Maybe we’re not your first foster parents, and maybe you’ve heard a lot of this before. But I assure you, we will love every part of you. Even the really hard stuff. We are two broken people and we are learning to love because He first loved us. We pray that you see that love is freely given and doesn’t expect anything in return. We’ll show you what we mean.
You may only be here for a little while, but you’ll forever leave a mark on our hearts. Even if things get messy, we’ll be better because of you. Hopefully life was a little more bearable while you were here. And if the day comes that you need us again, we’ll be ready to welcome you back with open arms. Remember, family isn’t defined by blood here. Even if you never come back, we’re on your team. Welcome to our family.
