The Cost

Well...tonight was our first foster care seminar.  The night we have been praying for and looking forward to for sometime now.  Overwhelming would probably sum up the night pretty well.  I knew when we wanted to go into foster care it was going to be a lot of work but I don't think I knew it was going to be THIS much.

After the first hour and hearing the "Foster Care 101" I looked at Cory and thought to myself "can we leave?"  I thought "well...we can just try for another child of our own in a few years."  How crazy selfish I know, God then gave me a pretty good slap in the face and woke me back up.

This is what reminded me why Cory and I wanted to do this in the first place and how we will get through it all.  "The Cost"  It cost Jesus a lot to die on the cross for us.  It wasn't easy but there was a huge purpose and plan behind it.  Foster care will not be about Cory or I, it will be about the child who doesn't have a voice.  Who asks why he or she isn't loved.  Who wonders at night why he or she is still hungry and never gets to eat a full meal.  These children don't deserve to go through any of this but they do.  So if it takes 6-12 months of me suffering through the training and preparations that is what it will take.

I think what scares me the most is what if I only get to foster that child in need for a few weeks, a month, 5 months but I have to know God will be using us in those short amounts of time for His plan.  Gods plan is way bigger then my little plan so I just need to let Him take control.

Cory and I also learned tonight we can't do this on our own.  This was very eye opening tonight about how many second party members are involved too.  We most of all need prayers lots and lots of prayers, which I thank you ahead for! Secondly, we are going to need people physically there by our sides which I pray for daily that those people will be shown to us.  Thirdly we need support, this isn't going to be easy but we are willing if it is Gods will to continue on this path.  We pray for those people and that God will show us and lead us to where He wants us.

Once again we are excited and looking forward to whats next.
Thanks for reading!

Waiting & Praying

Hello there! 

Well we had a set date for our two hour conference for November the 8th but it got pushed back to November 12th.  I was a little sad because I am just so excited to find out more but that is just four more days we can pray! I have no clue what those two hours will consist of, I am hoping a lot of questions will be answered.  Which I am sure they will be! 

Cory & I have looked into other foster care programs but the one we are going through right now is with our church at the Austin Stone.  We both feel really good and right about this one.  It is more Christian based and lots of people to talk to who have been through it.  

That is it for now...I am excited to share with yall about what the 12th holds for us!  Please keep us in your prayers and that we will just follow Gods plan in this all!

Thanks 

Ashly

The Beginning!

Hello!

I have been thinking and wanting to start a blog for awhile now but never got around to doing it.  As Cory and I (well really Oliver too) start a new journey in our lives I feel like its a perfect time to start a blog.  Mainly because we will need LOTS of prayers, encouragement and I am sure help along the way of our adventure.  I am truly blessed and excited to see what God has for us as a family.

Before Cory even asked me to marry him we talked about the future, what can I say I knew I was going to marry him 4 weeks into dating ha. We both shared a passion for children and wanting children and becoming foster parents (and adoption too).  Since I was a teenager I have dreamed about becoming a mother and having children of my own to love.  As a teenager I also had a calling to one day become a foster mother.  When I meet the man I was to marry I wanted to make sure he shared the same dream as I did, wanting a family and probably a big family!

I have prayed for years and years for God to use me wherever He wanted me, which of course I prayed extra hard for it to be somewhere over seas.  God has shown Cory and I we are right where he wants us Austin Texas.  God has given us a heart to open our home, open our home and lives to another human we don't even know yet. God has already blessed us with Oliver and he is more then we could have ever asked for.  We want to share that love we have for Oliver with children who may never see that.  A love of a Father who died for them and wants to adopted them into HIS home. 

Cory and I have prayed for this for a long time now and we have watched God move our hearts to where they are now.  Next step more prayer of course then on November 8 we will be attending a two hour conference to see where God will lead us next.  I couldn't be more excited (and scared) I am sure I speak for Cory too, we are ready!

Thanks for reading my first blog stay toned for new updates!