In March, the first one who didn't stay came, a beautiful little girl of Central American ancestry named Faith. The call for Faith came from a hospital; her dad was an abusive drunk and her mom...wasn't around. She had been dropped and was undergoing medical care to make sure that she was alright. She was a little survivor. Faith was adorable, simply put. She would crawl around and there was nothing more happy than to sit and play with her. Faith left to go live with her aunt in Florida during July, right in the middle of summer term. There was a chance that she was going to come back in August...except she didn't. I haven't seen her since the day my family left after dropping me off at BYU. I still think about her often and was very happy to hear last month from my dad that she was doing really well. That, I think, is one of the best things about foster care; it really increases your capacity to love. I don't know if I will ever see Faith in this life, but I have faith (pun intended) that I will get to see her again someday.
The next boy was Matthias, who came...well, actually I don't remember, I just know that I met him over Thanksgiving break last semester. Matthias, simply, was cool. It's really interesting comparing him to Colin because, whereas Colin is five and barely speaks sentences, Matthias, at age two, was giving me high-fives and answering question. I mean, Matthias, whose mom is studying to be a kindergarten teacher, didn't have it near as bad as Colin did, but the fact that they seem equal in intelligence is admittedly intriguing. Over Christmas break, Matthias and I became fast friends (of my siblings, I am definitely his favorite) during our family vacation to California and I miss him. (laugh) Apparently, though, my mom is getting a bit tired of him, because Colin has had a bad influence on him and now they are both super hyper. Odds are, he will be gone before I get back in June, and I will miss him, yet it was fun and, again, I know I'll see him again...someday.
The most recent child I actually haven't met yet. His name is Nathan, my parents got him when he was five days old and he is now two months old. My dad likes to send me pictures of Nathan often and I can't wait to meet him. I've heard that he is very small for his age, only about five pounds and because of this, my mom jokes that he looks like an alien. Well, I haven't met too many aliens, but Nathan is definitely my favorite.
In Conference a few days ago, I really realized that I too want to do foster care. I've loved it and I know my family has as well. It reminds me of Dallin's Moody's devotional given a few weeks ago; when we care for others, when we invite them into our home, it sanctifies us, it gives us an added measure of love and the Spirit.
So, to anyone who years down the road might be thinking of doing foster care and/or adopting a child. Do it! Your life will be blessed, that I promise you.
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