Before I ever met my husband, I knew in my heart that I was not meant to have children of my own. It was just something I always felt, deep inside. But when I fell in love with a man who wanted to marry me, the weight of that truth became real. As a pastor’s daughter, I grew up believing i had one day marry a good man and have a house full of children. But life is not about what we planned for. It’s always different.
Courtesy of Casey Douglas
Courtesy of Casey Douglas
I am grateful my husband accepted and loved me just as I am. He never wished for a “normal” life. After we got married, we volunteered as youth pastors at our church. We did not have our own kids, but every Sunday, our pew was full of teenagers—and it felt right.
We worked in a low-income area where many kids were struggling. They lacked good role models and needed love. After three years of marriage, we knew that church nights were not enough. We wanted to do more. That is when we started talking about fostering and adoption. But people had strong opinions.
Courtesy of Casey Douglas
Some told us we needed “our own” kids first. Others said teens were too hard or too dangerous. We heard things like, “they will never love you,” or, “you will regret it.” But we did not listen. We signed up for foster care classes and even made the decision to get a vasectomy—to show that adoption was not our backup plan.
Courtesy of Casey Douglas
When we said we only wanted to take in teens, the comments got worse. But we stayed focused and waited for our license. I remember crying in the rooms we had prepared, praying for the kids who would one day live there.
Courtesy of Casey Douglas
Finally, our caseworker arrived—with a surprise. She asked if we could take a 16-year-old boy that same night. Without hesitation, we said yes.
He walked in with a fishing pole and quite a smile on his shy face. That moment changed everything. He had been through so much—abandonment, abuse, rejection. He did not believe anyone wanted him. But we did.
Courtesy of Casey Douglas
He slowly started to open up. One day, he broke down crying and said, “i have waited my whole life to be treated like this.” We took legal custody of him to give him more stability, and although he could not be adopted right away, he became our son in every way.
Courtesy of Casey Douglas
When he turned 18, we made it official. On January 10, 2019, he officially became us and shared our last name from that day on.
Now he is in high school, taking college classes, and dreaming of playing baseball or becoming a fisheries’ scientist.
Courtesy of Casey Douglas
Courtesy of Casey Douglas
Fostering has changed our lives. We continue to open our home to teens and hope to adopt again soon. We always say, “it is not that our family needs more kids—it’s that more kids need a family.”
And as for how many we plan to have? We did not plan for any. But we are here for all who need us.
