Every little girl grows up imagining who she will marry and what her future will look like. I was no different. I dreamed of my husband and our life together. When I met Mike, I couldn’t have known how God would use our story. We were introduced through family connections, and over time our lives came together. Mike worked as a police officer in our hometown of Lakeland, Florida, and I had been working in fashion before we had kids. From my teenage years, I always carried a desire to serve both my community and the church.
Part of that desire came from my dad’s story. His childhood was difficult. His mother left when he was just two, and his father often made poor choices. Eventually, my dad and his sister were placed in foster care. The woman who took them in became “grandma” to us. She gave them more than a bed, she gave them love, safety, and a home. Watching her example planted something deep in me. I wanted to one day provide the same kind of love to children who needed it.
Fast forward years later, I thought I had everything I wanted: a good husband, two children, and the chance to be a stay-at-home mom. It looked like the perfect life. But inside, Mike and I both felt something was missing. I began asking God to take us deeper, to break us of comfort and push us closer to Him.
That prayer was answered in ways I never expected. At a women’s retreat, I listened to a speaker share about brokenness and redemption. I wept as she spoke. At the altar that night, I fell on my face before God. In that moment of surrender, I had a vision of a little Black boy running through an open field. I heard God say clearly: “His name is Joshua, and you will call him son.” I didn’t fully understand then, but I had complete peace that God was preparing our family for something greater.
Even though we were involved in ministry, our faith wasn’t alive. We went through the motions, church, tithes, teaching our kids, but inside, we were spiritually empty. Then tragedy hit. In September 2012, one of our closest friends lost their 18-month-old son in a sudden accident. Nothing could prepare us for the grief of that moment. The funeral, though heartbreaking, was also the most powerful experience of God’s presence I had ever felt. Watching parents praise God in the midst of losing their child broke us in ways that changed us forever.
A month later, I felt God calling me to Haiti. It was bold and scary, but I obeyed. I spent eight days on a mission trip, and part of my heart stayed with the people there. When we returned, Mike and I began pursuing foster care. At first, we only imagined taking in one child. But God had other plans.
During the licensing process, our counselor mentioned two children who needed a home, a two-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy. She didn’t know his name at the time. I shared my vision of Joshua with her, and when she called back, she confirmed: the little boy’s name was Joshua. At that moment, we knew without hesitation that both children were meant to be ours.
On June 13, 2014, they came into our home. Life quickly became chaotic. The adjustment was hard, and there were days I felt completely defeated. But God reminded me, “Everything you do is an act of worship.” That perspective carried us through the storms of foster care. With patience and love, we reassured Joshua daily that he was wanted, loved, and never going to be left behind again.
Over time, our family grew even more. We later took in my cousin’s son, becoming a family of seven. Eventually, we closed our foster license after learning I was pregnant with our youngest. But God still wasn’t finished with our story. In 2021, I came across a photo of a teenage girl in need of adoption. Her name was Rae. At first, Mike said we were at capacity, but after prayer, we knew she was meant to be part of our family too. Since Rae, we have also welcomed Ashlie, 16, and Natalie, 18.
Parenting these kids has been both beautiful and hard. Many of them carry deep wounds from their past. Sometimes I hear words like, “I just want to be good so you don’t leave like everyone else.” My response is always the same: “You don’t have to earn love. I’m not leaving.” Just like God pursues us over and over, we will continue to pursue them.
This journey has not been glamorous. Foster care and adoption are hard, heartbreaking, and often overwhelming. But through it all, God has reminded me I don’t have to be enough, He is. My job is to keep pointing these kids to Him while loving them the best I can.
Love is what always matters, and love is what always wins.
