For the past 3 months we were a Safe Family for KK and Chuchie. It came up when I saw a post on The Table (our church's social networking site) about hosting these two children. My usual routine is to glance at the posts and then swipe over to the next app to see what else will keep me entertained for the next few unoccupied minutes. But, this post caught my eye. The kids were students at my school. Immediately I got the wild idea that John and I could do this... we could do it! I forwarded the post to my husband and googled "Safe Families." After praying and weighing the cost, we decided to go ahead and complete the training and application process to become a Safe Family.

Only about 2 weeks later, Kayshawn and Imani walked through our door with their suitcase and a Little Caesar's Pizza. We sat down for dinner, and began to imagine what the next months would be like--who are these children? What do they think about us? Are they nervous? Do they like vegetables (no, they don't!)?

Over the next couple of weeks we settled into a routine of school, homework, meal, play time, bath time, bed time. The weekends were filled with fun--bouncing around to see different friends and family. My favorite weekend was spent in Walker, MN where we stayed at Chase on the Lake. We were able to go bowling and swimming with the kids...for hours. I am still surprised that neither of them cracked the wooden bowling lane...literally the ball just dropped from their hands in the general direction of the pins. :o) There was also a lot of emotion. I remember the first night they both cried--saying how they missed mom. Their sobs were hard to stomach. We hugged and I reassured them this was temporary--mom loves them--it's not their fault.
The hardest parts for John and I were a number of things. It was like someone held up a mirror and revealed even more of our own selfishness that marriage hadn't uncovered yet. Communication. Expectations. Discipline. Chores. Laundry. Dishes. God worked in our lives in more ways that I can probably articulate at this time. Mainly, we know that he has revealed to us the beauty of our own adoption into his family... how God loves us enough to make us his children, despite our depravity and disobedience. He is just, and gracious--what a good Father.
When we began to tell others about having KK and Chuchie stay with us, so many people said--"wow, you are a good person!" or "wow, you are much better than I was at your age." Several nights we debriefed with each other about that comment. If we were to have the opportunity again to respond to you, we would say something like this...
John: "No...no... I am not good. I have spent most of my life not being good... breaking commandments...I am not good. The only good that comes from me is what God has done in my heart and in my life. Jesus is good. He lived a sinless life and died so that I might live and not have to pay the penalty for my sin. I spent too long trying to find pleasure in a hundred other things than God--and really, I was my own god. God has been gracious to me, I cannot help but to love Kayshawn and Imani."