Foster Fridays: Meet Melissa

Meet Melissa! She co-founded FLM, and currently serves as our treasurer! She’s been a resource parent for several years, and adopted two of her daughters through foster care. She’s great at providing resources for newer foster parents. Thank you, Melissa!

Here’s a little of her story. "Our journey to adoption started years before my husband and I were married. In my early 20's I knew that God had placed a dream on my heart to adopt. Little did I know how he meant for that dream to come true. After 10 years of marriage and failed attempts to become pregnant, I told my husband I felt this was God telling me again it was my time to adopt. The doctors wanted us to try medical treatments to help with our issues, but we declined and happily started the adoption process for a baby girl from China. In February of 2007, our first daughter was placed in our arms in a small government building in China. About 4 years later, I felt a tug to adopt again. Things kept getting in our way, China changed their regulations, the wait got longer, & I had to have surgery. Then, God showed me his next BIG plan. He kept placing people & families in my path that had fostered. One after another after another. I told my husband I thought that God may have a new plan for us. At first I think he thought I was crazy! We were always so afraid of the thought of fostering. After much prayer and talk, we took a leap if faith & signed up for the classes. Two months after our certification was final we received a call in January 2014 for 2 precious sisters. We said yes right away. This road of fostering was so much different than international adopting, but WOW, what a rewarding and faith-strengthening plan God had in store. These sweet girls taught me what it meant to have true patience, true humility, true empathy & true faith in God. This amazing journey God placed us on has now made us a family of 5! I can't imagine our life any other way!!!"