1st Training Session

Michael & I attended our first of three mandatory PRIDE training sessions this past Saturday. We had no idea of what to expect but were anxious to get it started.

We arrived at DePelchin Children’s Services and were ushered into a large conference room. We signed in, grabbed our 4inch manual (or life book, as the caseworker called it) and sat down at a group table for 4 people. There were 30 of us in attendance. There were married couples, single people, those with biological children and those without, those who were on their 2nd adoption and those being re-certified for foster parenting. There were also a few people there who weren’t sure of which direction they were taking and were hoping to gain clarification through the training process. Some of us were there for adoption while others were there for foster care. PRIDE training is for both adoptive and foster care parents. In the State of Texas, if you wish to adopt from the state, you have to be licensed to be a foster care parent. Michael & I were joined by a single grandmother who wanted to open her home to foster care and by a married lady (whose husband had already taken the training) who was doing a kinship-adoption and in the process of adopting her 3 nieces who are in CPS custody in Alaska. We all had very different backgrounds and future goals, so it was great to be able to share the training together and gain different perspectives on things.

Lidia, our trainer, has been with CPS for 30 years. I can’t even begin to imagine all the things that she has seen. She was very open, honest and upfront. The training was more than informative. It was overwhelming. The bottom line is this: these children have all experienced major loss in their lives. They have all experienced some sort of trauma. These children are removed from the only lives they know, regardless of how bad their situation was. The early years of a child are the most critical in building who they are and what they believe to be true, right and good. There are many reasons a child might be placed in foster care: physical neglect, homelessness, poverty, sexual abuse, physical abuse, death of parents, or medical issues; and because of this, there are many potential risks and situations that we might encounter in bringing our children home. Just like when you get a new medication from your doctor and they tell you of all the risks and you begin to wonder why in the world would I even want to take the medication? ~ So it is in adopting children through the State. You hear of all the risks, the potentials issues the child might have, the emotional state of the child, the inability to attach themselves to another adult or trust another adult.

They gave us all the worst case scenarios ~ not to scare us, but to prepare us. So, why would we want to risk that? Why would we want to go through this? It is not the child’s fault that they are in this situation. Every child deserves to be loved, cared for, nurtured, encouraged, and protected and to feel safe in their own home. Michael & I have felt from the beginning that only God could have brought us down this road. When we talked about adoption in the past (while still trying to conceive on our own), we just naturally thought of private adoption. We never discussed adopting through the State; it just wasn’t even a thought. It was only after God spoke to both of us in different ways that it was clear that this is what God chose for us.

Our eyes are open to the possible risks or situations but our hearts are open to accepting and loving the children that God brings to us. We are confident that God is preparing our children even now for joining our family. We pray each day for our children and for the foster care parents that are currently taking care of them. We know that God is in control. We know that He is a BIG God and we know that He will not bring us through anything that we can’t handle.

We have 2 more Saturday sessions and then we’ll be through with our mandated training. At that point, we will be assigned an adoption case worker and that person will come and do our home study. Apparently the home study is very intrusive, complex, time consuming and overwhelming ~ but again, all part of the process. We have about 4 hours of homework to do each week as well. This is also stressful as the homework is turned in to your case worker, placed in your permanent file and is a major contributing factor in their decision process.

We so appreciate your prayers, support and encouragement along the way.

I am confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:13 – 14)