See, I’m guessing a lot of people clicked on this expecting a big announcement of the familial sort. There isn’t one. Well, not in the traditional sense, but maybe in an eye opening sense nonetheless. :)
I am a mom. I have been for years. At the moment, I have six kids. Six kids who I feed, bathe, pray over and put to bed every night. But unless you’ve been to COTP, you haven’t met any of them. They’re not my forever, but they are very, very much my kids. (Side note: I can’t adopt for 3 more years, but if you're between 30 and 50 and love Jesus, you're a perfect candidate, so please ask me for more info on my little loves with special needs. Don’t make them wait that long.)
Several of the other missionaries and I were recently talking about elements of our life that make it hard for other people to relate to us, and vice versa. And the “mom factor,” is one that has really stuck with me. Because, although no one calls me that, I am a mom. I can’t travel with my kids or show you their pictures on Facebook. So many decisions regarding their lives are out of my control. But, I couldn’t possibly love them more. I fight for them (and with them.) I hold them when they cry. I celebrate their success. I want more for them. I want better for them. I want Jesus for them. I want an end to injustice for them. I want all of the things a mom wants for her kids.
I have a little boy. He’s five. I’ve made every. single. one. of his birthday cakes. Because right now, I’m his mom. And he deserves that. He’s stuck in a system that has failed to advocate for him. But he has me. So I will be his mom, his biggest fan and his go to person, for as long as it takes. One day, I’ll let him go. But he’ll take a huge part of me with him. Because that’s what kids do to their moms when they leave.
He’ll have another mom, and I am already so thankful for her, because she will be what he needs, she will be his forever, she will be his family. She will love and lead him well. She will be his mom, his biggest fan and his go to person, for ever and always.
I have a friend here. Her foster son died. She was his mom. She cared for him through months of pain and sickness. She loved him well. She held him. She celebrated each little success and cried over every setback. She was his mom, his biggest fan and his go to person, for as long as it took. His forever home is heaven, but here on earth, he had a mom.
I have another friend here. She’s an adoptive mom, but before that, she was a foster mom. Before it was "official", she was already a mom. She fought for her kids, she cared for her kids, she spoke life over her kids. She was and is their mom, their biggest fan and their go to person, then and now. They have a forever mom, but before that, she was their foster mom.
We’re not their first and we’re not always their forever. But we trust that God is redeeming the lives of these little ones we love so dearly.
So you see, there are all kinds of moms. Some are forever and some are just for awhile. But every single one matters. Even though we may not always wear the title of mom for our kids, we will always be a part of each other’s stories. And, as is the case for every mom, we will always love them.
Children of the Promise has given explicit permission for the posting of photos on this site. Photos taken of children in the care of Children of the Promise are not be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.
