home study: take 2

So tonight was part two of.....four. Yes, four. :) We are now signed up for two more dates to complete our home study. YAY. (Sense the sarcasm?) It's not so bad, I'm just a big fan of family and routine and these kind of interrupt both. Our home developer is awesome, so it's not as bad as it sounds. Tonight we discussed ME, ME, ME. One of my favorite subjects! Ha, just kidding. She asked about my childhood, were my parents married, where did I grow up/go to school, etc. I thought it was going to be quick and painless, but we had to focus on a couple areas: my parents' divorce, the church bombing (another day? another post?), and how I dealt with being a teenage mom. So, it was painless, but definitely not quick! Especially if you know how much I like to talk about two of those three things! (The divorce doesn't really make my top ten of things I like to talk about.)

Learned a couple new things. The state of Texas is changing up foster care. Not sure if it's for the better or not, because we only got into the things that immediately affect us. For one, foster kids will no longer be immediately eligible for CCMS. Bummer. We're not even sure if current foster families will be grandfathered in or not. I know this will hurt a lot of foster parents, so I hope this news is WRONG, or that there is something else to help compensate. Also, the state now requires that all foster families be credentialed for three foster kids. At this point in our lives we can only take on one child since our cars will only fit one more person (unless the Lord blesses us with other vehicles, or a......*sigh* minivan). Taking in three kids on top of our three bio kids would mean being out of ratio, but I guess this isn't such an issue anymore. All of these things are causing a little bit of a curve, but I know God has called us to do this, and He will take care of straightening the path! It's all in His hands, so who am I to question the changes? (For now anyway!)

Next home study date is set for March 8th. Pray that we get A LOT done so our next meeting will be short and sweet! Oh, and our home developer found a family that is willing to let us shadow them for our thirty required hours! They live very close to us, and we LOVE their neighborhood (almost moved there). They're pretty close in age to us, and have been foster parents for a while now. Can't wait to meet them and their kiddos! Please pray that we can get all of our hours in SOON and that these precious people will willingly let us back into their home after spending so much time with us!!!

Side note, if  you have ever heard of Chonda Pierce or Warren Barfield, check out the tour dates and see when they're coming to your area! Several of the women in my family and I went to see Chonda and Warren this past Thursday and nearly fell over from laughing so hard! She is a Christian comedian, and he's pretty funny himself. You may have heard a song he wrote for his wife, Love is Not a Fight. It's the theme song from the movie Fireproof. They're both on facebook, so go check 'em out. You won't regret seeing them together in concert!