Support System

I gotta be honest ... walking this foster care road ... and then wandering through custody ... and then waiting out court stuff and its delays has been HARD and heavy and isolating.  I do not begrudge those parts of this as they were the refining fires through which the Lord worked me over for the better.  But those parts of this reality (the hard and the heavy and the isolating) made these precious ones I am about to name all the more dear to my heart as I languished in the wait, especially in the intensity here in April as the months and weeks dwindled down into mere days and hours.  My sister, Emily, and my friend, Rebecca Brogdon, ... those warriors were with me down to the living MINUTES in court as it was going on. HA!

The Lord allowed this experience to really wear down parts of me that He wanted gone and then He used His Word and His people to build me back up with their care and counsel and prayer and support and presence. These people were such a bolstering encouragement and support system, I wanted to name them here so I never forget the kindness and faithfulness of these friends.  I mean it ... my phone would ping all the night before, in the wee early morning, on the way to court that morning, all throughout court, and all afternoon after court with reminders from them that they were praying and loving us and knowing the Lord was over it all either way and that they were dyinggggg to know what happened.  Those little phone pings kept me standing that day ... reminded me we weren't alone!  The Lord had this and was kind enough to allow us to feeeeeeeeel the support through these dear friends. And it just. meant. so much.

After court let out (and I got the kids and got back home and caught my breath), when I finally got my bearings about me and was able to respond to everyone who had reached out that day and week along the way, I counted 25+ specific blessings and I made a specific point to text them each individually to share the wonderful news. And then, of course, my phone blew up again with all the more pings from each one celebrating with us, crying with us, praising the Lord with us!  Gosh, there aren't words for how good it was - to have been carried by them when we felt weak and to celebrate with them when the time came.  Humbled.  Moved.  So Utterly Grateful. I can't get over the Lord's grace in our lives.

Thank you, Lord, for this support system of prayer peeps - Emily, Rebecca Brogdon, John and Carol, Cathy, Rebecca Bowles, Suzanne, Jill, Kim, Emmie, Adrian, Gloria, Katy, Ashley, LeeAnn, Nena, Rachel, Kymberlee, Nicky, Elizabeth, Tonya, Kasey, Amy Brown, Amy Smith, Meghan, Susan and so many more from our Redeemer family and our fellow post-Jonah's Journey Support Group.  It is sort of killing me to not post all the kind words they sent that just washed over us in goodness before and after.  I seriously thought about it though!! We bloggers can get carried away.  HA!