We we’re all inspired by the movie “Instant Family” with Mark Wahlberg. Hear one family’s story about their adoption.
My name is Peter and this is my wife, Jennifer. We’ve been attending Eastside Christian Church for about five or six years. We had one daughter and wanted more children. We got married older, so we decided that at some point adoption would be in our story. We began to pray about it and now looking back can see how God led us to Davion. Before coming to live with us he had been in the system for a while and had been in seven different foster homes. They were hoping to find a permanent placement for him and so we matched in the fost-adopt process.
It was a real eye-opening experience for us, and very eventful! It is not a quick process but now he is officially part of our family, our son forever. Once you bring a child home, you immediately fall in love. We think of it as we’re giving him an opportunity, but in reality, we are the ones who get so much. There are so many options, there is not just adoption or foster care, there is also respite care. Respite care is a way you can support your local foster families by providing temporary care for their foster children.
Sometimes when people find out about our story they often mention that they’ve also considered fostering and/or adoption. It’s amazing how many people have thought about it. If God has put this on your heart and you’re thinking about it, maybe now is the time to take the next step. Honestly, there is never a perfect time. There’s never an ideal season to step into something like this. There’s just not, but there is also never a good time for a child to be without a family.
If you were inspired by Peter and Jennifer’s story we would love to tell you more about Eastside. We have a relentless love and commitment for all to know God. We are committed to finding unique ways to serve our local communities & help our global neighbors. We are passionate about finding solutions, building bridges, and bringing the love and hope of Jesus to hurting communities. We would love to invite you to join us in person or online. At Eastside we believe that this is a place for everyone, wherever you are on your journey. If you would like to find out more about Eastside please visit eastside.com
We partner with local organizations that make a huge difference in our communities. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a foster or adoptive parent, we’d love to help connect you with those organizations. But all of us can do something. You can buy diapers and wipes. You can provide a meal. You’d be providing indescribable encouragement to those families. Click HERE or the “Learn More” button below to discover ways you can care for the vulnerable and under-resourced around us.