Fellowship Memphis

As a foster parent, I get the amazing opportunity to live out James 1:27 in real time, welcoming vulnerable children into my home in their distress, and taking responsibility for nursing their broken bodies and spirits back to health. There are some beautiful moments in foster parenting, like when I hold a scared child tight in my arms and help her feel safe, or when I realize that a two year old has learned the words to “Jesus Loves Me,” or when I figure out where they are ticklish or what sweets they like best. There are also heartbreaking moments like when I discover that a baby has a cracked rib, or that a toddler is hiding food in his bed because he is not used to having plenty to eat. The most painful moments come after a child has left my home to be reunited with his or her family. I feel a strange mix of joy for the child and his family, and anguish at my own loss. The grief of loss is painful, and it never really goes away.

Thinking back over the eight amazing children I have parented (so far), I feel so grateful. I first became a foster parent out of a sincere desire to make a difference in children’s lives. I was, and still am, single, and I had never had biological children, but I wanted to help. At the time I had no idea that being useful would require me to submit to God’s will in all new ways, to be molded and shaped, to be refined and consumed. I didn’t realize how much my life would change or how amazing God’s plans for my family were. I never saw any of this coming. I have never been the woman God intended me to me. I am a sinner. I am a mess. But He is working on me, and I am continually amazed that God trusts me with His precious children. Thank you, Lord, for giving me this amazing gift that I wouldn’t have even known to ask for. Thank you for making something beautiful of my life.

Stacey Margarita Johnson has adopted two sons Brandon (7) and Roman (5). She has been a foster parent since 2007 and is currently caring for two foster children, ages 2 and 3. 

To find out how you can help children in need, click here or email Mark Ottinger at .