Tyler’s Story

My wife and I did not set out to become foster parents or to eventually adopt. Over the past eight years, our story has unfolded one step at a time, and through each, God has been faithful.

Our journey began when we felt prompted to attend a foster and adoption interest meeting. At the time, we had plenty of reasons to hesitate. We were in our early 20s, finances were tight, and we had questions about insurance, college, and what else would be expected of us as parents. Yet as the meeting went on, God stirred both of our hearts. We sensed that He would provide for our needs and for the needs of our future children, and that all He was asking was for us to say “yes” and step forward in faith.

A few months later, our two children were placed in our home. We felt unprepared and unsure, but we committed to prayer and to trusting that God would work through us, even when we didn’t know how.

We began this journey expecting God to work through our family, but I didn’t realize how deeply He intended to work in me.

As we navigated temper tantrums, sulking, and the challenge of building relationships with two pre-teens, God was at work in all of us. While He was working through us to grow our children, He was working though them to build us. In quiet moments, He taught me about His love. When my son resisted something that I knew was good for him, I sensed the Holy Spirit reminding me, “I want good things for you, too. Just as you ask your son to trust you, you need to trust Me.”

As I tried to lead our children with encouragement, joy, and hope, God gently reminded me that He does the same for me. Through my children, I have learned more about God’s heart and my own than I ever learned from a sermon or worship song.

There have been seasons of joy and seasons of deep struggle—relational, mental, physical, and even a global pandemic. Yet in every season, God provided exactly what we needed: encouragement from friends, rest, new opportunities, and peace.

Recently, we have seen the Holy Spirit move powerfully as both of our children were baptized and began their own walk with Jesus. Three years ago, we could not have imagined where they are today, but God always knew His plan.

We began this journey expecting God to work through our family, but I didn’t realize how deeply He intended to work in me. Our journey continues, and I trust He will remain faithful, because He is a wonderful Father.

Tyler attends the Blankenbaker Campus.

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