As tiny, giggling toddlers slid down the jumbo water slide and gobbled up homemade cupcakes, ice cream sandwiches, and cookies adorned with Minnie’s famous face, I suddenly stopped and remembered…

I have a child. A daughter. Such a precious word to someone who just three years prior was a single, childless woman with a busy career and active lifestyle. But I’ve always had a big heart for kids and one Saturday morning felt a nudge to pray about becoming a foster parent. The following week I entered a big building to learn about getting licensed to take children into my home. I was jumping into a new adventure, a new lifestyle, a new beginning that would change my life forever—foster care!

Right away, I realized that the extra full-sized bed in my home would not be sufficient for the tiny children who might need a safe place to rest.

I called a church friend to share my need for a crib “just in case”. Soon after, a generous family I had never met backed an SUV into my garage and unloaded enough furniture to fill the baby section at Walmart! Cribs, strollers, toys and books galore—all for the future children I didn’t yet know.

Then it happened…

Just three months after I ventured into the licensing office to become a foster mom, my phone rang. A three-month-old baby girl needed a home. Two hours later that baby girl was in my arms. That night, she slept in the crib given to me by the generous family of strangers.

As I stared down at the baby swaddled and resting peacefully, I snapped a quick picture and sent a text of appreciation to the family who had blessed me with the crib three months prior. In that moment, it hit me. The exact day the little bed was unloaded into my garage was the birth date of the baby girl now sleeping in that same crib.

That sweet family and so many others have wrapped love and support around this foster mom. Their steadfast undergirding has since made it possible for me to receive other children into my life and home. They’ve donated items, dropped off meals, said prayers, given gift cards, provided babysitting. And every kind and selfless act has radiated the love of Jesus and extended His mercy to a precious child in need.

Matthew 25:40 says:

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

One More Child’s Foster Crew network is an extension of the local church to provide support to foster families, like me. Whether a person gives a crib, mows a lawn or cooks a meal, everyone can join the network and make a difference for a child. Not everyone can foster, but every person can be a hand extended to those who do. For more information on Foster Crew visit https://onemorechild.org/networks/fostercrew/.