Abortion,  Abuse/Neglect,  Adoption,  Faith,  Family,  Foster Care,  Heart,  Hope

One Lifetime, One Life at a Time – Part Three

June 17, 2020 /

By Angela Webber

I’m thrilled to share the final piece of Angie Webber’s story as she walks us through their journey into foster care and the adoption of their daughter.

If you missed Part One, read it here. For Part Two, click here.

Foster Care

Where we end, God can begin. 

As I have explained, we always wanted more children, and we started to look into foster parenting. Because we lived with my parents and grandmother, we didn’t want to impose the hectic world of foster care on my family but when we received their blessing to pursue the possibility, we had no excuses. 

After talking to the Department of Human Services, off we went to training, interviews, and paperwork. Paperwork—save some trees, people. We really didn’t believe we would make it through all the red tape.

We had a lot of baggage ourselves, and the training stirred up many childhood memories for Jeff and I both. And I still had some health issues they were not supportive of regarding the treatment so, at first, we weren’t approved, and they asked for more documentation. 

I talked to my mother and she said, “Do what they asked you to do and if they say no again, then you’ll know.”

So, we completed the requirements, and then I went and found a job, thinking they wouldn’t approve us. But they did!

I found myself with a full-time job and a full-time kiddo.

We had nine kids come through our home in the first year. I learned quickly that the littles wore me out, and we had to increase our age of children. 

CLICK TO TWEET: While the hysterectomy seemed to be the end, looking back now at the timeline, it was only the beginning.

Selena was our seventh foster child in a year. She was just the most adorable little girl. Her smile was joyful, and she was sassy and bossy. Hmmm, sounds a little like me. Hahaha. 

Selena’s nine years of life were as traumatic as they come and then some.

She required an extended stay in a behavioral health facility, but we never left her. Even when she pushed us away, we kept supporting her and helped her feel safe and loved.

With foster kids, you never know the disposition that will follow. Would they go home to their parents, or would it be determined they’d stay permanently? Our prayers were all over the place.

We were totally in love with her, but we wanted to make sure we had submitted to God’s will.

The more of her past that came out, the more in love we were. She was so broken, and boy could I relate to that. While I won’t share the specifics of her story here, her brokenness appealed to mine. 

When she came through the door in October 2017, she didn’t know much about God, but oh my, how she loved Him. There was also this joy that radiated from her.

How in the world did all that joy survive all that trauma?

As we started peeling back the layers of trauma, I thought of the verse that says, “Take off the old man and put on the new man.”  

We were building a little girl.

We had to un-teach wrong behaviors as we taught new ones. We worked hard to earn her trust, and she began to want ours. We taught grace by giving it. She didn’t even know what grace was, and then she began to give grace as a part of her recovery.

The hard, outer shell started to crack. The love of Christ was invading her heart. The fruit of the spirit started sweetening her spirit. 

As God worked on Selena, He worked on our hearts leading us through a process of faith toward adoption.

I didn’t really want to adopt Selena at first. I think her behavior held me back some. Knowing what some foster parents have gone through really scared me.

As I prayed, God continued to press on my heart that He would meet me all along the way.

The courts terminated Selena’s biological parents’ parental rights in June 2019, and in God’s great mercy and in His perfect plan, as of May 19, 2020, she officially became a Webber!

The decision to adopt Selena is still a step by step walk constantly trusting the Lord to meet me and step in when I feel lost.

Current Day

How could we have ever known that in the moments of life God was putting together a plan for hope. It is only through a deep relationship with Christ the seeds of hope are planted.

After an abortion recovery class through a local ministry, I have been truly able to start healing from the summer of 1986. People often say I need to forgive myself, but I don’t believe I hold the power to forgive my own sin. Especially when I took a life that was not mine to take. 

I love my relationship with my God.

It is one I cherish on a minute by minute basis. The amount of lives that have touched mine, along with the amount of lives that I have touched, and the ripple effect from those relationships is quite stunning if you think about it.

That doesn’t mean it was all good. There are certainly times I have hurt others and times where I was hurt, but in this lifetime, I hope I can touch many lives for the glory of God. 

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27

And Hope Continues

Now, I am starting to resume my acting career. I’m not sure where this is going as we are at the beginning of this journey, but I know there is hope before me. God is opening doors and I’m excited to see where He leads me. 

Join the conversation. Have you ever fostered children or adopted? What encouragement could you offer to someone considering foster care and adoption? Let Angie know if her story has blessed you in some way.

Ms. Angie is a Christian woman navigating her way to eternity in a broken world. She is a daughter, wife, mother, friend, and actor. All these titles have so many different meanings, yet they’re all apart of God’s story for her life. She has parents who love her dearly, a husband to whom she’s been married since 1987, two amazing sons and daughters-in-law, a precious adopted princess, and the most charming grandson. Angie recently followed her dream and began a new adventure in acting. Her prayer is that her journey will encourage you through yours.

Connect with Angie:

Website

Facebook

Instagram

As a Jesus girl for more than thirty years, Deena Adams understands how important hope is to daily life, which fuels her passion to inspire others through hope-filled fiction based on true to life stories. She is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency and is a multi-award-winning writer, an active ACFW member, and ACFW Virginia president. Connect with Deena through her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

You May Also Like

One Lifetime, One Life at a Time – Part Two
June 10, 2020
Hope Was Born In a Manger
December 23, 2019
One Lifetime, One Life at a Time
June 3, 2020

21 Comments

  • Lynn Moore
    June 18, 2020 at 12:00 pm

    Angie……God surely is using your life journey to bring HOPE to your heart as well as those that your share with……all the while bringing glory to His Name! Thank you for being so open and real about your struggles…and your blessings. I was so encouraged personally by your statement……………
    “Where we end….God can begin!”
    I have it written out on a sticky note….. and with your permission….I’ll be quoting it…often! I can’t wait to see what the next season of your story brings….Blessings to you & your family! 🌺

    • Angie Kay
      June 18, 2020 at 12:14 pm

      Thank you Lynn for your encouragement.
      You can most certainly use the phrase. I hope you will drop by my website from time to time to read my story as your continued encouragement would be very much appreciated.

    • Deena Adams
      June 18, 2020 at 2:27 pm

      Thanks so much for reading and joining the conversation, Lynn. I know Angie appreciates your words of encouragement and I do too. May God be glorified through her story. Please share with your family and friends if you feel led.

  • Audra Sanlyn
    June 17, 2020 at 1:45 pm

    Oh, my goodness. This made me cry- in a good way, of course.You have such a beautiful family and what a blessing you’ve been to Selena and so many others. My husband and I considered adoption in our early years of marriage, but after two kids and lots of prayers, realized we weren’t up to the task. I always wanted to help in some way, though, so I volunteer at Foster Friends, a local coalition that helps foster families. Helping has shed light on the challenges these kids and their families face. The trauma is heartbreaking, but I’m so excited when I read stories like yours. Thank you so much for sharing and God bless your ministry.

    • Deena Adams
      June 17, 2020 at 2:34 pm

      Audra, thanks so much for reading. And thank you for how you serve foster children. I’m not sure I’d be up to the task of fostering either so I guess one way I help is through my volunteer work as a Court Appointed Special Advocate. Every role matters to these precious kids who need advocates in their lives.

  • Deb Gorman
    June 17, 2020 at 9:24 am

    Hi again, Angie. Love your story!

    I’ve not fostered/adopted myself, but my son and daughter-in-law were foster parents at one time. They now have two biological children (one will be 18 this year!), and 6 biracial adopted children!

    We’ve watched them open their hearts and stretch the walls of their home for years now. It’s quite beautiful to watch. There’ve been heartaches along the way for sure, but the larger their family has grown, the fuller their bucket of grace and mercy has become. I admire and respect them (and you) so much.

    I’m glad God put you in the world to be you, and Chris and Angie in the world to be Chris and Angie!

    Blessings…

    • Deena Adams
      June 17, 2020 at 10:54 am

      Deb, how wonderful that your son and his wife have opened their hearts and home to so many children! I admire all those who foster and/or adopt. They truly show the heart of our God.

  • Angie Kay
    June 17, 2020 at 9:04 am

    I have to say Deena, every one has left my heart with a tear drop. Thank you for sharing a snap shot of the hopes and dreams my story has to offer.