A Heart, a House, and a Crib.

God’s Undeniable Presence and Provision at the Start of a Mother’s Journey.

Kristi knew all along that she had a mother’s heart. Back in her church growing up, she would frequently babysit during the service. As an eleven year old, Kristi was entrusted with a small room full of toddlers, and even a three month old!

This young girl knew without a doubt that she would care for her own kids someday; she just didn’t know what that future would look like. With the way her story would unfold, she never could have!

Despite her best efforts, the grown up Kristi could not deny her burgeoning sense of calling to enter into the foster care world. She was content with her life, but it certainly looked much different from the daydreams of that eleven year old babysitter. Kristi was living in a one bedroom apartment and working as the Discipleship Director at Orlando World Outreach Church. She had recently had several conversations with her work team about her interest in potentially fostering, and a couple of years prior, she had met Betsey and Rechaud Bell. They had come to her church to introduce how C127 partners with churches, and Kristi spoke with them about their work and about foster care. 

One afternoon in her apartment, Kristi had just come from a conversation with friends that validated and confirmed her calling to foster. Finally relenting from trying to fight it off, her head was spinning with anxious thoughts and questions. Her mind finally settled on just one worry: “I don't even have a crib! How will I get a crib?” Oddly enough, Kristi recalled, it was as if owning a crib was the only requirement for motherhood. It is strange how the mind works when under pressure.

Just a couple of hours later, Kristi’s phone rang. A friend’s hesitant voice said, “I know this is a little weird, but do you know anyone who might need a crib?” Kristi’s eyes widened, and her heart began to race as she listened. “A friend told me about this crib she had, and I just got the strangest feeling that I should call you.” It was then that Kristi spoke up, and with a shaky voice she told her friend all that had happened in the past several hours. “Kristi,” her friend said, “this crib is for you.” 

She knew beyond all doubt that God had given her that crib along with an unmistakable confirmation to her sense that He was calling her to foster. Kristi had called several friends immediately after, and they unanimously agreed, “Kristi, this is God.”

But even after this clear divine intervention, the crib sat in her apartment for over a year, filled with folded laundry where there should have been a sleeping baby. Kristi’s two year old niece would occasionally talk with her on the phone, but their conversations became mostly, “Aunt Kristi, can I see your baby crib?” And then, “Where’s the baby for it?” Her little niece’s persistent questions echoed her own. Kristi had not forgotten the Lord’s clear direction, but her hopes had been put on hold. The foster agency would not approve her application because her living space was too small. “To be honest,” Kristi said, “I liked living there.” The rent was affordable, the place was nice, and she felt safe there.

So when her landlord called saying she would not be renewing her lease for development reasons, Kristi naturally began to frantically brainstorm ways that she could continue living in her apartment. But when it became clear that there was no way for her to stay, she started inquiring about other places to live. She found out about a desirable apartment complex in a safe area with affordable rent, and she went to their leasing office to ask if they had any availability. The woman Kristi spoke with informed her that they had no available units left; she would have to look elsewhere. 

But before Kristi could walk out the door, that woman stopped her. “I’m not supposed to do this,” she said in a hushed tone. “But I just feel like you’re supposed to be here.” She urgently instructed Kristi to call the office first thing each morning for the next week because if anything opened up, she explained, they would be sold on a first come-first serve basis. So Kristi did just that. Every morning she called the office and asked, but still nothing was available. Then one day when Kristi’s phone rang, she saw that it was the leasing office calling, so she answered quickly. Click. They hung up. Dumbfounded, Kristi called them back and let them know that they had just called her. She heard the voice on the other end ask several people around the room if it was one of them who had called. No one had, or so they said. Kristi found out later that the woman who told her to call could have lost her job for doing so. The missed call was a covert signal. 

When she asked about available apartments, she was told that a two bedroom apartment had opened up! Still in disbelief, Kristi claimed it. She knew that this was another faithful provision from the Lord. 

Looking back on the beginning of Kristi’s story, it is evident that there was something much more than coincidence at work. God had created her with the nurturing heart of a mother, and after giving her a calling to foster, He faithfully equipped her with a crib and an apartment.

These blessings were instrumental in preparing Kristi to become a foster mother, but they also served to her and others as powerful displays of God’s delight in blessing his children. 

Kristi was wrapped around by an amazing care community and was able to spend several precious months caring for her foster son until he was recently adopted by another family and reunited with his biological siblings. Her heart was broken, and she was devastated by the loss of the child she had loved and cherished so deeply. Even in the midst of heartache, though, the Lord showed Kristi more of His grace. Her beloved foster son was adopted, alongside his siblings, into a loving family that attends Kristi’s church! As she mourns and heals from the hard loss, she is also comforted by knowing that the child she loves so dearly is safe in a loving, permanent home. He gets to grow up with his siblings, and Kristi can continue to see him at church and remain involved in his life.