From Foster Care to A Forever Home. A heartwarming story of hope & love.

Adoptive Parents Change Lives of Foster Boys.

Newcomers join the community:

Whenever our community gathers for celebrations or brunch to welcome new church members, there is always an air of curiosity surrounding the newcomers.

This Wednesday, we met two mature men who recently found lucrative employment and now reside in our city.

We hosted, Leon, Mike, Leon’s wife & year-old daughter.

The men introduced themselves and thanked the community for the warm welcome and the delicious brunch.

Leon, a well-groomed man with a charming smile who appeared to be around 40 years old, shared the following story:

My brother and I were both placed into foster homes at a young age. Fortunately, Mike was placed with the Harrell's while I was shuffled between four progressively worse homes over three years. I was glad to see my brother every few months.

Ms. Harrell took us out for lunch at McDonald’s; her keen observation skills made her notice something that others had missed — the scars all over my body. At that moment, her empathetic nature and genuine concern for my well-being made me realize the importance of having someone who cares to listen and offer support.

She made arrangements for me to join their family immediately. Back then, the word ‘family’ didn’t mean much to me.

The Harrell's welcomed me into their home. If I did something wrong, Ms. Harrell would take the time to explain why it was not acceptable.

“But then she would say, ‘You’re not going anywhere because you belong to us now.”

Eight months after I joined the family, Mr. Harrell was diagnosed with cancer. And later that year, he passed away.

Ms. Harrell’s entire world fell apart. They’d been high school sweethearts. And now she was alone with two foster kids!

Nobody would’ve blamed her for taking us back to social services, but instead, she took us to court and made the adoption permanent.

The three of us moved into a single-wide trailer in Arkansas, where our mother raised us. She worked odd jobs.

We never had much. Despite that, we always found a way to go to the movies.

We had family game nights and were kept busy with Little League and Boy Scouts.

She must have been under a lot of stress, but I don’t remember that. What sticks with me is the constant affirmation she gave me, always saying things like, “You’re smart,” “You’re handsome,” and “You survived all that stuff because you’re strong.”

She cried when I joined the Marines, but she knew it was my best chance for a college education.

Eventually, I graduated as an anesthesiologist. I moved here to provide services in Covenant Hospital’s surgical department while Mike is a business accountant.

Last year, having my own daughter threw me into an emotional tailspin as I realized how every choice, I make will shape her future.

And then I started thinking about how my life could have been different. My early development was not ideal for a child, and I should be broken, but I am not.

Thirty years ago, my mom decided to keep me. Despite all her sadness and heartbreak, she poured enough love into me to help me heal.

Mom left us for God’s kingdom two years ago. Peace on her soul. We are forever grateful for her sacrifice.

Our hearts were filled with joy as we gave Leon a round of applause and warmly welcomed his family into our circle of friends.

(Correction: These are not Leon’s exact words. I wrote what I understood from his talk.)

Thank you, readers for your time & support