Leslie says she always dreamed of becoming a foster/adoptive parent. She spent the early part of her teaching career in inner-city schools in Florida, and saw children growing up in unsafe home environments. She says this inspired her to help.
“It has just always been on my heart that I wanted to either foster or adopt in order to help kids, prepare them for their future, and set them up to be successful,” she said.
Leslie says when her marriage ended, her dream of fostering was put on the back-burner. She wasn’t sure how it would be possible.
“I thought that my dream of being a foster parent would either die, or I would have to wait until I someday became married again,” she said.
After her divorce, Leslie moved to Missouri with her son, DJ. When he was 2 years old, Leslie began to pursue fostering, but it didn’t work out.
This January, Leslie was at the park with DJ when she struck up a conversation with another mom. The mom shared that she was fostering and had been licensed through Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries.
“Something told me, ‘Why do I keep waiting? There are kids who need help now,'” Leslie said.
The woman Leslie met at the park recommended Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries, so Leslie gave us a call. She spoke with Training/Licensing Director Amy Kingery who told her if she could get some paperwork in quickly, she could begin STARS training that same week.
“Everything just started falling into place,” Leslie said. “My son and I were living in a two-bedroom apartment. A house became available that was perfect with a huge backyard and rooms. God kept opening every single door.”
Not 48 hours after Leslie completed STARS training, she got a phone call about three children who needed a home.
“I really wasn’t planning on taking three kids because I’m a single mom of a 4-year-old already, but when I heard their story, I couldn’t say no,” she said.
Justin*, Tilly*, and Jenna* moved in with Leslie and her son this spring. She now has four kids under her room ages 4, 5, 6, and 7. She says it hasn’t been perfect, but she is so glad she said yes.
“People look at me and say, ‘You’re a single mom. You are crazy!'” Leslie said. “Not at a single point have I felt like I made a wrong decision. It hasn’t been easy the whole time, but it’s definitely been worth it.”
“I knew that I needed something more in my life and I couldn’t figure out what God was pointing me to,” she said. “God kept opening every single door that lead me to these kids. It’s made it very clear that they’re supposed to be with me.”
*names changed to protect children’s stories
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