Several months ago, when Gabby Yuraitis, a labor and delivery nurse in Hannibal, first felt the calling to foster, she was not expecting to take a newborn baby home from work.
Because of her occupation, Gabby is constantly exposed to the realities of children entering care in her community.
“It is devastating,” Gabby said. “As a labor and delivery nurse, I work three days a week, and I personally have seen a brand-new baby go into the foster care system every single week.”
Hannibal has one of the highest rates of children entering the foster care system in Missouri. Currently, the Marion County rate of removals to foster care is nearly double the state average. As of May 2022, there are 189 children in care in Marion County, 29 in Monroe County, and 28 in Ralls County. Watching these children enter the foster care system sparked a conviction to foster within Gabby.
“I’ve recently grown in my faith as a Christian, and I’ve been praying, ‘God, have your will, whatever you want me to do, I’ll say yes,’” Gabby said. “And I just kept feeling this conviction, like this is what you need to do. You can open up your home to another baby.”
Navigating any calling can be difficult, but navigating a calling to become a foster parent can be particularly daunting. As Gabby and her husband, Daniel, began the journey of becoming licensed, they encountered many questions and doubts. Gabby was praying for Daniel to feel more comfortable with the idea of fostering, while also navigating her own concerns.
“I had all of these different what ifs,” Gabby said. “What if it messes up our routine? What if Forrest, my 17-month-old son, gets jealous? But I just heard the Holy Spirit saying, You want to grow in your faith, so have faith in me.”
A few weeks ago, Gabby was taking care of a newborn baby in the nursery, who was nicknamed Honey.
“At work, I had her for two days, and we would say, ‘You’re just the sweetest thing, you’re just the sweetest honey,’” Gabby said.
Honey was entering the foster care system. When Daniel came to the hospital to pick up a diaper bag, he met Honey and was immediately open to fostering her.
“He saw her and just fell in love from there,” Gabby said.
Gabby and Daniel are relative foster parents, due to Gabby’s connection to the baby through her work as a nurse. Old doubts faded away as Honey came home and met Forrest.
“I was worried about him getting jealous and not adjusting,” Gabby said. “But he’s actually done really well with her, and called her ‘Sissy.’ He wants to hold her all the time, he wants to help with feedings.”
But new uncertainties also emerged. That’s where Brittany McCaskey, Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries’s Hannibal Area Coordinator, stepped in to provide encouragement, resources, and support.
“Honestly, I feel like if I didn’t have Brittany to help me, that I would have been completely lost,” Gabby said. “I called Brittany right away and asked, ‘What are the things I should do? How can I prepare for her?’”
Brittany immediately connected her to resources for daycare and reached out to other people in the community to help.
“I can feel her passion and commitment to helping foster parents,” Gabby said. “Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries puts so much heart into it, and you can tell that they care. Any questions that I have, they help. I’m very happy we found them, and Brittany’s been a huge blessing for us.”
Even though Gabby and Daniel’s foster care journey has just begun, they feel certain that they have made the right decision.
“It’s only been a couple days, but it’s been one of the best things I’ve ever done,” Gabby said. “This is something that we’re going to do until I’m too old and can’t keep up with the kids. This is going to be our new norm. I don’t think it only helps her, I think it helps us to grow and become better people, and I think it’s going to help Forrest become a good, caring person too. I think the best thing you can do is open up your home to someone in need.”
Please join us in praying for the Yuraitis family, as well as all of our Hannibal foster families who are meeting such a great need and providing safe homes for children.
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