The First Placement

The Benson’s* are a young couple who are licensed foster parents through Arms of Love Foster Care, a ministry of ABCS. They received their first placement a while ago, a baby boy named Jesse*.They formed a strong co-parenting relationship with Jesse’s mother, Leah*. As their bond with Leah grew, they also got to know Leah’s boyfriend, who eventually attended supervised visits. The Bensons invited Leah to attend church with them, and she went with them several times. In March, the court placed Jesse back in Leah’s care. Leah had a night shift at work on the day she was to get Jesse back. Having formed a deep connection with the Bensons, she asked if they could keep Jesse for one extra night, and they happily accepted. After Jesse was returned to Leah’s home, the Bensons booked a getaway to rest and regroup after saying goodbye to their first placement.

A Vacation Can Wait

The day before they left for their trip, the Larsen’s*, another foster family, reached out to their mutual licensing specialist at Arms of Love. They were calling to inform her that the sibling of their adopted son had been born and needed a foster home. Although the Larsen’s were unable to take in more children, they wanted to keep the siblings connected and have the baby cared for by a Christian family. The licensing specialist knew that the Benson’s were leaving for their trip but called to see if they would be interested in taking the baby once they returned home. They called her back a few hours later, agreeing to take him. The baby would have been fine in the hospital over the weekend, but they decided to cancel their trip and pick him up that same day. He has been with them ever since. We thank Jesus for faithful foster parents. *Names changed