Happy 4th of July!

When we celebrate with our great nation this coming Fourth of July we are celebrating the independence we gained by standing for our values. I am so thankful as an American to be able to celebrate our independence and freedom from oppressive powers, but most importantly I am thankful to be able to worship and celebrate my freedom as a Christian. Being born or even becoming an American is something to be thankful for in itself because we live in the greatest nation on earth, but we need to remember why we wanted independence in the first place. The Colonists stood on values that were not supported by the British but we chose to fight for what we thought was right, as a nation we wanted the freedom to be able to worship as we see fit and we wanted to be able to raise a new generation of families on those values and standards we held so dear. We are in the greatest nation on earth and it is up to us to uphold those freedoms our forefathers fought for especially for the upcoming generations. We have an opportunity to make a difference in so many lives through our faith. Without a heavenly Father who first showed us love we would not be where we are as a nation or even individually, we love because He first loved us. When I think about all the children that God has blessed our family with over the years I think of what a difference it made when they realized they were loved. They learned how to truly love people because of the example they saw all around them at school, church, and home. It is like a cycle of shared values much like in our great nation, we have to be able to pass down something that is of substance in order to make a difference. So I encourage you today to do something that will make an impact in this next generation it can be supporting a local non-profit such as CASA, volunteering your time to show love to someone who might not feel all that loved right now, or even sharing your testimony. What is one thing you can do to do your part in sharing your value system this upcoming week. Let's celebrate this Fourth of July by doing our part. Have a happy and safe Fourth of July from The Precious Gift 13 team!

Stay tuned in in the next upcoming weeks for more stories of hope and inspiration from The Precious Gift 13 team.

-Kimberly

My Voice Matters: The Value of Youth Voice in Court

The above is an amazing video, made by so many people willing to reach out and show us just a tidbit of what it is like in the foster care system when decisions about you are being made with out you. Many times a child's opinion is looked down upon just because of the fact that they are a child. When a child is in a foster family, the family does all they can to make sure the child or children have a stable living environment and all their needs are being taken care of but the family cannot do much in court to advocate on the behalf of their child. This is where CASA steps in. A CASA worker assigned to the child's case can make such a difference in the outcome of the situation. CASA works on behalf of the child, to make sure their voice is going to be heard in court. I have had first hand experience listening to children even under the age of five who have an opinion on what they think about their current situation. When has it even been okay to take someone's voice away especially that of a child, when their main way of navigating the world is through asking questions? I am so thankful for all the CASA workers who made it possible for our kids to have a voice in court, without representation we are taking away the voice to the people we are trying to make decisions for. A voice for the voiceless is just a piece of the puzzle that CASA plays in the picture of finding a child a forever home.
Stay tuned in the next up coming weeks for more stories of hope and inspiration brought to you by The Precious Gift 13 team!


-Kimberly

Happy Father's Day!

         Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dads who have showed us love and kindness throughout the years. When I was thinking about this upcoming Father's Day I couldn't help but think of all the ways my father had an impact on who I am today. Growing up, I always looked up to my dad because he was strong and he always knew how to make me laugh. As I have grown up he has always been with me every step of the way, he went to every one of my games and school plays, he taught me how to bake and cook which was always an adventure with him, but most importantly he taught me how to walk with God. I am very blessed to have an amazing Dad who taught me to obey God's Word and to walk in His Commandments at a very early age, I learned the nature of God by watching my Dad in his relationship with God. I knew my dad was loving so God must be loving, I knew my dad was kind so God had to be kind, I knew my dad loved to see my succeed so God must love to see me succeed but one thing my dad loved more than anything is to watch me follow in his footsteps. This goes for our heavenly father as well, He loves watching us discover our anointing and calling in life. One verse I can always relate back to my dad is Psalm 68:5 "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His Holy habitation." NKJV When we were blessed enough to be able to take in kids that were in need, I was able to see first hand my dad become a father to the fatherless. Children that are placed in the foster care system come from broken and hurting homes, many kids have never even known what it is like to feel loved. I can without a doubt say that I have always known a father's love, but as I am getting older I realize what a special and rare thing that is to say. We were blessed to have thirteen wonderful kids come into our home and without a doubt in my mind the most powerful thing we could have given to them was love, and the example of how to love others like their heavenly Father loves them.  When children grow up without a father to look up to it can leave a big space in their heart that they will start to search and seek something else to fill that void, when it can only be filled by a father. This doesn't mean that children need an earthly father to grow up to be thriving and healthy adults but it means that we all have a spot for a father in our hearts but that spot can't be taken up by a mere man. I am very blessed to have an amazing earthly father but I also had that spot that wasn't quite taken up because I needed my heavenly Father to step in and take his place. Whatever your situation is this Father' Day, we all have a heavenly Father that literally changed the course of history for us in order to have a relationship with Him. So thank you to all the fathers that were willing to step up to be an example to their children and to all the fathers that have opened up room in their hearts to be a father to the fatherless, but most importantly thank you to our heavenly Father for being willing to be the perfect example of love, thank you for making a way, and thank you for giving us all the ability to become your children. It is a Happy Father' Day indeed!
Stay tuned in the next few weeks for more stories of hope and inspiration brought to you by The Precious Gift 13 team! - Kimberly

The Precious Gift

The Precious Gift 13

From the moment they laid her in my arms,

It was love at first sight.

So tiny, so still,

She laid there not making a peep.

She was so precious and strong,

For hanging on that long.

Others had come,

But none like her.

I knew at first glance

She would be mine, forever mine.

She brought joy and laughter,

And some very sleepless nights,

But all in all I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

She grew oh so fast still with no hair,

But as precious as can be.

Almost one and getting ready to walk,

She was taken from me. 

So many nights I would wonder why

And if I’ll ever be able to breathe again with her gone.

Then one day the call came in,

And she came later,

Oh the joy from miles around.

Walking and talking with still little hair to show,

She made an impression on so many lives.

Once more she went,

Still not comprehending why,

She was gone like a ghost in the night,

Every night looking into her room,

Praying she was still there.

But as before she came again,

Two by now she had long, flowing, black as night hair,

Twirling round and round the princess to be,

Still it was not to last,

She left once more glad tears, but still sad.

We made the trip even though long and cold,

To her for three precious days,

For our precious girl.

Once again she came back to stay,

The situation not comprehensive to the world, but to us.

She is three now and thinks everyday is her birthday,

But as I watch her sleep,

Wondering how something so little can bring so much joy and sorrow.

I am thankful everyday for my amazing, precious gift.

          The above was the letter I wrote to myself when I was fifteen years old, it described the ups and downs of fostering in our family for our precious gift. I never would have thought ten years ago that I would be writing my story of my little sister for the world to see, let alone on a blog. I felt compelled to make our story known in order to bring awareness of the amazing and sometimes overlooked resources available to foster families in their own community. The work that is put into finding a child a forever home is a very arduous process, between the court hearings, finding the right fit into a family, and making sure all the child's needs are met, no person or family can do it alone. CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) works on the behalf of the child to make sure they are properly taken care of and that they have a voice in the court system. Our journey of becoming a foster to adopt family was one filled with a lot of support from those closest to us, but often times children need people that are especially there for them. Stay tuned in the next coming weeks for more stories of hope and inspiration brought to you by The Precious Gift 13 team! 

- Kimberly