What is that? …The familiar sound of our phone ringing?

It is no later than 3:38 p.m., and we have already gotten 2 (TWO) phone calls today for placements.  My sister says they’ve got our proverbial number (“Yeah, call the Popps, they NEVER say no.”). 

I say that if any foster home is getting calls overlapping calls, that there need to be more foster homes.  mmhmm.  How many of us have an extra bedroom?  In how many of our homes to each of our children have their own rooms?  Really?  Sharing is good.  But I digress.

Both phone calls were for respite.  We said yes when they called us with the first.  A nine year old boy, tonight through Sunday night.  He’s diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (it’s exactly what the title says) so I had intake call the caseworker to check on physical aggression.

While she was doing her checking, we got another phone call.

“I know that someone just called you for respite for a little boy, but your worker told us we should call you with this one.”  (We have a very good working relationship with our worker.  And obviously – she DOES have our number.) “We need respite for a sibling group of six, ages 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 9 – tonight through next Friday.” (Gulp. How does that even happen??)   After listening to the referral, finding out the 9 year old is physically aggressive, and calling Brian, we decided that we would be able to take some of them, but not all – they won’t fit! – and not the 9 year old due to said PA.  She’s going to call around and see if she can place them together, if not, she’ll call back.

I hung up, and the first intake caller called back.  The 9 year old is not physically agressive, and there is an infant where he currently lives that he does well with.  OK.  So, for now, we have a 9 year old little boy coming today at 5:00. 

We are already having people over for dinner tonight and tomorrow night, so I hope he likes company!  Speaking of company, we know two couples who are good friends who are finishing their fostering classes next week, and we are getting together with a couple tonight for dinner who want to discuss fostering to adopt!!  So exciting. (All of which read this.  I’m so excited for you and where God may lead you!)

 

This was long.  Sorry.  And may or may not have made fostering sound a little scary.  But it's more of a blessing than it is scary.  I promise.