Stories in Foster Care: The Garcia Family

Everyone needs a heavenly home, and everyone needs an earthly home. 

"When Danielle and I were dating, the subject of foster care came up. I don’t recall how it came up, but we knew that God was calling us to make a difference in the lives of children who needed a family. God designed all of us with a purpose and a mission.  He gave us all a purpose, and that purpose is to glorify Him. Our mission is to: go, win, baptize, and teach; however, I believe within that mission, God gives each of us a specific mission. There are many specific missions within the church; foster care happens to be ours. For Danielle and me, it was to give a home to as many little ones who needed a home as possible. Currently, there are over 400,000 kids in foster care. There is a huge need to come alongside these children and provide stability and a loving family.  Not a perfect family, but one that desires to point their lives at Christ.

Initially, when we went through the process to adopt, we went through the state. There was a series of classes to complete, and we were there with people from all walks of life. I remember one of the people running the classes coming up to Danielle and me and making the comment that she noticed that we weren't connecting with anyone. I remember thinking we’re the only Christians in the class, and our values are not lining up; that’s why we're not connecting with anyone. After we finished the classes with the state, we decided it wasn’t the route we wanted to take. We didn’t know anyone who was fostering or have anyone to talk to about foster care. Fortunately, I married a determined wife, and Danielle found Olivecrest, a foster agency that was founded on Judeo-Christian values.

After we finished the classes with Olivecrest, we quickly received a call about the placement of the sibling boys. We prayed about the placement and decided to move forward. The placement lasted about six weeks and turned our lives upside down. I quickly learned that being called and being equipped were not synonymous. God had a lot to teach us in those six weeks. We took some time to reflect after the 2 boys were reunited. Then Jesus reminded us that when He hung on the cross, He didn’t give 10, 50, or 90 percent; He gave 100% of Himself. We decided to take another placement, a baby boy. We have had 5 placements since the 2 boys and have the privilege of adopting 4. We are currently fostering a baby girl."

-MARK GARCIA