Amy Carey first felt called to foster care while working as a dietician in the NICU. After seeing babies abandoned and fighting for their lives, she wanted to fight for them, too. Amy prayed, āLord, if itās meant to be, please put foster care on Brandonās heart.ā
Years later, while at church with their little boys, 1 and 2 at the time, FBC Covington was promoting Crossroadsā Find Your Fit in Foster Care event. When Brandon said, āLetās just go to the training,ā deep down Amy knew that this was their first step into foster care, and by October 2019 they became certified foster parents. Over the past 3 years, the Careys have cared for 8 children, one of whom recently became a Carey himself: Carson Carey!
Carsonās Journey to the Careys
Well before Carson was born, Amy and Brandon were caring for their first children in foster care, siblings Zack* and Zoey*, ages 1 and 2. They knew their stay would be temporary as the caseworker explained that their grandmother was getting things ready. Two months later, Zack and Zoey transitioned into the safety and care of their maternal grandmother.
Amy says: āGoodbyes are hard no matter how long they stay with you. I never had the opportunity to meet their family, but I wrote a letter to their grandmother to encourage her and tell her what I learned about her grandchildren. I sent her a photo album I made of Zack and Zoey with memories we shared during their time with us. I said āIf there is anything you ever need, please let us know.ā
“Months later, Iām so glad she didā¦ One day I received a call from Zack and Zoeyās caseworker asking if I would take a 5-week-old baby boy. It was their little brother! The grandmother had asked her to call us to take him.
“Carson came into our care in September of 2020. At first, we were just sending his grandma pictures. But soon enough, we got to meet up with her and get his siblings together for a visit!
āAlthough the goal is always reunification, we were told that this case would likely end in adoption. Each day we loved Carson more and more so the waiting was hard. The thought of him not being with us was hard, but we continued to pray for him and for his biological parents.ā On September 28th, 2022 ā exactly 2 years and 1 day after coming into their home – Carson became a Carey! Because of Amy and Brandonās commitment to serve not only Carson – but also his birth family – he now has connections to his grandma, his siblings, and his forever family, the Careys.
āWe are so thankful for Carson and the wonderful blessing he is to our family. He is a gift from God. We hope more people will join us in the journey of foster care. God will bless you for being faithful to this calling whether it is welcoming children into your homes, being a family partner to support foster families, giving financially, or encouraging and praying for those on the journey. When love moves our hearts to do good things, God can do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. Through Crossroadsā family events, weāve built a community of friends that have blessed us. They encourage us on our journey when it gets difficult, and celebrate with us in the joyful moments, too. Weāre so grateful for them and for our church Connect group that has blessed us with meals, gifts, and child care for date nights. We are most thankful for their friendship!ā
Crossroads’ mission is to connect children in foster care to the families, individuals, and opportunities they need to thrive. We recruit new foster families from local churches, develop them into competent caregivers for kids from hard places through training in TBRIĀ®, and support them through the ups and downs of their journey as foster parents. Join the Home Team and support this life-changing work all year long!