By Chelsea Quackenbush
Buckner International

For the Garretts, it’s a calling God placed on their hearts more than a decade ago.

“God mandates us to take care of our offerings, of our children,” Monica said. “God put me in my place and I just give my life away. It’s how I find my joy.”

Monica and Ivory were honored on April 16 at the Region V Foster and Adoptive Parent Conference. They currently parent nine children between ages five and 14 in a foster group home on the Beaumont Buckner Children’s Village campus. They also raised a combined five biological children, who are grown and out of the house.

“She understands what her role is, and knows how to work with the kids and figure them out,” said Samela Macon, program director of Buckner Child and Family Services of Beaumont. “She handles herself as a professional parent to provide a therapeutic environment but she’s still a mother to them.”

God’s calling

Monica Garrett started her journey in foster care as lead staff in a Buckner group home in 1997. Ivory soon joined her as they realized God’s calling for their lives. Their home was licensed for foster care in 1999, and for the next 10 years, they worked with about 25 children.

In 2009, they opened a group home for children with therapeutic needs. Since then, they’ve worked with 18 children, many of whom have had specialized needs, including significant development delays.

The Garretts take on “tough” kids, those who other people might shy away from, like their 14-year-old twin boys with autism. They take on the challenge because the kids are worth it. They are rarely willing to consider failure, Macon said.

The Garretts don’t let the challenge of having a lot of kids get in the way of having a normal life. They encourage each child to be themselves and provide ways for the kids to pursue their own interests.

Nontraditional but still a family

The clan of 11 does everything as a family. They cheer on their foster brothers and sisters at their baseball games. They go to the grocery store, to the mall and to school together. They go on fishing trips, road trips to Ivory’s country house, and even a trip to Disney World.

Ivory said he had to get used to dealing with so many kids at one time, but now he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I say I’m going to take a break and go fishing, but guess who’s coming with me?” he said.

“Everyone!” he and Monica answer in unison.

 “You truly have to be equipped to be a foster parent,” Monica said. “God has to equip you. I always say that even if I had a billion dollars, I’d still be a foster parent for the rest of my life.”

By Chelsea Quackenbush
Buckner International

BEAUMONT – Dave “Daddy Dave” Bleakley first met Amelia by chance at a Buckner Children’s Village reunion in Beaumont. Two-week-old Amelia was the youngest alumna and Daddy Dave was the oldest. Buckner staff thought it would make a cool photo, so they placed the tiny girl in his arms.

“What’s her name?” he asked.

“Amelia.”

His eyes welled with tears. His late wife, known fondly as “Mama Anne,” never let anyone call her by her real name – Amelia Anne Bleakley. At the time, no one knew that circumstances over the next few months would bring them back together.

Daddy Dave’s story

Daddy Dave is a Buckner alumnus and one of its greatest advocates. He lived at the Buckner Orphans Home in Dallas with his older brother and sister in the 1940s when he was just 4 years old.

Raised in a broken home in southeast Arkansas, and then shuffled between family members all over Texas, a pastor in Port Arthur found them a place at Buckner.

He vividly recalls wanting to break out of the fence that surrounded the campus. He knew it was the only thing separating him from happiness. So when Buckner staff asked him what they could do to get him to stop crying, he said he wanted to play outside. His plan was to escape when no one was looking.

Little did Daddy Dave know, the staff knew what he was up to. So they held him close the whole time until he calmed down.

“Nothing can fill the void like love, and that’s what they did,” Daddy Dave said. “We believed it was important to teach Jenn [his daughter] that message because that’s what Buckner taught us.”

According to Buckner staff, Daddy Dave puts a smile on everyone’s face when he walks through the door. He encourages Buckner children by sharing his story.

Parenting with grace

Daddy Dave’s daughter, Jennifer Guerra, and her husband Ricky, decided to become foster parents after their birth daughter, Avery Anne, passed away in 2008 at the age of 4 due to complications with complex congenital heart disease.

“We knew she was just the girl God decided her to be,” Jennifer said. “But we knew we couldn’t have more kids, so Buckner was our only option.”

The day they received their foster parent certification, the Guerras got the call about taking Amelia in for a 14-day respite period when she was 4 months old. Her previous foster mother was sick and couldn’t care for her. The emergency placement turned long-term, and soon after, Amelia became available for adoption. Everything else fell into place.

Jenn and Ricky had two other foster daughters, Elizabeth, who was 5 at the time, and Zoey, who was 2. They said Amelia was stiff and reserved at first. She startled at loud noises. But it didn’t take long to become part of the family, and soon she warmed up to the other girls.

“You just had this certainty in your heart that God is moving, which is unusual in this field because everything is so uncertain,” Beaumont director of foster care and adoption Samela Macon said. “Daddy Dave taught Jenn how to serve. He has a servant’s heart. The Guerras have made a tremendous difference in the lives of the children they fostered.”

Daddy’s girl

Now Amelia is a “daddy’s girl.” Her face lights up when Ricky gets home from work in the evening. Her first word was “Dada.” Everyone says they look alike.

“That’s the sweetest thing, seeing the Lord fill that void they had,” Daddy Dave said. “It was affirmation that it was the Lord, his hand in the beautiful tapestry he’s woven.

“The wonder of all wonder is that God would choose to bless our family through the life of another little girl with my late wife as her namesake. She favors little Avery Anne and acts like Mama Anne. And to think that our Lord would choose to perform such an act of mercy through the same Buckner ministry he used 67 years ago to rescue my life as a 4-year-old child. Only he can perform such miracles.”

The Guerras have postponed their position as foster parents because in December, they will have another unexpected addition to their family – Jennifer is pregnant with a little boy, Noah Blake.

Amelia bounces around the room, between her parents and Daddy Dave, smiling and showing them her baby dolls.

“She’s theirs now,” Daddy Dave said. “But I always tell them ‘I held her first.’”

This story originally appeared in the Fall 2011 Edition of Buckner Today.

“Bringing a child home through adoption is as joyful, if not more so, for the family as having biological children, and we want our friends and family to prepare with us and celebrate with us as they would for a biological child (shower, a card, etc.). My biological children have baby books full of cards that came when they arrived, along with many photos. My adopted child has two cards in his album. I worry that someday he will notice the difference and wonder why.”
- Lori Risinger Heinrich

“Be sensitive—if that family has had the child two years or two months or two days, the adoption day is still just as special.”
- Veronica Adkison Rountree

What you can do: Send a card, give a shower or hold a reception or small party. If you have a gift for photography, offer to take some family portraits.

2. Help around the house
When parents bring home a newborn from the hospital, they’re often met with lots of helping hands. Adoptive families need just as much help as parents of newborns! You can bless them by sharing some of your extra time and energy.

“We have friends that bring meals when we least expect it! They help so much when we are just trying to adjust with a new one!”
- Kara Guinn Curfman

What you can do: Bring over a home cooked meal, clean their bathrooms, do a load of laundry, mow their yard – anything that will give the family some relief from the pressures of daily life and more time to focus on bonding and adjusting.

3. Cut them some slack
Don’t expect a new adoptive family to be able to keep all the commitments they used to, no matter what age their new child is.

Mom and Dad are exhausted, and their child is learning how to live in a family, and even a new culture. Social situations can be overwhelming for everyone involved, and those obligations usually have to be put on hold until life at home settles down.

What you can do: Don’t be upset or hurt if calls or e-mails aren’t returned. Let it slide and know that life will return to normal eventually.

4. Listen, listen, listen
Adoptive families have unique challenges and struggles. Give them space to share frustrations and vent without feeling judged.

“I was thankful to have people who allowed me to pour out my heart without making me feel as if I had betrayed my child or didn’t appreciate the incredible gift and blessing I’d been given. They gave me an outlet, which gave me the strength to be what my child needed as he learned to trust me.”
- Lori Risinger Heinrich

What you can do: Cry with the new family in the heartaches and celebrate with them in the triumphs. You may get tired of hearing the same problems over and over again, but the family needs your support and love.

5. Give Mom and Dad a breather
Many adoptive parents will hardly have time to think straight or sometimes even take a shower, much less any quality alone time to enjoy each other’s company.

“[What blessed me was] giving me a break and taking him to park as I was adjusting to parenthood. Just being there and loving our family as our lives changed.”
- Kari Forrest Hunt

What you can do: Come over and babysit for the new parents. If it’s too soon for the kids to be alone with a sitter, offer to come over after the children are asleep so that parents can take a short walk or have a coffee date.

Four Things That Should Be Left Unsaid:

1. Don’t give unsolicited parenting advice.
This is particularly true for parents who have adopted older children or foster children. If you haven’t parented a child who has lived through trauma, you can’t know what’s best for that child. Don’t offer suggestions or advice unless they ask you for it.

2. Don’t ask about the child’s past.
“We are proud of [our son] and all he’s overcome. We long to tell you EVERYTHING about what a miracle he is, but the story is our child’s to tell, not ours. When the questions become prying and personal, it is very uncomfortable for us. We don’t want to hurt your feelings, but for our child, we have to find a nice way to tell you it’s none of your business.”
- Lori Risinger Heinrich

3. Don’t ask, “Which children are yours?”
Biological or adopted, it makes no difference. All of the children are theirs.

4. Don’t comment on a child’s appearance or ethnicity in front of him or her.
“If my child looks different than the rest of the family, chances are we’ve already noticed, and chances are he has too. Hearing constant comments about it does not help him to feel like he belongs.”
- Lori Risinger Heinrich
Do you have other suggestions for ways to bless new adoptive families? Leave them in the comments below!

Though not spoken, I know the word she was going to use.  It was the word “yours.”  Based on this line of thinking, a DNA link would somehow place this child into a higher class of belonging.  It was as if I were to be overjoyed at my genetic signature passing on to the next generation. I can tell you with certainty this is a flawed approach. In reality, I’ve passed on lots of imperfect qualities including: male pattern baldness, an inability to outrun your garden variety turtle, and a propensity for Oreos and milk.

All of that aside, it causes me to reflect on what it means to call a child “yours.”  I can remember our child falling asleep during landing after screaming the entire flight from Orlando to Dallas.  Given a chance I might have denied she was mine as weary fellow travellers exited the plane.  On the other hand, there have  been those times when the mixture of pride and joy have welled up inside to the point that my body could no longer contain it only to find  release through cheers or the tears that rolled down my face.    In those moments I wanted everyone to know that these were my children.  These experiences have nothing to do with a biological sameness, or a shared ancestry – but they have everything to do with them being mine. 

Shannon and I consider the two younger individuals who live in our home our children based on our relationship with them.  Our love is not dependent on their gene pool, but instead on our unconditional acceptance of them. They should never be made to feel as if they must earn this acceptance or that our love for them is conditional or temporary.  

In this way, a parent-child relationship is a microcosm of the relationship we have with our Heavenly Father.  We have done nothing to deserve His love, the truth be told we spend lots of time doing things that drive us further away from Him.  The Psalmist expresses our ambition when he writes: “let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you O Lord” (Ps 19:14 NIV) but Paul addresses the too often reality of “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.”  (Romans 7:15 NLT)  Yet in all of this we experience the grace and mercy of God in that He continually seeks us out and desires a relationship with us.

I did not correct the well meaning parishioner that night, but neither did I discard the conversation.  I want it to serve as a reminder of what it means for these children to be mine.   They are not mine in the same way one would own property, but in the way that I am responsible for them.  I want to have a deeper relationship with them and to try to show them the same grace and mercy that I need to be shown.  This means that whether I’m teaching them how to ride a bike, discovering the hidden stash of dirty socks under the sofa, drying tears, or explaining how to accept God’s gift of salvation through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, through all the ups and all the downs – they’re mine.

David Ummel is administrator for Buckner Children and Family Services in Longview, Texas.

This led to the beginning of our family’s adoption journey—a journey that would stretch our faith and finances and take us to the very limits of ourselves. As we waited three and a half years to bring our precious Maria home, watching her grow up in pictures without her family, we often questioned God’s purposes.

During one of the lowest points of our wait, plagued by concerns of whether or not her adoption could be completed, someone asked what would be the worst outcome from this experience. Without hesitation I answered, “That Maria would never come home.”

I pondered and prayed over my answer and realized the worst that could happen would be if Maria never met her Savior and spent eternity separated from him. My attitude changed and I began praying first for Maria’s salvation and second that we would be blessed to be the family that would lead her to Christ.

It’s been more than four years since Maria joined our family and nearly three years ago our prayers were answered with Maria’s baptism on Jan. 4, 2009. Not only will we have the blessing of sharing this life with her, but eternity as well.

I’m in awe of a God who loves so deeply that he would go to such great lengths for one life. Before Maria’s life even began God knew that this would be her story—that we would be her family and that she would be his child. I’m blessed that he would use someone as flawed as me as his tool, and I’m sobered by the thought that we could have disobeyed.

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

Stacie Chalupka and her husband, Don, live in Little Rock, Ark. They have four children, and they adopted their daughter, Maria, from Guatemala through Buckner in 2007.

By Lauren Hollon Sturdy
Buckner International

DALLAS—If you’ve ever tuned in to 1310AM The Ticket between noon and 3 in the Dallas area, you’ve probably heard the deep, booming voice of Bob Sturm talking sports and playing the straight man to his co-host Dan McDowell’s jokes.

And if you’re a dedicated listener of his show, you know he was absent from it for nearly six weeks while his family was in Honduras adopting a child. But you may not know the whole story…

The seed is planted

Bob Sturm’s interest in Central America began four year ago with his first mission trip to Guatemala with a group of men he knew from Valley Ranch Baptist Church in Coppell, Texas. There, he visited several orphanages and spent time loving on children who needed it. It became a yearly trip.

In 2008, the men took their wives with them to Guatemala. About a month after coming home, Sally Sturm asked her husband what he thought about adopting. Bob said he’d think about it. As the weeks passed, they had many conversations about adoption. They prayed that if it wasn’t right for their family, God would show them.

“It’s funny when I look back over the past few years or months and see how God had prepared us individually and together as a couple,” Sally said. “There are numerous stories little and big that kept pointing us down this path. This path for our family was no accident.”

Guatemala closed its doors to international adoptions, but the Sturms decided to start their adoption process and choose a country later. They were excited when Honduras opened; they wanted to adopt from Latin America because of Sally’s Mexican-American roots and Bob’s love of learning Spanish.

They finalized their home study in June 2009, submitted their dossier to Buckner in February 2010, and did a lot of waiting. As the first family to adopt from Honduras through Buckner, each step had its learning curve.

“Adoption is a great thing, but it’s like running a marathon,” Bob said. “It’s a great thing to say you ran a marathon, but it’s not fun when you’re doing it at the time. It’s very difficult. There’s a great reward at the end—that you add to your family, and that’s all well and good—but it’s a pretty tedious process.”

They received their referral for a 4 and a half year old boy named Justin in mid-February of this year and took their first trip to Honduras in April to meet him. Four months later, they were back on a plane from Dallas to Tegucigalpa, Honduras to take custody of their new son and finalize his adoption.

Between August 29 and October 7, they experienced the ups and downs of adjusting to a new family dynamic within the confines of their little hotel apartment while making the rounds to various government offices, consulates and embassies, ticking off each piece of paperwork involved in adding a new family member and killing time in between.

It’s been a hard journey in many ways, and Bob and Sally both know it’s just beginning.

Making adjustments

Madeline Sturm, or Maddie, is a bubbly 9-year-old who never runs out of things to talk about. She’ll tell you she’s not a girly-girl and that most of her friends are boys, but she says it while wearing a pink, sequined tank top, and then starts debating whether or not to take dance lessons.

With most of their day spent at the hotel, the Sturm family had to make their own fun.

Brett, 6, is happiest with a blank sheet of paper and a pencil in his hand. He’s quiet and low-key and tends to keep himself entertained. “He’s not that type of personality where he’s running all day,” Bob said.

Justin is a firecracker – big energy in a small package. “I just think back on some of the athletes who tell their story as kids and they always say, ‘My mom had to put me in sports to burn off some of my energy,’” Bob said. “I never really knew what that meant, and then we met Justin.”

With three very different personalities sharing a small space for several weeks while trying to figure out their new relationship, there have been growing pains.

“When you read books about adoption … they make you a little paranoid that something in your new child’s past is causing a certain behavior,” Bob said. “You have to counterbalance that with knowing your own kids and saying: ‘Well, sometimes kids just fight. And there’s no sort of incident that happened three years ago that’s making them fight over this ball right now, they’re just kids.’”

“As a parent of a new dynamic, one of the biggest things for me, of course, is to not overreact and not to feel like it’s a real major incident as all the kids are trying to get used to each other. It’s a process, and it’s not always comfortable,” he said. “I think that has to happen organically, and I think it is [happening], but I don’t think it’s linear at all. I think there are great days, and there are days where they’re still trying to get along. And that’s OK.”

‘Groundhog Day’

For safety reasons, the Sturm family was confined to their hotel apartment for most of each day during their stay in Honduras. Left alone in the hotel, they had to make their own fun and get through the day without going stir-crazy. They compared it with living the movie “Groundhog Day,” but in the end, they were grateful for the time together.

“The one thing that all the books have in common, and that a lot of adoptive families have suggested is that you really need to guard your time with your new family,” Sally said. “In that respect, it’s been great being here, because we have four to six weeks set aside where we have to be here, we don’t have a choice and we can’t leave.”

But being gone from work for 40 days wasn’t easy for Bob.

“I tell people all the time I work in the toy department of life,” he said. “I go to games for a living, so I miss it.”

He kept in touch with his listeners through Twitter and his blog, updating it every few days with the latest on where they were in the adoption process.

“I was very private about it until we knew we were going to be gone, and then I just thought this is a great opportunity to be public about what I’m doing and to get the word out,” he said. “If the number of 140 million orphans worldwide is anywhere close to true, obviously we need to get the word out more. And if my public approach to this is influencing one family, then great. I feel wonderful about that.”

As they waited out each day, Sally said they tried to keep one goal in mind.

“The number one thing to do on our list everyday was to be happy and live as a family with Justin and our biological kids, and also to blend that family. And also to maybe sign some papers,” Sally said, laughing. “That’s always a good thing.”

Click to watch our video interview with the Sturm family during their adoption finalization trip to Honduras!

The Sturms are back in Lewisville now, living out the next part of their adoption journey.

“This process has taught me that certain things in life are great, and they matter, but they don’t matter, you know?” Bob said. “I love my job, I really really do, and I love what goes into it, but when you compare it to changing a child’s life and changing the dynamic of your family permanently, you know, it helps you get your priorities squared away.”

The first time Sarah and Kevin Dildine met their 4-year-old son Jasper in a Russian orphanage, he sat and played with a toy truck, not making any noises or sound effects like most kids. He rarely spoke.

Now, according to his mother, Jasper dances and bounces everywhere he goes.

“When I watch him, I think, ‘This neat little personality was in there all this time, but we are just now getting to see it. He is just now realizing that he can play and be a kid and be the person he is,’” Sarah Dildine said.

The Dildines, who live in Hughes Springs, Texas, brought Jasper home May 6. They started the process in June 2010 with case workers from Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services. Although for many families the adoption process can take years, Russian adoptions currently move faster than other international countries, said Debbie Wynne, director of Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services.

Overwhelming need for families

Russia first attempts to place children domestically before they can be adopted internationally. They must remain on the domestic adoption list for 12 months, which is why it’s difficult to adopt infants from Russia, according to Wynne.

“The need is so overwhelming in Russia,” Wynne said. “When you think international adoption is the last option, and they’re living in an institution, they’re already in a bad situation.”

Children as young as 11 to 12 months are available for adoption from Russia, which wasn’t always the case with Buckner adoptions. However, the need is still greatest for older children.

Russian children age out of the orphanage system at age 16 or 17, and unfortunately, many aren’t well-prepared for adulthood. About 10,000 children graduate from the system each year. Of that, 8,500 resort to a world of crime and prostitution. Five hundred commit suicide in the first year, said Irina Young, program director for Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services in Russia and Honduras.

Younger children available

The Dildines knew they wanted a younger child when they started the adoption process. At first, they wanted one under the age of two. But after attending informational meetings with Buckner representatives, they upped their age limit. They said they’re glad they did because just a few weeks later, Jasper turned three.

“We’ve had to turn some children away because we don’t have enough families,” Wynne said. “For families that are open to age and gender preferences and health risks, it’s amazing how quickly their process can go. You hope it’s a couple that’s prayerfully considering their heart.”

Buckner’s ‘Angels from Abroad’ program, where Russian orphans stayed with families in the U.S. for two weeks to learn about American culture and what it’s like to be in a family, was postponed in February 2011 due to recent changes in Russian law governing overseas hosting programs. The program resulted in many adoptions, but since it’s been postponed, there are fewer families in the process to adopt Russian orphans right now.

In 2011, Buckner placed 22 children with adoptive families, ranging from 12 months to 12 years, Young said.

Education is key

Buckner, along with the Dildines, encourages families thinking about adoption to do their research, especially when it comes to potential medical issues.

“They need to educate themselves and explore those medical issues they hear about. It might sound serious but could be something easily treatable in the U.S., however, not as easy to treat in a Russian orphanage,” Young said.

There are independent pediatricians in Russia that Buckner uses for secondary medical examinations and opinions when the family requests it.

A new bilateral agreement regarding adoptions between the United States and Russia will not change the adoption process, but allows both countries to come together on an agreement of “best practices,” Wynne said.

Under the agreement, only adoption agencies authorized by the Russian government, like Buckner, will be able to operate in Russia and provide services in adoptions covered by the agreement.

This will largely eliminate independent adoptions from Russia and create a better defined framework for intercountry adoptions between the United States and Russia.  The agreement also includes provisions designed to improve post-adoption reporting and monitoring and to ensure that prospective adoptive parents receive more complete information about adoptive children’s social and medical histories and anticipated needs.

Logistics are doable

Another concern for prospective adoptive parents is the cost of adoption and the travel involved. Russia requires two to three trips, in addition to the paperwork with three different government agencies. There are many funding options available for families, including Buckner scholarships and outside grants.

“I knew that this whole process was out of my control and would drive me crazy if I let it,” Dildine said. “However, I knew that the one thing I did have control over was how quickly I did my paperwork, so that is what I chose to focus on.

“Another hard part of the process is, once you get your referral, waiting to get your travel dates and then waiting on your court dates … You just have to remember that everything is happening according to God’s plan and try not to dwell on your own plans.”

Wynne said some families feel daunted with multiple trips to Russia, but that there’s a value in being able to meet the child and get acquainted before the adoption is finalized.

To learn more about Russian adoptions through Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services, visit www.beafamily.org or www.dillonadopt.com.

The Wilkins family adopted two older children from Russia, giving them a new start, an opportunity to thrive and a chance to lose the stigma of being an orphan in Russia. Click here to watch the video!

Reprinted from the Amarillo Globe-News, Oct. 4, 2011

It’s not that Tim and December Barcroft wouldn’t love to be in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. They would be among 150 others nationally to be honored at a gala as part of the Angels in Adoption awards through the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.

It’s just they can’t.

Tim has a route to run delivering tortillas around the area for J&T Distributing. December, who not surprisingly, was born in December, can’t afford to miss class at West Texas A&M University, where she’s studying to be a teacher. Then there are the girls — Genie, Heavenly and Kelsey — what to do about them?

“It’s probably best we not go,” Tim said. “We’d like to, but just can’t. It’s disappointing, but money was also an issue as well.”

The Barcrofts are a common couple doing an extraordinarily uncommon thing. That’s what foster parents are. They’re like so many on the outside, but inside have an extra dose of love, unselfishness and sacrifice.

Life was peaceful and routine the first five years of their marriage. Maybe too peaceful.

“We were tired of our quiet house,” December said.

They talked of being foster parents for three years. Finally, they enrolled in the foster parents program through Buckner International, training that is intense and rigorous. They had a heart for children, had none of their own, and were eager to have some extra noise in their home.

“Foster parents have to be patient, flexible, giving, and obviously loving,” said Scott Collins, vice president of communications for Buckner. “I think for Tim and December, it was also part of a spiritual calling.”

In March 2009, they became foster parents of two boys, Aaron, 6, and Jason, 9. They were in their home until they returned to their mother the day after Christmas 2009.

“We still pick them up and take them to church every Sunday,” Tim said. “They may not live with us, but they’re still part of our family.”

It’s now a crowded drive to New Life FourSquare Church. A little more than a month after the two brothers left, the Barcrofts received two sisters, Genie, 14, and Heavenly, 6, in January 2010 from the Panhandle Assessment Center. In March of that year, their infant sister, Kelsey, 1, was taken from another foster home to join her sisters.

“It’s been mind-altering, a house full of girls,” said Tim. “I mean, sharing one bathroom, come on. There’s not a moment’s peace with that. It’s been rough, but we love them to death, absolutely love them to death.”

Imagine this challenge: A teenager, one in kindergarten, and one who is now 2 years old. Those are some different needs and priorities with no time for parents to grow into the challenge.

“Kelsey can entertain herself. She’s independent, but very loving,” Tim said. “Heavenly had some severe behavioral issues in the beginning, but she’s come a long way. Genie is Genie. She’s attached and then detached. She has her moments as I’m sure all 14-year-olds do.”

But few have had the baggage the two oldest had been saddled with. What was missing in their lives, as it is with virtually all foster children, is stability, a parental role model who will be there for them.

“We’ve provided them and showed them there are people out there who do love them for who they are,” December said.

The Barcrofts didn’t get to go to the nation’s capital Wednesday, but they did get to go to 108th District Court in Potter County last Thursday. There, before Judge Doug Woodburn, the Barcrofts legally adopted the three girls. No doubt which one meant more.

“Going to Washington would have been pretty cool,” said Tim, “but the real honor is the having these kids for a lifetime.”

But the Barcrofts hope this isn’t the final chapter. They would like to add more foster children and their own biological children one day.

“God’s not done with us yet,” Tim said, “but we’re going to need a bigger home.”

Jon Mark Beilue is a columnist for the Globe-News. He can be reached at jon.beilue@amarillo.com or 806-345-3318. His blog appears on amarillo.com.

DALLAS, Texas – Four Buckner families were recognized as 2011 Angels in Adoption for their outstanding advocacy for foster care and adoption by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) in Washington, D.C. at an awards ceremony and gala Oct. 5.

Rep. Mac Thornberry selected Amarillo residents Tim and December Barcroft; Rep. Pete Sessions selected Dallas residents Karen and Bryan Perry; Rep. Louie Gohmert selected Longview residents Kara and Locke Curfman; and Rep. Mike Conaway selected Midland resident Robert Ewing for the award.

Each family was nominated by Buckner Children and Family Services and was honored alongside 150 Angels at the national event. The Angels in Adoption program is CCAI’s signature public awareness campaign and provides an opportunity for all members of the U.S. Congress to honor the good work of their constituents who have enriched the lives of foster children and orphans in the United States and abroad. 

For the past two years, Tim and December Barcroft of Amarillo, Texas, have selflessly fostered three sisters and will soon adopt the girls as part of their forever family.

“Tim and December have so much patience with these children and take such good care of them,” said Brittany Porter, Buckner foster care case manager. “They have not once, despite all of the obstacles they have faced, faltered in their love. They put the children first always.” 

Karen and Bryan Perry of Dallas were nominated because of their devotion to the orphans of Guatemala. In the past seven years, Karen has made more than 30 trips to visit the children who call her ‘Mamita Karen,’ and the Perrys support has fueled Buckner’s growth to serve almost 14,000 children each year in that country.

“Orphans and vulnerable children have no greater advocate than the Perry family,” said Albert Reyes, president of Buckner International. “The number of children Karen and Bryan have served cannot be counted. They not only impacted the lives of the many children they have served through their time and resources, but they have also uplifted countless families through their support of the adoption process.”

Kara and Locke Curfman of Longview, Texas, have selflessly fostered children of all ages for more than two years, many with significant special needs, and they have even adopted two children.

“The Curfmans are a strong voice and dedicated advocates for children who have been victimized by abuse and neglect,” said Debbie Sceroler, foster care director for Buckner Children and Family Services in Longview. “They take every opportunity to encourage and educate the community about the critical need for children to have safe, nurturing foster families and forever families through adoption.”

Midland resident Robert Ewing, a single father to six adopted children and foster parent to one, has not allowed any obstacles to come between him and his love for his children.

“Robert is an advocate by example,” said De’An Davis, foster care supervisor for Buckner Children and Family Services in Midland. “His love of children and desire to provide this ministry for children is evident every day. We were honored to nominate Robert for his humility, sacrifice and unconditional love.”

In addition to the more than 150 local Angels from around the country, several “National Angels” also will be recognized at the ceremony and gala for their dedication and commitment nationally and internationally to child welfare on a grand scale.  This year’s National Angels are Academy Award nominated actor and screenwriter Nia Vardalos, NFL Linebacker Scott Fujita, and the Emmy-nominated television program Freddie Mac’s Wednesday’s Child. Former National Angels include First Lady Laura Bush, Patti LaBelle, Jane Seymour, Muhammad Ali, the late Dave Thomas, Steven Curtis Chapman, Bruce Willis, Alonzo Mourning, Rhea Perlman and Kristin Chenoweth.

The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) is a 501(c)3 nonpartisan organization dedicated to raising awareness about the tens of thousands of orphans and foster children in the United States and the millions of orphans around the world in need of permanent, safe and loving homes through adoption.  CCAI’s goal is the elimination of the barriers that hinder these children from realizing their basic right of a family. 

The Angels in Adoption™ program was established in 1999 as a Congressional press conference to honor outstanding individuals. Since then, the program has developed into a yearlong public awareness campaign culminating in an extraordinary awards Gala and celebration in Washington, D.C. For more information visit www.angelsinadoption.org.

This conference is designed to equip and help orphan ministry leaders, families, pastors, counselors, social workers and advocates to better serve the increasing number of families adopting special needs, at-risk and older children.

Attendees will learn from leading experts on how to better serve these families at all stages of adoption (contemplating, in process or completed). Licensed social workers, counselors and Marriage and Family therapists can receive Continuing Education Units (CEU) credits.

Register online and get 50% off by entering the promo code BUCKNER.

You can find more information on their website.