Meet Our Families - Ron & Margie

Meet Ron and Margie! They have been foster parents for 9 months and have 3 adult sons, plus a 7-year old boy placed in their home. Ron and Margie love to spend time outside. They love to travel – hiking, biking, and exploring different places and their cultures. 

Beginnings
We decided to become foster parents to help people who are in need of assistance during their struggles. Our role as foster parents is to be a stable environment for the child(ren) until they are reunited with their parent(s) or with other family. So far, we have been able to help several families by caring for the children who need support. We pray that God uses us mightily, not just for the kids, but the entire family and the agency. We know He will direct our steps during this season.

Likes
Fostering has been very rewarding. It can be a lot – schedules, behaviors, managing the household – but when you know you are making an impact for a child or family by doing what you are called to do, which is love, it all falls into place. Everyone goes through trials and tribulations. During those times, we can be a solid foundation for the kids. We keep them safe and provide a loving environment for them.

Challenges
One of our biggest challenges has been wanting to include the child’s biological parents from the onset. That isn’t always possible, depending on the situation. We manage by leaning on the case worker that is assigned to the child and reaching out to our support team at the agency. Above all, we rely on our faith.

Advice
Advice I would give to someone who is considering fostering would be to put yourself in some of the worst possible family scenarios and process that mentally. Then, if you choose to serve, don’t give up! Push past the uncomfortable situations. From our very first placement we chose love, not just for the child, but for her entire family. We reminded ourselves that if we couldn’t make sense of a situation, how could we possibly expect a child to understand it? Processing those emotions, but not letting them define you or the child, is very important. Be in it to help, not to judge. Love conquers all.