Category: Uncategorized

Give Kaydin some encouragement! Use the Leave a Reply field at the bottom of this page.

When I look at you, I see I have a family to go to whenever.
When I hold you, I feel that I am safe and I don’t have to worry if I can eat or sleep that day.
When I smell you, I smell the cupcakes we were eating that day at the celebration of our adoption.
When I first saw you I knew that it was finally true.

When I think about you, I think of all the years that I felt sad but now that I have you I’m happier.
When I imagine my life without you, I picture a place I would feel unsafe.
When I hear others say you are a ring*, I say you are way more to me.
When others see you they think of you as jewelry, I think [of] you as new mom.

When I feel cold on my skin you remind me that I don’t have to worry.
When others say I’m the girl that was in foster care and then adopted, you say I’m that girl that is safe now.

*On the day of her adoption, Kayden was gifted a ring by her new mother, Tina

All that is gold does not glitter;
Not all who wander are lost.
The old that is strong does not wither.
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.— J.R.R. Tolkien

She was a full-time mom; he was a youth director. They were married, had two girls, and were happy and content. Then an idea got into their heads and would not go away. For 10 years they prayed. At last a door opened and their prayer – to
start a summer camp in eastern North Carolina – became a reality.

Starting a camp led Desta and Sammy to the heretofore unimaginable idea of becoming foster parents. Foster parenting
led them to Maria. And Maria is the spirited, big-hearted, animal-loving daughter at the center of their lives today.

For I know the plans I have for you,
declares the Lord, plans to prosper you
and not to harm you, plans to give you
hope and a future.— Jeremiah 29:11

You probably know this beloved verse by heart. It was originally spoken by Jeremiah to offer hope to God’s people in exile; today we read it at baby baptisms. It is also appropriate for this story about Desta and Sammy. Becoming adoptive parents by way of starting a camp may seem a bit circuitous, but wandering down this path prepared them for a higher calling, one they had never imagined.

Desta and Sammy wandered, but they were never lost. Instead, deeply rooted in faith, they were open and receptive to God’s plan, a plan that fills us all with great hope for the future.

— Rev. Bruce E. Stanley, President / CEO

Sophia, 13

ZoZo, 7

And nobody gets left behind.

Love means being there when someone needs you.
As foster parents, Brittany and Sam knew they’d teach this lesson to any child who came to live in their home. It’s just who they are.
Then cancer flipped the script.

The diagnosis came about six months after Sofia and ZoZo moved in – Sam had brain cancer. Then, another hit – he had a mini-stroke during surgery to remove the cancer. Sam was paralyzed on the left side of his body and faced a long stretch of recovery.

They’ve always been a silver-linings family with a strong faith community, Brittany says. When the word went out, love showed up.

This is what love does.

Brittany remembers standing in the kitchen with Sofia as someone from their church dropped off meals. Sam was still in the hospital and the enormity of it all sank in.

“Sofia – she looked at me and was like, ‘Wow. People really love us.’

“I said, ‘Yeah, they do. This is what love does.’ ”

The church’s meal train fed them for months. People built a wheelchair ramp over the front steps. They picked up the kids from school and took them out for ice cream. “We have a lot of people who’ve loved on them and made sure they feel cared for,” Brittany says.

The siblings’ adoption plan was never in doubt – and when the day arrived, Sam was walking and driving again. The family celebrated in matching T-shirts with a line from Lilo & Stitch, one of their favorite movies: Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.

Because – this is what love does.