Way Maker

4/13/2022

Written by: Nancy Purtlebaugh

As I stood next to my sister in church that morning, I wasn’t sure how she was still standing. We sang the words to the song “Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light in the darkness-my God that is who You are,” and I felt the weight of the past few weeks, the past couple years- cause her to fall onto me.

My arms around her, tears falling - I wasn’t sure if she believed those words in that moment. In a span of a couple years my sister had been through a whirlwind of emotions. A messy divorce, to finding the love of her life a few years later, trying to start a family, to then finding out there were infertility issues. Many doctors and procedures later, and they ultimately find out they wouldn’t be able to have biological children together.

After many tears, grieving, and prayer, they decided they were going to start the process for fostering to adopt. They did all the things they needed to do (if you aren’t aware there are MANY steps you must take) and started their journey.

It wasn’t too long afterward they found out they had a placement. Maggie and Willie opened their home to Anthony and Sophia in hopes to become their forever family. We all fell in love with this sweet brother and sister.

Don’t get me wrong, there were many challenges. When children have been in the foster system, there is typically some sort of trauma involved. Yes, kids are resilient, but they also carry hard things with them.

At that time, it seemed as if things were going in the right direction. They were told that it was highly unlikely that the kids would ever go back to being with their bio parents. Their little family moved forward, trusting God along the way. Anthony was 3 and Sophia was 1 when they came into their lives. Without any encouragement from my sister and brother-in-love, a few weeks after the kids were living with them, Anthony started calling them Mommy and Daddy. He was longing for the love that they could provide.

As the months went by, everything seemed to be falling into place. Everyone continued to love on these sweet kids, and they were a part of our family. The right steps were happening for them to become their kids. Until my sister got the news that bio mom and dad decided to try rehab again.

You never want to wish that someone won’t get better. You also can’t imagine having these kids you love go back into an environment that is possibly unsafe. We began praying and had many others pray as well for the Lord to protect them and for His will to be done. We all knew what we wanted-for them to stay with Maggie and Willie. To pray that prayer-Your will be done-was extremely difficult.

What if God’s will was not for Anthony and Sophia to be part of our forever family? We got the news we didn’t want to hear. The kids would be going back to live with their bio parents. Honestly, their parents did put in the work to get sober. It still wasn’t easy to let them go. Right before Christmas that year, they went back to their forever home.

So, as we stood in church that morning, singing that song - I couldn’t imagine how my sister was going to get back to a place of believing that God was still making a way for them.

That He was going to give them the children they longed for. At this point, they weren’t even sure they wanted to open their home again.

When you open your home and your heart in that way it leaves a gaping hole. How do you fill that? We knew the answer was God, but at the time they were devastated. They had to allow time for the wound to heal, to grieve the loss of what they thought was supposed to be. All the while, allowing God to guide them.

I remember the day my sister called me to say they had decided they were going to open their home again. She said they knew it was something God had called them to, and they couldn’t walk away from that.

Not too long after that my sister called me to say that there were 4 little sisters that were available for placement. What?? FOUR girls. Are you guys sure about this? She then sent me pictures and the names of them. I immediately started praying. God started changing those questions in my mind into a reminder that He was making a way.

Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18-19

Once again, after all the required steps were taken, the 4 girls came to live with them in July of 2020. You think once you open your heart and are hurt-you can be more cautious and prevent that from happening again. It’s not possible.

We started loving those girls as soon as we saw the pictures and started praying for them. They are the sweetest, cutest girls you could ever imagine. I am happy and beyond ELATED to say that after this LONG journey on April 20, 2022 (one week from today) we will be standing in a court room as my nieces officially become a part of our family.

They are the miracle that Maggie and Willie have been waiting for. As it says in the song Way Maker - "Even when I don’t see it, You’re working, even when I don’t feel it, You’re working. You never stop, You never stop working”.

He was working through my sis and brother-in-love to orchestrate two forever families. None of this was easy for them. It was beyond difficult. There were things God saw that we didn’t. We must trust that because He sees the entire picture, His plan for us is ALWAYS better.

If you are struggling with what feels like unanswered prayers or going through a tough time, I will leave you with something my sister sent me - “Think of yourself as a house God is renovating. We think we know what work needs to be done. Maybe some small repairs here and there—and then God starts knocking down walls. We are confused and feeling the pain of this level of rebuilding. But maybe His vision is much different than ours. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but God is building a palace where He wants to reside.”

Remember friends—His plan is bigger and better! Don’t give up hope this Easter!! Like Maggie and Willie not seeing His full plan, His disciples could only see the cross on that Friday—But God knew Sunday was coming and there would be an empty tomb!

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21