Some are aware that last summer we took in a 17 year old girl as our foster daughter. Most don’t know the whole story, and I have been feeling led to share some from my heart of the account. 

It was a normal Friday morning for us last May, Josh had off work Fridays and Saturdays so it was a nice morning together as a family. I had some one on one time scheduled with Josiah later in the morning, but otherwise it was just another Friday together, a great one! Then the phone rang. 

It was a friend asking if Josh and I could come over and take a 17 year old girl to our house for safety. The person thought it would be for the day or the night or maybe the weekend, but simply called and asked if we would take this child or knew of a place she could stay. Josh and I talked and wrestled a little bit, but he especially kept coming back to the question, “how could we call someone else right now and ask them to do what we can do?” We prayed, we asked grandparents to watch the boys and we drove to this friends house to meet this young girl. On the drive we held hands and prayed again and we asked each other, “are we okay with this being longer than a night or two?” We both felt it was a yes.

We walked into our friends home where our eyes met this teenage girl who had black eyes and bruises all over. We introduced ourselves and the CPS worker asked Josh and I to step outside to speak with us. We walked out and were informed there is absolutely no other option for this child, would we be willing to take her in? My mind raced, how in the world is there no other option for this child? Josh and I said yes and stepped back inside. There were some more formal questions for the girl and us, essentially to her, “are you wanting to go live with these complete strangers you just met?” And to us, “are you willing to take in this complete stranger you just met who is obviously hurting very badly for as long as this case takes?” Which could be a month-2 years. Without hesitation we said yes. We said yes, because we both knew God wanted us to say yes. 

We drove home and awaited CPS to come check out that our house was a safe environment. We have never been through any foster training, we are not licensed foster parents, we have never had a teenager or a daughter, we have a basement that was finished in the 1960’s with an impressively springy pull out couch and oh by the way we have 3 boys and a dog in a 3 bedroom house…and we are the best candidates for this abused teen we just met? My mind is still blown by that to this day. 

CPS came and took photos of the area she would be sleeping, pictures of running water, and the refrigerator stocked with food. Our background checks were cleared…yes, even Josh’s…so we signed some papers, talked to the boys and waited for CPS to bring our new daughter home. The younger two boys were so excited, Josiah was a little more shy about the situation, completely understandably so, but they were all on board. We talked to them about her bruises and asked them not to bring it up unless she talked about them herself. We laid as many ground rules as we could think of for the boys in such a short period of time. All we knew about her was that her favorite color was green, she enjoyed art and she liked chocolate, so we ran to the store and bought her flowers, an art set and some chocolate. 

I’m so proud of our boys for the way they welcomed her. For the way they loved her. Within minutes Samuel was asking her if he could call her sister. That boy does not know how to love half hearted. I’m proud of my husband for feeling stirred about “passing her off” and not settling for the so easy excuses we could have given to not obey. I’m thankful for my parents watching our boys numerous times last minute because we were called to be in difficult situations. My momma heart felt peace knowing my boys were being loved on and that gave Josh and I time to discuss how and what to share with the boys about the difficult situations. I’m thankful for the time I was given with this young girl in my home. 

She ended up staying in our home for 2 1/2 months. She was an incredibly talented artist and my aunt, who is also an artist, helped get her involved at a local art studio. This art studio took her under their wings and loved her well. A few people from our church family loved her well and welcomed her also. When I asked her why she ran to my friends house, of all the people she knows and the places she could have run she went to this particular person that honestly she didn’t know that well. She said she knew she would be safe there and this person would do the right thing. Essentially for the first month we saw she was drawn to the light, she knew there was something in the mutual friends house she ran to, she knew there was something about our church family, and we told her straight up what made us so weird and crazy…it was Jesus Christ. 

She could not wrap her mind around our weirdness and why she loved it so much. We weren’t like any family she had ever met, because she hadn’t really met followers of Jesus Christ. She did not understand our community, but she loved it and was very curious about it. Because she was a female we were extremely cautious about me being the only one ever alone with her, which gave her and I a ton of time together. I fell in love with this kid, I sacrificed for this kid, I gave all I could give without holding back. I was no fool to statistics. Josh had worked with men in addiction and we had been involved with Wheeler Mission for over 11 years so we knew backgrounds like hers very well. But there was nothing going to hold me back from loving her wholeheartedly, there was no statistic going to deter me, not because I am some great person, but because I knew God wanted me to and He empowered me to obey. To love my family and that included her now.

She began to spend time with some friends that we loved, but knew were not going to help her excel and we knew they were a distraction on the opportunities she’d been given. We also knew, she had to be the one to see that and make her own decision. We had her group of friends over to our house one night, in their “inappropriate” attire and with a quick puff of vaping before they stepped inside we welcomed them with open arms. Before the night was over everyone was laughing and enjoying an all included baseball game in the backyard. These teenage kids all from very broken families and normally with unbreakable walls up were running around our backyard like little kids. Josh and I believe this was a gift God gave them to act like the kids they never got to be and our boys led the way for them.

Shortly after that night Josh and I received some difficult news that a friend had committed suicide. We attended his funeral and tried to grieve as best as we could and wept for his sweet widowed wife and precious twin 4 year old kids. There was a lot of pain those weeks and we tried to navigate it all the best we could, still raising 3 boys of our own and trying to parent a teenage girl.

Within a few weeks we knew she was making her decision and it wasn’t the one we hoped for. She was going further and further with friends that weren’t helping. She began to make unwise decisions and when confronted she became aggressive and violent. I thank God so much that the boys were never home during those times, God’s hand of protection was so clearly upon my boys and I thank Him constantly for that. Josh and I realized with her reactions to us that it was only a matter of time that her aggressive response would be when our boys were home and we knew we have 3 precious little men that would step in front of their momma in a heartbeat and we weren’t willing to risk what could go wrong. 

Eventually through a series of difficult events she ended up being placed in another foster home. It was only 2 1/2 months that she was with us, but it was some of the most impactful..and exhausting months of my life. I felt so much pain when she was gone. One of the people working with her assigned by the state called me after we were officially “no longer tied to the case” so to speak. She said her and her husband had been soul searching so to speak. They had pretty much given up on religion, and were just hoping to find “the real thing” someday. With tears she said, “Michelle, I don’t understand or know what you and Josh have, but I know it’s the real thing.” 

One can think I am sharing this to sound like some kind of saint, but that’s not my intention. This story is not about the Krumenacher’s at all, not one bit should it be. God calls every single believer, every follower of Christ to obediently serve Him. This is just one story of Him calling us to obey radically and love sacrificially. There was not a single thing about last summer that was easy, not one single thing. It was all really hard and there’s not one piece of it that I want to live over, but there’s also not one piece of it I would change. 

I saw the hand of God at work in ways that I never would have if we would have said no that normal Friday morning. I saw God care for my boys and my little family in such a powerful way that I can walk more boldly in faith to Africa. Josh and I were so ragged, we hurt so bad the week of Dwayne’s funeral. If there was ever a time to question what in the world God was doing to us, that would have been an optimal time. Our boys watched us walk through that difficult summer with no strength of our own to muster. None.   

He is faithful. He is good. He is sovereign. He never fails. He never makes a mistake. I don’t know all the reasons for the pain of last summer, but I do know our family is better prepared to serve in Burundi now and for that I am deeply grateful. It’s not because we “did so great serving” because we made a thousand mistakes at least, but it’s because we learned deeper who God is and with that deeper assurance we know He will carry us through. 

I challenge you to obey today. Maybe He has called you to love your family in a specific way today. Maybe He’s calling you to love an unbelieving family member. Maybe He wants you to share the Gospel with that neighbor. Maybe He wants you to do your part to get right with a friend. Whatever it is I encourage you to obey today. He is such a great God that He doesn’t give us step 17 when we’re on step 1. If I knew what lied ahead of us that Friday in May I would have said no in a heartbeat. But He gives you all you need for the step your on. I don’t need the grace for tomorrow today, He gives me all I need for todays obedience. I encourage you to listen in on what He desires you to do today in obedience to Him and do it. I don’t think you’ll regret it.