Due to the generosity of those who give to Sunrise Children’s Services, Chris and Heather Arnett from Lexington can follow the path of foster parenting and permanently impact the lives of children. This is their story:
“As we found ourselves moving closer to God personally and as a couple, it was evident that He had turned both of our hearts toward children in need.
“While we cannot speak for anyone else thinking of adoption, we were genuinely uninformed about what a child would most likely go through before even being in a position to be adopted. From the heartbreaking trauma that led to them being separated from their biological families, to being shuffled in and out of foster homes on what had to seem like a whim in a kid’s eyes, the thought of stepping in only after that unimaginable hurt had taken place was no longer an option for us.
“By God’s grace and with the training and unending support of the Sunrise staff, we have had the privilege of caring for and sharing the gospel with 13 kids since April 2015. We currently have five children from two different families in our care, with the intention of adopting all five. Despite the unending barrage of emotional highs and lows, we are surer than ever that we are right in the center of God’s will for our lives, to care for the widows and orphans (James 1:27).
“To anyone who is on the fence about becoming a foster parent, who fears getting too attached … please know that you are exactly the kind of person a kid in distress needs. …You could be the only true image bearer of Christ they will ever encounter.
“Just recently our 12-year-old son, with tears welling up in his eyes, sat down beside us on the couch and said we changed his life and saved him from darkness. Being able to point him, in that vulnerable moment, to the One who truly saves us and reminding him of the promise of Romans 8:28—that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose—confirmed what we already knew: every anxiety-filled phone call, every sleepless night, and every gut-wrenching goodbye was worth it.”