Alumni Updates 2003
Tom Jamara's SSCA Story
James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…”
For nearly three years, my wife and I prayed over adoption. Then in early 2019, it became clear that God was leading our family in the direction of fostering (James 1:27). My wife and I completed foster training through our county’s department of social services in the fall of 2019. Even knowing this was God’s call in our lives, numerous questions came up: Did we have space for another child? What age would we be asked to care for? Can our family do this? How will this impact our biological kids? Despite these questions, we kept our trust in Him (Proverbs 3:5) and, in April 2020, opened our home to a 4-month-old little boy. He had been physically abused by his teenage mother, his father was in jail and immediate family were unable to take him in. His care required most of our attention and energy, but it was clear God had prepared our family, including our children, for this season. Our family was to show the unconditional love of God to this little one. All the time and stress on our family has been worth it, because every life is valued (Psalm 139:14).
We have learned fostering is not something you do alone. We have been blessed with support from family, friends who have fostered or adopted, our church family, other local churches and the pregnancy resource center that assists fostering families. It is truly amazing how everything works out as God has planned (Ephesians 1:11). In our busy lives, it would have been easy to create excuses to avoid what God has called us to do. Worry, doubt and fear are all real, but we are reminded that God provides (Matthew 6:25) and He is faithful (Deuteronomy 7:9). We do not know who will join our family in the future, but we continue to trust God and know that He is in control.
Robert Bolesta and Leigh '03 Forsstrom
Louie Forsstrom Bolesta born on May 27, 2020