Opening up her home to any child in need; that is the calling for Laura Mitchell. Laura said that this is not how she ever expected her life to look. She thought she would be married and have a family, but now at age 37, she is single and a full-time mom. Laura felt called to open up her home, the home that she grew up in, to children in need.
Her calling started when she was on a mission trip to Africa. After this trip, she looked into adoption, first international, and then she turned to foster care. Laura stated, “When I came back from Africa I just really thought I would start the international adoption process.
She then chatted with agencies until she learned that many children, even children in her home city, needed a place to call home.
Laura became a foster mother in 2011 and since then has fostered 53 children and adopted seven. She is proud of how far her children have come and what they have achieved. If they can come to trust and love again, it is a cause to celebrate. Building healthy relationships with those around them means progress for her children.
Of course, it is challenging. Even with a great support system from her church community, Laura says that there is not much time for dating and she needs a lot of patience. Laura sums it up beautifully: “What I see is that God is doing beautiful work, and I kind of get a front row seat to watch them grow and heal, and I watch them fall in love with Jesus too. But I just feel like when God calls you, he equips you, for so while there are some hard days and there are some exhausting days there is always just a strength that only comes from him and gets me through each and every day.”
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