Shawn and Brenda

Baby Girl Doe. That was the only name on her file.

“Emma’s” journey into my life began one sad day when her mom dressed her in her pajamas and in a daze caused by methamphetamines, handed her to a stranger at a bus stop. It was mid-January, pouring down rain in NW fashion, and Emma was left with no blanket or coat, no food, and nothing to identify her. It wasn’t too long before YFC received a call to find a home for this infant that CPS knew nothing about.
Meanwhile, Shawn and Brenda, YFC foster paresnt were anxiously awaiting their next Youth for Christ call so they could bring a new foster child into their home. When they heard about Emma, who was still being referred to as “Baby Girl Doe,” they lovingly opened their arms and hearts to receive her into their home.

Not too many months later, Emma’s birth mom had a second child, Drew. She was still unable to care for her children, so Shawn and Brenda went to the hospital to pick up Emma’s two day old brother. Since that time we’ve had the privilege of watching Shawn and Brenda lovingly raise these two children. Then during June 2009, in a Pierce County courtroom, we joyfully witnessed Emma and Drew’s adoption as they became a permanent part of Shawn and Brenda’s family. There have been ups and downs in this journey, but throughout the past two and a half years, God has taught all of us many lessons. Although Emma was unknown to us, her Creator was diligently watching over her. Now she and her brother are thriving in a loving home and are intricately weaved into the DNA that makes up this forever family.