It Is Well: The Hartman Family
Jon and Mandy with their two biological daughters
The children Jon and Mandy Hartman have fostered with ABCH since they began fostering in March 2013 have always been infants, as young as nine weeks, and toddlers. They experience firsts with their foster children many times over: the first time they sit up, roll over, take a step, and speak their first word. “And then, all of a sudden, they leave,” Jon says.
As rewarding as foster parenting is, it can also be heartbreaking. When our foster families open their homes to a foster child, they treat and love them as their own. They become attached as if they are their own. With the goal in mind of foster care being reunification to their birth families, our foster parents desire that the children in their care will feel at home in their foster home for as long as they are there. They also hope that in that time, they will experience God’s love in a lasting way.
For all of the pain that is felt when a child leaves, there is joy in knowing that Kingdom seeds were sown in their life. Mandy shares that she and Jon always sing “Jesus Loves Me” to their babies before bed. They still have the pleasure of being in touch with one of their previous foster placements and his mother. Years later, this little boy’s mom shared with Mandy that he remembers that lullaby being sung to him.
“So that's just an encouragement to us that while it’s hard, we know that it’s making an impact, and maybe even an eternal impact, on these children,” Mandy says.
CALLED AND CAPABLE
At the first informational meeting about fostering that Jon and Mandy went to, they thought that maybe they were there to just check it out and be able to offer help to their friends who were fostering. But God had other plans. Mandy says, “We both walked out and almost immediately looked at each other and said, I think we're supposed to do this. We truly felt God's call after that first class. And we were all in after that.”
Through the ups and downs alike, the Hartmans have certainly been all in these past 8 years. One of the things that have kept them going has been having a strong support system in their church small group and through ABCH. Mandy says being able to bond with other foster parents in their small group has been so encouraging.
With regard to ABCH, she says she could not imagine fostering without our ministry. “There’s so much support, education, providing for our physical needs … gift cards for meals when Jon was in the hospital … ‘praying for you’ texts. This support has kept us going in times where we’ve wanted to maybe throw in the towel,” she adds.
Another thing that has kept them going is realizing God’s hand in their service, and Jon encourages those thinking about taking that next step, “You don't have to avoid it (foster care) just because you're scared of the unknown, or because you think that you're not capable. We're not capable. God makes us capable of doing everything that we do, including fostering.”
Understanding that fostering may not be the right fit for everyone, Jon says being able to support those fostering is also a great help, and Mandy agrees, “If you can't foster, you can support a foster family. Absolutely. You can help them emotionally, spiritually.”
PUTTING OTHERS FIRST
Fostering has been a learning and growing experience for the Hartmans in many ways. From the training they’ve received, they feel they have become better parents overall. Foster care has also helped them understand the gospel in a new way, especially about sacrifice, Jesus’s love, and grace. They share that foster care has also had a profound impact on their two girls.
“That was my biggest fear at the beginning. I was afraid fostering would negatively impact our two children, but it has positively impacted them in so many ways.” Mandy continues, “Their eyes have been opened to different situations that they wouldn't know about otherwise. I feel like their friend base has widened because of it. Their hearts are just huge.”
With tears in his eyes, Jon explains their ultimate ‘why’ behind fostering: “We love the kids, and God has called us to do this. And one thing that we’ve reminded ourselves over the years is that no matter how painful it is for us, it pales in comparison to the pain that these kids have felt.”
Visit our Foster Care page for information on fostering with ABCH.