By Alexis Altstadt
Natural Family Planning
My husband, Blake, and I have always wanted to have children. In 2023, we began the journey of trying to grow our family, but it quickly became different from what we had expected. Month after month passed without a pregnancy. We began using NFP, stayed in contact with our doctor, and eventually started infertility testing. Some of the early results suggested it could be difficult for us to conceive naturally, yet our official diagnosis was still unexplained infertility.
During this time, I began reaching out to friends who had experienced infertility themselves. Two close friends shared their stories with me. Both had adopted children before later conceiving biological children. In those conversations, another possibility came up — fostering. Each time fostering was mentioned, I felt a deep sense of peace wash over me, as if the Holy Spirit was gently leading my heart in that direction.
Blake and I had talked early in our relationship about possibly becoming foster parents someday, but we had always imagined it would be later, after having children of our own. Yet during this season, it began to feel as though God might be calling us to it sooner than we had planned.
For several months, we prayed and had many long conversations about what fostering would look like. We talked about our hopes, our fears and what we would need to do to prepare our hearts and our home for children who might need a safe place to land. In April of 2025, we finally made the call to Debra Corn Foster Care, an agency that helps support foster parents through the licensing process and throughout the journey of fostering.
In July, we received the news that we were officially licensed. Just hours later, the calls for placements began coming in — children who needed a home. We were excited but also very nervous. We had never been parents before. We didn’t know exactly what it would look like, and we knew many of these children had experienced trauma, grief and loss.
At first, we had to say no to several calls because of work schedules and the challenge of finding daycare. But in early August, we received a call about two sisters, ages five and two. This time, we were given the weekend to think and pray about it, which is very unusual in foster care, where decisions are often needed within the hour.
Blake and I spent that Saturday discussing what we should do. We both felt unsure. Taking in two children at once felt overwhelming, and we ultimately decided we would probably wait longer.
The next day, we attended the 4 p.m. Mass at St. Mary’s — an unusual time and parish for us, but it happened to work with our schedule that weekend. The homily began with the words, “The time is now. The time is now.” In that moment, I felt as though the Holy Spirit had taken the wind out of me. It was as if God had spoken directly to both of our hearts. After Mass, we made the call and accepted the placement of the girls.
The girls have now been with us for seven months. It has not always been easy, but it has been one of the most love-filled, joy-filled and grace-filled seasons of our lives. Through this journey, we have come to see even more clearly that every life matters. No matter what someone has been through — inside or outside of the womb — each person has dignity, purpose and immeasurable worth.
We don’t know how long the girls will be with us. We don’t know if they will one day become our adopted daughters or if they will return to their biological family. We also don’t know whether we will have biological children of our own. But in the midst of that uncertainty, Blake and I have learned the beauty of being content in all circumstances. God has brought a deep peace into our lives through this realization: if we have him, we have everything we need. He will continue to provide.
One of my favorite parts of being a foster mom has been teaching the girls about Jesus. They didn’t know him before, but they do now. They sing songs about him throughout the house, pray together with us and love asking questions during Mass. Their favorite book to read together is our children’s Bible. I am so grateful that the Lord has allowed us to play a small part in bringing more hearts to him.
Fostering is not easy. It isn’t glamorous, and it isn’t something to pursue simply as a way to grow your family. It is a calling from the Lord — a call to something greater than ourselves. It is a call to help grow his kingdom, not our own.
Some of these lessons we have only learned after stepping into this journey, but we are deeply grateful for them. God calls each of us to be his disciples and to say yes when he calls. Blake and I are simply trying to live out that yes as faithfully as we can.
Maybe fostering is also something God is calling you to consider.