Woman Says God Told Her Couple at Church Were 'Chosen' To Adopt 2 Abused Foster Children
A San Antonio couple is giving all credit to God for building their family through the adoption of two children living in foster care.
LaKenya and Allen Shaw, from San Antonio, Texas, have been married for over 15 years.
They experienced the confusion and heartbreak of miscarriage and ached to be parents.
Everything changed when a foster mom named Theresa Nealy felt a tug from the Holy Spirit telling her that LaKenya and Allen were meant to adopt.
Nealy attended church with the Shaws and had been a foster parent for more than 20 years.
She currently had two young children in her care, ages 3 and 4, who had been removed from an abusive home.
“In my mind I heard God say, ‘Those are the parents I have chosen for those children,'” Nealy told Fox News.
While Nealy thought about how to broach the subject with the Shaws, God was preparing LaKenya’s heart to welcome children into her arms through adoption.
“I was at a retreat when God told me to stand up and tell all these ladies that next year I would have a baby on my hip,” LaKenya said. “And that night, Theresa Nealy called me.”
LaKenya learned about the children’s traumatizing background of abuse, how they were found chained and leashed in a backyard surrounded by feces.
“All I could hear from God was, ‘these are your babies,’” LaKenya said.
“When we met those children, they knew us and we them, it was an instant connection and so evident God had purposefully connected us.”
LaKenya and Allen adopted the two children along with a baby who was born to the children’s biological mother while she was in jail.
The family of five became official in May 2018, and are working towards healing, bonding and thriving together.
The Shaw’s give all credit to God for empowering them to parent children who are processing trauma.
“God just gave us the grace to deal with them and be patient with them,” LaKenya said. “We could tell they were sweet and precious kids, but they’ve been through a lot.”
“All God gave us was love for them.”
While LaKenya once felt confused and heartbroken over her inability to conceive children, she now understands it was all part of God’s perfect plan for her life.
“God is faithful,” LaKenya said. “No matter what the hardships are — God can do it. Just trust God, and He brings it all together. Romans 8:28. We live by that.”
Romans 8:28 reads, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
LaKenya and Allen love watching their children be immersed in love from their new extended family and community, and love watching how the children have started to flourish.
“It’s a beautiful thing that they’re thriving,” LaKenya said, “to see these three kids laughing and just being kids, at the end of this day, it’s just beautiful.”
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