God’s fingerprints are on the day-to-day activities of ordinary people, including extraordinary disappointments. Loredana Reddekopp knows that full well.
In The Stuff of Life
Life’s normal challenges… death, moving, lack of financial resources, familial responsibilities, setbacks, or disappointment, have God’s fingerprints on all the details.
Loredana Reddekopp is an expert at dusting for God’s fingerprints. Loredana and her husband Dale, are colleagues and friends. She excels at her profession as an ordained minister, pastor, communicator, and administrative assistant but she loves being a mom, and perhaps more so, being a grandmother.
She also knows the disappointment of being unable to do what she loves. And despite the loss, persevere to be willing and obedient to God.
Disappointment, Loss, Grief
“I had always wanted four children.
I am extremely thankful for the two that I was given, BUT I had a plan for four. Due to complications with both of my deliveries, I was advised by my doctor and my gynecologist to not have any more children as my husband Dale would be bringing them up on his own as I would not be alive.”
I grieved for a year for the two children I had wanted but wasn’t going to have. BUT, God had a plan that I didn’t know about yet and which I wouldn’t have even considered if I had had two more children.
We became foster parents to over thirty kids during our five and half years of fostering.
Foster Children
Taking them to church, dedicating the four who were babies that we were entrusted with, and speaking hope and life and truth into the all the children’s and teen’s lives over their course of stay with us, whether long or short. And each child when they left did so with a Life Book of whatever time they had with us. Pictures of them as part of our family – happy times, being part of our family and extended family.
I scrapbooked it for them to let them know that there was a time of hope and life and fun and purpose in their childhood. They weren’t a mistake, they weren’t “too bad” to be loved, and the Lord had a plan for them.”
The Need in Alberta
The province of Alberta launched a campaign this year called ‘Just Like You’ to in hopes of creating 100 additional foster placements over the next year. Children are less likely to leave their home communities or be separated from siblings if there are more foster homes.
Children’s Services is looking for more foster parents – just like Loredana or you – to provide a stable, loving home to children and youth in government care, whether on a full-time or part-time basis.
Foster parents can be single or have a partner, be any age, and they may or may not have their own children already. They could also be an empty-nester.
For info, call 1-844-957-0552 or email fostercaregiving@gov.ab.ca.
Do you have a story of finding God’s fingerprints on your disappointment? Or do you have experience as a foster child or foster parent? Please join the conversation and post a comment below for Loredana and share this post. Thank you.
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