With seven broken bones, large whip marks, and ears that had been twisted so much they were purple, it was apparent that 2-year-old Logan needed plenty of healing – physically and emotionally.
“He was bruised literally from head to feet,” Amy says. “He had a bruise on his buttock that stayed for four months.”
The toddler came into the world as a result of rape, and his mother left him with her alcoholic parents who also smoked pot. They abused Logan and left him to wander the streets. Amy and Brian thought the boy was autistic because he was withdrawn and emotionless and wouldn’t make eye contact.
“But he wasn’t autistic,” Amy explains. “All he needed was love and attention, and then he became a normal, super-kind little boy.”
For almost two years, Amy and Brian loved little Logan as their foster son, with hopes of adopting him. If Logan needed to visit his birth mom, Amy spoke about it in positive terms; but Logan never wanted to go.
“How ’bout if I wait till tomorrow?” he would ask in his sweet 4-year-old voice.
The visits became longer as the foster-care system worked to reunite the boy with his birth mom. Eventually, Amy, Brian, and their other children (several of whom had been adopted) had to say goodbye to Logan.
“I should have been a basket case by the last two months, not knowing if he would be with us or not,” Amy says. “But I never really lost it. I trusted God. I didn’t break down in front of Logan.
“When I was younger, I would have. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to control myself. Now I’m much more prepared in a Christlike way. I’ve had eight children, and I’m more trusting. I know God loves these kids and knows exactly where they should be.”
Logan’s birth mother is a young non-Christian who doesn’t know much about being a mother, but she’s learning.
“She listens, and that’s rewarding in itself,” Amy notes. “She calls me for advice all the time. She trusts me and likes me, and I love her. She needs Christ, and she needs a mother [figure].”
No matter what happens with Logan’s future, Amy and Brian know that God gave them a chance to take part in a healing miracle.
“The wonderful thing about foster care is that we had the chance to be part of a transformation. Just the love of God, the love of parents, and the family giving him attention completely transformed Logan. And now he has a shot at life.”
Julie Holmquist is a book editor at Focus on the Family. She and her husband, Jeff, have raised four children, two of whom were adopted.
|