Life has changed. Again. I guess we asked for it.

Quite frankly, we were overwhelmed and didn't expect so many things.

On Tuesday last week, we called Social Services and asked if at least one of the children could be moved. One of the relatives of theirs was recently approved and so all three children were moved there to keep them together as much as possible. So on last Friday a nice social worker came and picked up our charges. We may possibly, no probably, run into them around Mobridge since we shop there fairly often and it's a small town of about 5,000. But we basically have no more to do with them officially.

Such a sudden ending to such an enormous task.

At times we feel like failures for not having the stamina to endure. At times we feel like staunch guardians of our children, who were becoming estranged. Mostly we are grateful for the small input we were able to give to these precious little souls and to provide a safe home when they needed it.

I don't know if we will be foster parents again. It took a lot of energy. Energy doesn't come from nothing which implies that other things lost out. So is the sacrifice worth the benefit if the benefit has no effect for us? Yes. And No. We still have a heart for these orphans, even temporary ones. What is the best way for us to help? We are still sorting out that.

For now, our house is very quiet during the days. Caleb joined the school across the street in January and Sarah joined in early March during all the hustle to find a little place of quiet. Neither is necessarily permanently gone. Quite possibly, we will be running a homeschool again come fall. But for now, I have time to recoup and recover. Life was not all bad when the little ones were here but life was not all good either.

Sorry to give you this confused email. I suppose that is how my heart is at the time. And we want to be open with our hearts, especially to you, because each of you is dear to us and we want to be honest.

In conclusion, our God has been good. We trust in his providential hand to move our lives only for his glory and not for our own. We trust, we trust, we trust and that is our hope.

Praying you too are filled with hope and wonder in Christ,

Blessings,

Marcia for the Swann's

Hello there,

We are the seven Swann's a swimming, really, right now! With the addition of these three adorable foster kids, our house is hopping almost all the time. The first two weeks were nearly killer as they us adjusted to each other and how our house would be. Now the silent ones talk a lot and rarely cry, unless there's actually a reason, like being hungry, having a "special" in the diaper, or needing a nap. Now things are at a level that we can tolerate. Tonight we hope to have a family meeting to make life even better than tolerable, perhaps even up to enjoyable again!

A basic lesson on foster care for those of you wondering:

Foster kids are generally from the local area, within an hour or so. The Department of Social Services decides if the children need to be put into care and gives recommendations to the courts. The courts decided for how long and what steps the parents must take to get the children back. If the parents don't comply or don't comply enough, then the courts choose to find another safe home for the kids. The courts also place the children in relatives' homes if that is an acceptable option. Federal law says a permanency plan needs to be chosen within a year. The courts can give an extension of the time though, if circumstances warrant it. Since these are Native American children, the tribe then has three months to find another native home for them. Otherwise, the social workers can then look for a home amongst outsiders.

Some of you have asked if we will be able to adopt these three. Probably not, highly unlikely not. They were placed with us on an emergency basis initially. So we are at the very beginning of the above timeline. They are from a large family with several people wanting to take care of them. They are from a decent size tribe that has other good homes in it. Our chances are slim to none here. But we are grateful to serve the orphans of our time by providing a safe home and helping them grow and develop in the meantime. We try to give them hope through Jesus for the days to come.

Caleb is loving the Herreid School. He misses having as much free time. Sarah has become somewhat jealous of his tales of fun and success from there. She's wanting to try it just for a day.

Naptime is short and I have a few other things to accomplish quickly before they awake.

Blessings,

Marcia for the Swann's

Super fast.

Last Friday we were called for an emergency placement and now have three little foster kids living with us; the estimate is for a month. They are five, just turned two and just turned one. So, we are back into diapers, naptimes, midnight cries (not too often), and they are all sick and need medicines. Needless to say, I'm a little short of time but adjusting quickly into a routine.

And our other big news: Caleb started at the school across the street at semester time in January. So far, it's going very good. Sarah is still being homeschooled, in between snack and nap times.

Life is full and life is good.

Oh, and our crazy side again: I, with Steven's assistance, sewed an ultralight backpack for his upcoming insanity. He and two friends are planning on hiking through the Centennial Trail in the Black Hills this May. That is 110 miles in five days. Not for me but I'll do what I can to help him along the way so he survives and can come back home to his "sittin' around eatin' bon bons" kind of wife!

Full of blessings and blessings prayed for you,

Marcia for the Swann's