Local couple Faith and Steve Harralson recently launched a new website geared at helping families who are navigating foster care or adoption. Their goal is to be a support system, sharing the ups and downs of their own journey.
After battling infertility for a few years, the couple faced heartbreaking loss and several unexpected challenges on their journey to create their forever family.
“We had a failed independent adoption. We tried embryo adoption. We had three embryo attempts and one time it stuck, and we lost the baby,” Faith said. “There was so much pain with the heartache. After this, we decided to do foster care to provide a home for those who needed a place.”
The Harralsons opened their home to seven different children over the course of three years, including two girls who were with them for 18 months before returning to their birth mom.
Through the years, the couple gained a wealth of experience from their journey, including fertility consultations, embryo adoption, foster care, and domestic adoption.
Now, they are turning their challenges into an opportunity to reach out to families on the same journey, including through Faith’s three children’s books.
“I had originally planned to have a publishing company, but felt called to offer coaching and consulting for foster and adoption,” Faith said.
In addition to faith-based coaching and resources for open adoptions, their website includes blogging with weekly updates about their next adoption journey.
“We want to walk people through our journey to see what it’s like to uncover some myths about this process. We want to bring awareness that everyone can have a place in the process and support it in some way,” Faith said.
As far as a husband’s perspective, Steve recognizes the value of taking one day at a time, even in the middle of the toughest storms.
“I have learned as a husband to be vulnerable,” he said. “As men sometimes it’s hard to do that. It helps you to be a strong head of the household. Some of the things we’ve gone through that I thought would happen, did not go that way.”
Even with all the unexpected events he and his wife faced, Steve knew he had to let go of trying to control their outcome.
Faith added that when people allow the pain to push them to purpose, it changes their outlook during each trial.
“Any infertility is very painful,” she said. “If you can trust the Lord that He does have a plan, try not to push the pain away. Let the pain allow it to unfold what He really wants and intends for your life — it’s not what you expect.”
While each loss felt like it challenged their plan for a family, Faith and Steve never gave up.
“I wanted all these children,” Faith said. “I would never have become a foster mom if not for infertility, never adopted this sweet gift if it wasn’t for that. It pushes you to see what God has for you — bigger and better than you thought.”
Now that their website has officially launched, the couple will be blogging about their journey and sharing through their personal Facebook pages as well.
“We are finished with our home study and are just waiting for our gift,” Faith Harrelson said.
For more information, visit their website at faithandwonders.com
