November is National Adoption Awareness Month! All month long Gateway Longview is highlighting the stories of our amazing adoptive families and their road to adoption. Today we highlight the Oles Family!
Meet the Oles!
Originally certified in: August 2015
Number of children fostered: 7
Number of children adopted: 1
Number of days Tessa spent in foster care: 999
What led you to fostering?
"Growing up with adopted cousins, adoption became something I couldn’t imagine my life without. This planted a deep desire to adopt even as a young child. That desire never left and as I grew so did my heart for children from a hard places."
How did you make the decision to adopt?
"We first started pursing the possibility of adoption when our first three children were little. Gateway was one of two agencies we contacted, I was answered with a friendly, kind and peaceful voice on the phone. After answering some of my questions I was asked if we would like to attend an orientation.
A few weeks later we attended orientation at Gateway-Longview, we were told a sibling group of 3 came into care that day but due to the need for sibling group homes they were all separated. Ben asked how old they were. “1, 2 and 3.” The same ages as our children at the time. Ben then said “we are doing this!” I laughed and told him he could but I would need to pray about it, and that is where our fostering journey began.
Both fostering and adoption did not come without highs and lows. Seasons of difficulty and joy, pain and beauty. Throughout it all the privilege of this journey and to be able to love precious children is an absolute blessing! We are so thankful for Gateway and the Lord throughout our journey."
How is Tessa now?
We often talk about the day Ms. Sarah called us with our little girl, and Tessa loves to retell it with excitement. From the minute we met her squishy little self we have loved her! We are so thankful that in April of 2019 she officially became an Oles!
Her spunk and sass are hard to beat, unless you have met her sisters of course! Her love for life can be heard loudly for all to hear and we couldn’t imagine life without her. She has overcome so much and is doing wonderful. We are so blessed and thankful that she is ours!
Visit our Foster Care and Adoption page for more information on Gateway Longview's Foster Care and Adoption Program!