Brothers return home but now have a bigger family

Sherry and Geramy Marks met in college. Sherry was studying to become a nurse. Geramy was working on his masters to become a physical therapist. Friendship and romance turned into a commitment of marriage and they were wed in 2008. The couple dreamed of having four children. Naomi was born, and despite a difficult pregnancy, the couple welcomed Maya two years later. Again Sherry had a difficult time and the dream of more children ended. Or so they first thought.

"Our two daughters were enough," Sherry asserts, "but as the girls grew older, we started talking about more children."

After considering adoption, the Marks turned their attention to fostering after a Baptist Children's Homes' (BCH) representative presented the EVERY CHILD Foster and Adoption Ministry at their church—Temple Baptist Church in New Bern. Becoming a foster care family immediately struck a chord. Geramy and Sherry signed up for training classes and began the process to be licensed.

To become a foster family, a family agrees to offer their home and adult supervision to care for a foster care child(ren), providing daily 24-hour care. The licensing process typically takes between four to six weeks. A minimum of 30 hours of pre-service trainings come next. After the training, required licensing paperwork is completed and submitted.

BCH walks with EVERY CHILD foster care families through each step. Once the licensing and certification process is complete and a family is licensed to foster, a BCH case manager is assigned to them. The case manager walks alongside them becoming their advocate, helping them through any situation that arises along their foster care journey.

"We looked at our lives and realized we could help children," Geramy says. "Our home was a good, safe environment, we were financially stable, and we had the faith and love needed. Caring for foster children was our answer."

The couple's faith drove them forward and from the start they committed themselves to nurture and support the foster child's family as well. They determined to show the love of Jesus through their actions—loving and caring for the entire family in their time of need.

"We all have a tendency to judge before we understand," Geramy says. "We committed ourselves early to reunification and helping families come back together. We set our hearts to do all we could, helping parents as they worked to reunify their family—encouraging and supporting them."

The Marks's family officially became a foster family in October 2021. The excitement was palpable. The wait for their first placement, for what they thought would be short, went from a few days or weeks to two months.

"We had calls and each time we said yes, but circumstances would change and the children were not placed with us," Sherry remembers. "And then the call came for the boys and things moved quickly."

The two brothers were close in age. The youngest was born with cerebral palsy and could not walk unassisted. Cerebral palsy occurs most often before birth and symptoms can include irregular posture, exaggerated reflexes, and unstable mobility.

Naomi and Maya loved the boys from the start. The oldest brother attached himself to Sherry and the youngest to Geramy.

"God gave me a very special opportunity," Geramy testifies. "I knew I could use my skills as a physical therapist to help this little boy."

He developed a plan. The two-year-old needed him and Geramy was determined not to let him down. "My thoughts became what can I do to help this little boy be the best he can be."

Sherry was quick to reach out to the brothers' parents. They were working hard on their reunification plan. She blended the two families when she could—birthday parties, the boys' haircuts, cookouts.

"Mistakes are made," Sherry says. "It was best for the boys to be removed. But when it is safe for the child, there needs to be a way back for the parents—a path to forgiveness. I would want the chance to be reunited. It is what Jesus would do."

Nineteen months went by in a flash. The boys returned to live with their mom and dad—but now they have a bigger family. Sherry and Geramy worried about their girls. There were tears, but the couple had made the girls a part of what they were doing and they understood the goal. They were happy for the boys and witnessed how God worked to bring the brothers' family back together again.

Written By Jim Edminson, Editor of Charity and Children