God brings the right team together for the Bradys

By Blake Ragsdale | Editor of Charity & Children

The basketball teams were decided. Jeremy and his youngest son, Ezra, would take on his oldest son, Gabe, and the family's sixteen-year-old guest, Devin. When the two-on-two basketball game was over, Devin and Gabe exchanged high fives as they celebrated their victory underneath the hoop in the Brady family's driveway.

Jeremy smiled as he watched his two sons and Devin together.

"'This is it,' I remember thinking," Jeremy reflects. "We all meshed really well. It was an eye-opener."

The real victory on the day of Devin's visit was much more than the outcome of a basketball game—it was the first signs of what would become a life-changing relationship between Devin and the Bradys. Because of that visit, in addition to several more, they are now the teenager's foster family.

Jeremy and Amelia Brady, who live in Greensboro, are an Every Child | Every Church foster family through Baptist Children's Homes (BCH). Before making the decision to be trained and licensed through BCH, the couple had a basic knowledge of foster care and the vulnerable circumstances of children in the custody of the state's child welfare system.

"We were donating to The Family Room before we even understood what fostering was," Amelia explains. The Family Room in Greensboro, which is now Amelia's employer, provides resources and support to foster families.

"We donated clothes and toys, knowing they would go to children in need. That was good enough for us at the time."

The Brady family's journey to becoming a foster family began with their church, Mercy Hill in Greensboro. In 2019, Pastor Andrew Hopper began a sermon series that not only discussed foster care and adoption from a biblical perspective but helped the congregation understand the purpose of fostering: to care for children while their biological families work towards goals in order to reunify.

"We had never thought about it like that before," Amelia explains. "We've been blessed with this extra bedroom, and we always knew that there would be a reason for it."

After much discussion and prayer, the Bradys became licensed through BCH. BCH walks alongside its foster families and supports them throughout their journey.

Jeremy and Amelia had specific ideas about the age and gender of a foster placement and what would be the best fit for their family. What they discovered, in the placement process, was something completely different.

"We learned our plan is never as good as God's," Jeremy says.

Through their BCH case manager, Lorie Brinkley, they heard about Devin who was 16 at the time. Eager to meet him, they arranged a video call with the teen who was equally excited when he learned about the opportunity.

"I was like, 'that would be cool,'" Devin says. "In foster care, I always see people come and go, and I was the one who was like, 'When is my time coming?'"

Devin longed to be a part of a family. A positive video call turned into a first visit with the Bradys. Knowing that the teen enjoyed sports, they invited him to the Wyndham Championship, a PGA golf tournament in Greensboro.

That successful day turned into more visits including meeting the Brady's extended family and playing that special game of basketball with Jeremy and Amelia's two sons at their home.

"I was kind of shy a little, but I realized it's time for me to come out of my shell," Devin says.

All the time they spent together culminated in the decision for Devin to move in—the five of them would become a family.

"It was really beautiful," Amelia recalls. "He mutually made the decision that he wanted us to be his family, too."

There were many prayerful considerations that went into them coming together, including Devin feeling good with being part of a Caucasian family. Devin is also neurodivergent, which means his brain works a bit differently and, at times, he depends on the additional support of the people in his life.

"The Lord has really torn down fears and walls," Amelia explains. "We're humans who have been uniquely and wonderfully made. That is an overarching theme in our family and especially with our two biological boys, as well"

"I felt like it's been great," Devin says. "We get along. We know how to play as a family. And Ezra and I get to play basketball together."

In addition to the support provided by Brinkley, another BCH professional, Tara Sessoms, has also joined the Brady team. Tara works in several capacities, but her specific experience with BCH's Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities Ministry and knowledge of NC Medicaid and its Division of Health Benefits have helped the Bradys identify the right options and support for the 18-year-old.

Everyone's goal: to equip Devin to have the maximum amount of independence while helping him reach his goals and dreams. The Bradys have been helping him build skills towards independence.

"There is a team of people who are able to look at this child, see what the needs are, and determine how we all best serve him for his future," Jeremy says. "He's always going to be our kid, and we're always going to be in his life because we were called to be."

As the team works to ensure Devin's future is secure, there are many joyous moments the Bradys have been celebrating in the present.

For Devin's birthday weekend, Jeremy and Amelia facilitated a reunion between Devin, his biological mother, and biological brother who all live separately.

"Devin's mom said, 'I've been praying for this moment,'" Amelia says tearfully. "It was so cool we got to be a part of that little reunification. Even though the three of them cannot live together, they were successfully reconnected."

Devin also became a part of a small group at church. Through it and the Bradys' Christ-centered home, Devin was growing spiritually.

"I was believing in God and putting my trust in Him," Devin shares. "I was reading the bible at my group and came home that day and was like, 'Hey, I think I want to get baptized.'"

Last June, both Ezra and Devin were baptized on the same day. All three of the boys have trusted Jesus as Savior.

The team surrounding the Bradys, from their church family to BCH, have made their fostering journey possible. By welcoming Devin, they have met some of the deepest needs in the child welfare system—providing a home to an older child. Jeremy and Amelia's faith has grounded them throughout every step.

"We have learned that God never sends us where He won't equip us," Amelia says. "Many times, we had to get on our knees and surrender our control and our plan for His, but His plan is always better than we could ever imagine."