In His Holy Dwelling

Sitting at our dining room table one afternoon, my mother shared a dream she had the previous night. In her dream, an angel had shown her twin baby girls and told her they were the children God would give me in two years. As a single woman in my late twenties, this was a welcomed promise from God, and I mentally calculated a time line for the next two years. As the days and months passed and no new romantic relationship materialized, I forgot about my mother’s dream. Eventually, my mother registered and underwent training to become a foster mother. As we shared a home, the evaluation included interviews with all adults in the home, including me. During my interview, I casually mentioned to the social worker that I was interested in adoption. Two years later, as my mother prepared for her first foster placement—newborn twins—she sat at the same dining room table, folding baby clothes.

As we talked, she commented that the social worker, who coincidentally happened to be the same one who had done our home assessment, had asked her if I was still interested in adopting. And if so, would I consider these tiny baby girls. Instantly, I knew these were the children in my mother’s dream, and I cried. This was not how I wanted to start my family, but tearfully, I prayed for faith to trust God’s plans. Two days later, we brought two five-pound bundles of joy home from the hospital. Over the next few months, friends warned me not to get too attached because there were no guarantees the girls would even be available for adoption. And even if they were, the chances of a single woman being approved to adopt them were slim. But in my heart, I held on to the promise of God, and I trusted Him to make a way.

After three years and multiple coincidences, or what we call Godincidences, the judge signed the paperwork legally making us the family God had created years before. Each time I look at my girls, I am reminded that God is still in the business of caring for the fatherless. He still orchestrates marvelous ways of setting the lonely in families.

He still leads us with joyful songs that reflect His unfailing love.

Melissa Martinez