Will and Erika Gibson with sons Garrett, George, Owen and Colin.

When their son Garrett’s lungs collapsed and he nearly died at birth, Will and Erika Gibson noticed something during his two-week Neonatal Intensive Care Unit stay at Brenner Children’s Hospital that broke their heart — all the sick infants whose parents never visited them.

“We saw firsthand the horrible truth that some parents really do not care for their children,” Will said. “They would recover physically but they would never have a good family life. Our hearts were broken but what would we do?”

The answer would come a few years later, echoing a call found in a chapter of James that Will once memorized in high school: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction…” (James 1:27).

“We kept running into people who had either adopted or kept children through foster care,” Erika said. “This included several members from Triad active in our Miles of Hope for Orphans ministry.”

Excited as they were, the Gibsons still had many concerns. How would their boys react to another child, and where would they find room in a small ranch house already bursting at the seams? And then there were the issues of time for training and money.

God addressed each, one by one, including the ability to move into a larger house in a kid-friendly neighborhood, and encouragement that came from Pastor Rob Decker in a message from Psalm 119:105 about trusting God to light the path along our journeys. Tying flashlights to his feet, Decker illustrated how ancient travelers used lamps to keep them on the path of the steep and winding trails they traveled at night.

“We decided to take Pastor Rob’s advice,” Will said. “We were going to trust God to lead us through the process one step at a time.”

God’s path for them had a few surprises. They would not be adopting a 4-year-old girl past potty training. When Seven Homes Foster Care & Adoption Agency called on June 16, 2013, it was about a 2-year-old boy who needed temporary foster care.

Will and Erika Gibson with poster they made celebrating the addition of George to their family.

Stepping out in faith, the Gibsons welcomed George into their home June 18. God quickly allayed their biggest fear.

“He fit in from day one,” Erika said. “He loved all the new toys, and he loved having ‘brothers.’ He adapted quickly by copying everything his brothers said and did. It was the perfect match or him and our family. Our extended family treated him like one of our own and, at neighbors and nursery workers at Triad alike commented on how well he was doing and how well he fit in.”

But the Gibsons knew the happy scenes would soon fade to tears since they were foster parents for George.

The dreaded court date arrived on April 16, 2014 — the legal proceeding that was supposed to begin the process of permanently transitioning George back to family in New York.

Will and Erika sat in court from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. but George’s case was never heard, and a social worker offered a ray of hope. His mother had asked that he not be sent to New York, opening up the possibility of the Gibsons becoming the legal guardians instead.

A judge settled that questions on May 28, 2014, in a marathon and sometimes contentious court hearing that began with the social worker arguing for Will and Erika to become George’s permanent legal guardians to end a long history of abuse. The child’s mother’s attorney and grandmother objected. The judge called Will and Erika to the stand and questioned them in detail about home life with George and their willingness and ability to care for him.

After a lunch recess, the judge rendered his verdict. “He read to the court for nearly 45 minutes,” Will said. “In the end, his verdict was even more favorable to use than what the social worker had proposed.”

Added Erika, “We had been granted permanent legal guardianship. We get to keep him, and he is ours forever!”

The Gibsons celebrated with family and friends June 21 at a local park — a ‘Got You’ party complete with cupcakes, ice cream and a homemade poster welcoming George into the family with photos of George with his brothers.

The impact of the judge’s decision hasn’t been lost on George.

“For several days, he kept saying, ‘This is my forever family,’ ” Will said. “With God’s help, we will be the best family we can be for him and provide him a good Christian home. In the coming years, we hope to fully adopt George.”

Added Erica, “Our greatest hope is for a second adoption — for him to be adopted into the family of God through salvation (Galatians 4:4-7). We should have so many years together as his earthly family but we really want George to be part of a truly ‘forever family,’ a spiritual family that spends eternity together.”