Mom Finally Answers Her Call Through Foster Care

Growing up, Amy LeJeune’s friends dreamed about meeting Prince Charming, getting married and picking out names for future children. LeJeune knew God had a purpose for her life but wasn’t sure if that would include marriage and family.

But in acting upon what she did know, that she was called to service, LeJeune found her vocation in marriage and motherhood as a foster and adoptive mom. During this Marian month of May, which honors biological and spiritual motherhood, LeJeune talked about the special mission of helping heal children and broken families through foster care.

As a young adult LeJeune considered joining the Carmelite community. Having difficulty making a decision, a Carmelite nun nudged her along and asked, “Why haven’t you said yes yet? Why haven’t you jumped into your vocation?’ ” 

LeJeune responded, “Well, I’ll have to pray about it.” 

After doing so, she found that wasn’t her calling. She attended college at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette and became a member of Our Lady of Wisdom Church and Catholic Center on campus. A friend there asked her to attend a young adult retreat in Eunice where she met her husband, Paul.

After they married, the LeJeune’s thought they would have children. When they discovered they had infertility issues, they prayed for God to reveal his plans for them as a couple.

When Paul was offered a job in Denham Springs, the couple moved there. One thing the couple discovered was Livingston civil Parish had the highest number of children in foster care in the state.

“We were on one of our evening walks and talking about our future plans. Paul said, ‘Well, why haven’t we said yes yet? We have a house and there are kids who need a home.’ ” 

So they went through foster care training.

“By the end of the presentation, we felt we were prepared for it and were called to do this and could do this,” said LeJeune.

An hour after the LeJeunes received an email notifying them they were certified in the state of Louisiana to provide foster care, they received notice there was a three-month old girl, Ember, and four-year-old boy that needed to be placed. They said yes.

“So we went from having no children to two children in an hour; it was crazy,” said LeJuene. “Luckily, our neighbors and community wrapped their arms around us.”

Two weeks later they received a call saying that two more boys needed to be placed. Lejeune laughed and said, “Are you crazy?” to the caseworker because the couple was still adjusting to taking care of the first two children. The caseworker said, “hear me out” and gave her some background on the boys. When the caseworker asked if they would take in one of the boys, LeJeune said she would talk to Paul about it.

At the end of the call, the caseworker told LeJeune, “I forgot to tell you the boy’s name. His name is Maximus.”

LeJuene said one of the first dates she had with Paul was to see the animated feature “Tangles.” Maximus is a palace horse for the Royal Guard in the film.

“(At the time) we said, ‘That’s it, we’re going to have a boy and we’re going to name him Maximus,’ ” LeJeune said.

When she talked to Paul about taking in Maximus, he said, “I don’t care what we have to do. He’s our son.” 

“And sure enough here came our blond hair, blue-eyed little boy,” LeJeune said with a grateful smile.

Since then, the LeJeune’s have taken in Kye, whose adoption is scheduled May 27. The adoption will be celebrated with a Toy Story themed party.

LeJeune’s experiences moved to help other foster parents. In 2019, she and fellow foster mom Shayna Landry founded the Family Village, formerly the Foster Village, north of Walker. When they met, LeJeune and Landry had each been collecting donations and helping families swap items they needed to care for children of different ages. They decided to expand their efforts and established the organization.  

Family Village provides emergency clothes, uniforms, bedding and formula to new foster parents, as well as a community center for foster parents and children to meet and get to know one another. Only two years old, the Family Village won the 2019 Livingston Parish Chamber of Commerce Community Impact Award and was recently selected a winner of the “Angels in Adoption” award, which is given to groups or individuals whose contributions in the fields of adoption or foster care have an impact on a national scale.

Rather than bask in the accolades that the Family Village has received, LeJeune prefers that the highlight be on parents who have opened their home to children whose broken family circumstances have caused them to be removed from their home and placed in the care of others. Many have experienced trauma. Some have seen one or both parents arrested in the middle of the night and whisked away. Some children’s parents, through addictions, financial or mental instability, are unable to take care of them. 

Sometimes there is a lot of paperwork on the child’s background when they are brought into a foster home, sometimes it is scant and may take a long time to come.

The hope is always that the families will be reunited, and sometimes parents are able to get help and that happy day arrives. 

Keeping this in mind, foster parents must take in children with open doors, hearts and hands, to both receive and release, according to LeJeune. 

“It’s okay to grieve, to cry when they leave,” said LeJeune. “But you ultimately trust that you have made an impression and that God has a reason that you don’t know about.”

She said that’s why it’s important to view foster parenting as a ministry. 

“I constantly tell people they are not your children, they are God’s children,” LeJeune said. 

And believing you can never have too much love, the LeJeunes have two vacant beds upstairs from when they were recently put on notice that they may have twins placed with them, but the children were placed in other homes.

“We’re just waiting for the call,” LeJeune smiled.