November is National Adoption Month. California has more than 33,000 children and youth in Foster Care. There's a desperate need for families willing to adopt.
"Baby girl" is a beautiful and happy 2-year-old. While friends know her as "Faith, "legally, her name is "baby girl."
"She doesn't have a name. She doesn't have a birth certificate. She doesn't even have a social security number," says Jessica Criner. D.J. And Jessica Criner have fostered little Faith from the moment she was born. D.J. is pastor at Saint Rest Baptist Church in Fresno.
Faith will one day learn her life began right inside the church walls. Two years ago Pastor Criner and members of his congregation were ministering in Tent City near Downtown Fresno.
"We came across a young lady who was using a crack pipe. And my wife and a lady called Tamara Morgan, they noticed that she was pregnant, so we prayed over her and asked her if she would like to come to church the next day," says D.J. Criner.
The woman accepted and the next day she was at church. "In the middle of church service she went into labor. And she fell out in the middle of the aisle and was having severe contractions and water broke and everything in the middle of church service," says D.J. Criner. They rushed her to a hospital and two days later she gave birth.
"The doctors didn't think that faith would be able to live. they said that her lungs were not developed because of all the cocaine," says D.J. Criner. But miraculously, Faith did very well. "When she was in her mother's womb, it was almost like a cocoon came around you know the womb, to block her from all the exposure," says D.J. Criner. Faith's birth mother surrendered her baby at the hospital as part of the Calfornia law that allows anyone to safely surrender a newborn, no questions asked.
"They were going to take her into the system and my wife she said no," says D.J. Criner. "I actually got to see her birth. I got to see her, I was the first one to hold her, touch her, feed her, talk to her, sing to her," said Jessica Criner.
The need for foster and adoptive parents like the Criners is big. On any given day there are about 400,000 children in Foster Care in the US. California alone has 33,000 children and youth in the system. But becoming foster or adoptive parents is hard.
"The paperwork was not fun. it's a lot of paperwork. You have to really be, I'm gonna do this," said Sharon Patterson.
Jim and Sharon Patterson know first hand both the struggles and joy of adoption. Their three adult children are all adopted.
Patterson, the former Fresno city mayor and current california legislator, is trying to make it easier to adopt.
"The first bill we passed was unanimous, sailed through both houses, the Governor signed it quickly and it does help Foster families and adoption families to have their adoptions quicker, less expensive. We can shorten the time and make it much more predictable and the legislation also makes it much less expensive." Jim Patterson.
The Patterson's oldest son B.J. was 16 months old when he was adopted. "The minute we brought him he was ours. It's hard to explain unless you've experienced it," said Sharon Patterson.
B.J.'s first memory as a child is a good one. "I just knew I was where I was supposed to be at," said B.J.
B.J. is proud of his history, and proud to be adopted. "We were hand picked, by our parents, and they said, this is our child. It makes me feel really special."
Jim Patterson says adoption will be a priority his entire political career. "We invite the adoptive families to write the legislation. What would you do if you were me and how would you fix the circumstances that you have found?"
The Patterson's and Criners share a very similar story. Like most all adoptive families everyone can remember the day their adoptions became final.
The Criners were joined by much of their church family when they officially welcome Faith into their family.
No longer is the sweet child known as "baby girl," she is now Faith Mia Criner and her family, including baby sister Jeselle, couldn't be happier to continue their life together.
"There are a lot of children that are just sitting there stuck in the system waiting for someone to love them, someone to grab them, someone to bring them home. Take a chance on a child. It's a blessing to be able to adopt a child. And we are honored. She's been more of a blessing to us then i think we have been to her," said D.J. Criner.
For more information on becoming a foster or adoptive parent:Fresno County Foster Care ServicesInfant of Prague Adoption Services