Two families choose adoption and leave a life changing legacy that has affected their families in a most heartfelt way.
Skeeter and Bonnie Hubert knew they had enough love to give and make a difference in the life of one youth. The impact on their family was forever changed. “Start with a desire”, said Skeeter Hubert. “The rest will fall into place. I cannot explain how it falls into place; it just does.”
At age 15, Serenity came into the Hubert’s home as a foster child, which led to an adoption. Serenity was in survival mode and had an outcry to CPS about her mother’s choices with drugs and other negative associations the young girl knew were detrimental to herself.
As the girl and her mom were moving from a hotel into a house with some men, CPS got involved and placed Serenity in foster care. Unfortunately, the CPS involvement did not scare Serenity’s mother into good behavior as the young girl had hoped. The school was notified of the potential situation that typically might result in school absences. Still, Serenity kept showing up as a reprieve and safe space during the day, not losing hope.
One day, Serenity was in Bonnie’s office, who happened to be her school counselor at Conroe High School and was staring at the Hubert’s family photo and said: “That’s all I really want is to have a family.”
As the young student was yearning for something, the Huberts were at a point in their life where they too were seeking and praying about when and if it could be the right time to increase their family.
The family met with Serenity on the weekends through various CPS placement homes for family time, and it started the process for the Huberts to become foster parents. It was meant to be as the family embraced Serenity and adopted her as one of their own.
The Huberts adopted Serenity Armstrong at age 17 in 2014, and the young girl found a thoughtful way to surprise the family with an enormous Christmas gift that year – she had changed her name to Hubert, and even paid for it herself. One could only imagine the tears of joy shared that morning.
Today, Serenity is 25 years old and thriving as a married mother of two, serving her community as a conservatorship and director at CPS, advocating on behalf of other children. She has walked in their shoes and is out to help encourage them through her own story.
“However dysfunctional you think your family is, it’s better than where they're at,” says Skeeter.
James and CeCe Ray had always had a heart for adoption since CeCe’s brother was adopted growing up. With three kids of their own, it was not on the radar. As their oldest daughter was getting ready to graduate high school, James had dreams about having kids or adopting. CeCe knew it had to be God-related because they had not been considering adoption.
While the family put their name and applications in with multiple adoption agencies, that is different from how their adoption story came to fruition.
Through the grapevine, word spread in the community that the Rays were considering adoption, and CeCe’s cousin’s daughter happened to be seven and a half months pregnant at age 17. She delivered early and asked CeCe to be there for the delivery, and there was no pressure on the girl to give up her baby, as the Rays were looking to adopt an older child. But after three weeks in the NICU, the girl pleaded with CeCe to take her baby and love him as their own, and the baby boy was transferred to Texas, and the Rays brought him home to add to their family with two four-year-old boys.
Over a few weeks, the Rays were offered five babies. CeCe was sitting with their newborn, and her cell phone notifications were going off about a social media post that her church pastor posted about a need for a newborn baby boy, born in a bathtub. As others reached out to CeCe as a resource for encouragement, the couple simultaneously knew God had chosen them to adopt that baby boy 24 hours later.
In 2019, the Ray family instantly grew with two newborn boys within six weeks. Now the boys are four years old, and the family moved out in the country to Montgomery for more space to raise their family where the boys run outside amidst nature.
“It wasn’t in how we intended our story to go, but it goes to show that when we opened up our hearts, God led the way,” shares CeCe. “We had to be open and ready, and God blessed us tremendously.”
“However dysfunctional you think your family is, it’s better than where they're at,” - Skeeter