Hey everyone! This month is orphan awareness month. Specifically today is Orphan Sunday. I love that this month honors and brings awareness to the ones that Jesus highly esteemed. The fatherless.
I know many of you out there think orphan care is a good thing. Many of you might get overwhelmed with the thought of how big the challenge is and don't even know where to start. Today...I have a very practical way that you can help an orphan. Your help matters to this boy. It could change the direction of his life forever.
I wanted to post a very practical need for a friend. When this need is met, an Arkansas teenage boy will find his forever home. If you find yourself led to share what God has given you...your gifts, talents, money, prayer, connections...let me know and I'll connect you with her. She has a heart of gold and desires to care for the orphans of NW Arkansas. She is doing it and wants to do it more but her family is outgrowing their current living situation. Read below the story I asked her to write out. She volunteers her time to advocate for foster children in NW Arkansas to be adopted/fostered by godly Christian families all while raising a crew of both biological and foster/adopted children. Here's her story and need:
When we began the process of opening our home for foster care in the summer of 2008, my husband and I would sit down with our biological daughters (Emily, then 5 and Kylie, 1) and pray every night for the children that would come to our home. We prayed that God would send the right children to our home- the ones that needed OUR family to heal them and love them. Then, at the end, Emily would add “Dear Jesus, please send me a big brother with anger management issues.” We just laughed and reminded God that she didn’t know what she was asking for.
Two years and 11 children later we are desperately seeking help to make that prayer a reality.
Our biological daughters are now 7 and 3. We have adopted our 12 month old son and are preparing to adopt our 10 month old and our 17 year old as well, but our family is not yet complete. Our 17 year old daughter has a 16 year old biological brother. He was taken in to foster care at the same time she was, but for some reason the children refused to be placed together. He has ping-ponged all over the state in the last year. He wants the stability of a family. We want to make him ours….forever. He calls us a few times a week and talks about his plans for college. He makes good grades and runs track. He is excited to live with his sister once again, and to become that big brother that Emily used to pray for, and the big brother all the children in our family would benefit from. Since finding out that there is a family that WANTS him, his journals have switched from talking about how alone he felt to how excited he is to be joining a stable family.
Our biological daughters are now 7 and 3. We have adopted our 12 month old son and are preparing to adopt our 10 month old and our 17 year old as well, but our family is not yet complete. Our 17 year old daughter has a 16 year old biological brother. He was taken in to foster care at the same time she was, but for some reason the children refused to be placed together. He has ping-ponged all over the state in the last year. He wants the stability of a family. We want to make him ours….forever. He calls us a few times a week and talks about his plans for college. He makes good grades and runs track. He is excited to live with his sister once again, and to become that big brother that Emily used to pray for, and the big brother all the children in our family would benefit from. Since finding out that there is a family that WANTS him, his journals have switched from talking about how alone he felt to how excited he is to be joining a stable family.
We would move him in yesterday if we could, but we have a couple of small hurdles to overcome before he can be ours. We are at maximum capacity in our 7 passenger minivan. 3 adults, 1 big kid, and 3 in carseats mean that our van is a bit uncomfortable when we all go places together, and would be impossible to fit another person in there. We NEED a bigger vehicle (an 8 or 9 passenger SUV would be ideal). We are also at maximum capacity in our home. Our home is 1622 square feet with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. We NEED to add on to our home, at the very least, add a master bedroom and additional bathroom. A dream come true would be that plus a garage, and then turn our garage into a family room. We are happily busting at the seems. Would you consider how YOU can help us give permanence to one more child in foster care?
Ann Meythaler Benton County Coordinator The CALL in Arkansas www.thecallinarkansas.org 479-206-0398www.myalabasterbox127.blogspot.com (follow our journey on my personal blog)http://www.peekaboonwa.com/articles/personal-stories/answering-the-c-a-l-l (my article in 11/2010 issue of Peekaboo Magazine)
It's time for the Body of Christ to step up and meet the needs of these children in our own neighborhoods. We are asking you, if you are called, to care for one of these precious children through foster care or adoption.
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I'm sicking papa Rex on this. Love you guys!
ReplyDeleterock it! tell papa rex he can come stay with us and we will treat him to homemade goodies...that would be awesome!!!
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