As you know, my journey into foster care has taken a very, very long detour. Letting go of the plan and the journey to live life where I am now was tough. I wrote previously about the mixed feelings of signing the forms to cancel my license. I'm not sure the full reason why. It's not like I even live in that state anymore. And, its not like I spent years fostering children in that state either. I did put many long hours and months working towards that license and preparing everything, but, alas, that season has come and gone. So, back to living life where I am now.
Due to my home remaining unsold (prayers welcome!), I have found myself in a new season. It is obvious that right now...and maybe for quite some time...I will not be able to foster. That journey is going to have to wait. So, when talking to God about my disappointment, He reminded me that just because I can't foster doesn't mean I can't make a difference for these kiddos.
After much thought, prayer, and some chats with friends I committed myself to lead a new small group at my church. A group focused on Orphan Care. The group was approved, I went to group leader training, and I was assigned a "coach" (all group leaders have coaches/mentors). I picked a book and started putting together a collection of ideas for what I imagined the group to do. I was pretty excited. Only one problem...no one showed up to the group meeting. This week will be Week #4 and I am still the only member of my group. But, its OK. My coach may need to continue to remind me of this fact, but it really is OK. I think it is a breakthrough for me and maybe even for the church. This is an incredibly important subject and one that every church should embrace fully. So its OK if no one has signed up for my group. Its only the beginning and God isn't done yet. A new vision of how to get people involved may have to be put into action, but it is only the beginning.
My coach and I have discussed that vision. One that creates opportunities for others to serve and make a difference in the lives of these kiddos without having to commit to a group & regular meetings. The more opportunities for involvement, the more awareness that will be created. And then maybe, just maybe, a core group will arise that would be able to become the Orphan Care group I had imagined. So, the prayer now is that I find the right opportunity, get the support needed to advertise it, and the volunteers to make it happen.
I have a project in mind that I'm currently researching a bit more as something to lead up long-term. It would basically be to locally collect & distribute new or gently used duffle bags, suitcases, backpacks, and small plastic tubs for kids in foster care. As you may or may not know, the kids are, more often that not, only given a trash bag to move their belongings. Their whole world is being ripped apart and we can't give them more than trash bags?! They deserve more! I have looked into becoming involved with large organizations that do this. One, Together We Rise, is based in California and do awesome work! But I really would like to be a small, local access point. The gear would be distributed directly to foster families and maybe to agencies to give to their families. I've also considered the need for distribution at local agencies that help women who have been rescued from sex trafficking. As I have learned more about the scope of orphan care, this is an issue that my eyes have been opened to widely. And, recently I was able to spend an entire evening learning about sex trafficking. I would encourage each of you to learn more about the slavery that is occurring in our own communities. Anyway, this project may never come to be, but its what is on my mind right now. I've started communicating with a local lady in order to get a better vibe of the local need and what has or hasn't worked for her as she has done some small scale collection/distribution. So, prayers for this idea as well.
I have shared a lot tonight, but it has been some time since I last posted. And, if there are any errors in this - I am definitely blaming it on this stupid sickness that just won't go away. I literally haven't left the house in 5 days! Tomorrow I hope to change that despite the fact that I'm still not "well." At least there is improvement, so I'm hoping I can trick my body into thinking it is well if I just get up and try to live a normal day. Good luck to me!
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