It's Not About You.

That's what a foster mom kindly, but directly, said to me as I gave her the reasons why my husband and I could never foster.

"I could never give them back. We'd get too attached."  I compassionately proclaimed to her.

And all she said was, "It's not about you."

And there you have it.

I didn't take offense to her comment. Because she was right.

There are hundreds of innocent children in our city alone that do not get to make the decisions where they will live.  They have been pulled from their families for safety reasons, but they don't get an opinion as to where to go next.  They have no voice.

But I do.  And I use it a lot.

Unfortunately, it's too often for my own self-promotion.

What if instead of giving excuses as to why foster care isn't for our family, I started advocating for the child who doesn't have a family?

The bible is clear in it's mandate: To be a voice for the orphan.

Foster children are orphans. Whether for a few days, months, or years, they are without their biological family.

There are some great ways to care us to for them. 

1.  Through Foster Care, where children are placed with your family for the short or long term until their family is stable enough to get them back or until they are available to be adopted. 

2. Through Respite Care, where you receive the foster care training and then take children into your home for short periods of time.  (i.e. overnight, the weekend, or a week)  Alabama DHR confirmed they are in great need of Respite Care families as well as foster families.

3. Adopt from the foster care system.  There are over 300 children currently available for adoption in foster care in the state of Alabama. 

Children placed in foster care may not have a voice.  But we do.  

Even greater, we have the ability to give them the structure and love that they desperately need.

Foster care is not a walk in the park.  It can be messy and hard.

But it is also part of the adventure that God calls us to as believers- to care for the orphan.

You may not know yet if this is for your family- but we encourage you to join us and learn more at our ONEfamily Foster Care Q&A on August 1st at 6pm in Room 7207 at Frazer UMC. 

Frazer Foster families will be sharing their experiences and insight about the fostering process.  

If you already know that you are interested in Foster or Respite Care, the next ten-week training course begins September 6th at Frazer.  Please email Leslie at onefamily@frazerumc.org. 

*This is a repost from a July 2011 blog entry at Waiting on a Word.

Learning More.

On any given day, there are approximately 420,000 in foster care across the United States.  


They range in age from newborn to kids in their late teens. 


1,200 enter foster care each day and average about two years in the foster care system. 


These children are placed in foster homes or group homes. 


No matter their age, they don't get to decide where they are placed. 


They have no control and no voice. 


Almost half a million children in foster care. 


Half a million children who have been through trauma and distress that need care and love and stability. 




They need a bed.  


A stable environment. 


A hug. 


A toothbrush. 


Someone to tuck them in at night. 




Children in foster care deserve a chance.  They deserve to be placed in a home where they feel safe and love abounds. 


So I have to ask the question.  


What about YOUR home? 


Could YOU be a family that provides a refuge for children who need safe place to land? 


There is a huge need for full-time foster families AND for respite care families. 


Respite families provide short-term care. They take in children for the a night or two when they first come into care.  They take in foster children for a few days, weekend, or week when their regular foster family needs someone to care for them due to illness, going out of state, or family emergency. 


Both full-time foster care and respite care families take the same amount of training in Alabama.  


BOTH are desperately needed in our state. 


So I have to ask the question.


What about YOUR home? 


Could YOU be a family that provides a refuge, either for a few days or a few years, for children who need a safe place to land? 


If you are interested in learning more about the foster care process, please join us on August 1st at 6pm for a Foster Care Q&A panel.  Foster families from our church will be answering questions about foster and respite care.  The panel will be held at Frazer UMC in Room 7207.  


We would LOVE for you to join us for this informative night. 


Learn more.  Ask questions.  Pray about your role. 


Hope to see you then.