The Needs of the Least

Today we are going to get a little gritty. I have had this subject mulling in my head since the New York vote to allow late term abortions. This is not a debate on the abortion issue. This is a plea to my fellow sisters and brothers who proclaim to be Christ Followers and love life. This is a plea for us to truly do what the Bible teaches in the Old and New Testaments. This is a plea to do “pure and undefiled religion”.

These thoughts have been going through my head because right around the time of the New York Vote, Leighanne and I began doing some research on the foster care system in Wayne County Georgia which is where we now live. On that particular day we researched how many foster families were in existence. We discovered that there are only 11. Now for some of you that number may not mean much. But we also discovered that there were about twice that many children that needed homes.

Leighanne and I were working on a project with the Foster Care System so I asked the Director what this means for children when there are not enough families within the county. She told me that when a child comes into care and there are not enough families within the county that the child lives in, then that child is usually placed with a neighboring county if possible. This leads to many complications. It puts another burden on the birth families and the fostering families to add travel into their schedules. The children’s school get disrupted with a new school to attend. The list goes on and on. The ultimate goal in foster care is reunification of the child and family. The reason for foster care is to give the family time to get themselves together after working a plan, gaining parental skills, getting detoxed if necessary, getting employed, etc. so that they can then be reunified with their children. It sounds like a noble worthwhile program. And it is. But …THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH FAMILIES!

Let me say that again. THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH FAMILIES!

Where are the families that should be taking these children into their homes?

They are sitting in pews all across our county and yours also.

Now I know this is not fun, and I know some of you have just tuned me out. Because reality and truth is never easy and rarely easy to think about.

But my sisters and brothers–WE are the solution.

The CHURCH aka the body of Christ is the solution for this problem.

I just googled “how many churches in Wayne County Georgia? In about 20 seconds I counted 55 churches.

Let that sink in. 55 churches and 11 foster families.

How are we reading the Bible and yet we still are not reaching out to the least of these? I don’t know the answers to the next question, but I wonder how many of these churches have Orphan Care Ministries? Are we promoting the need for foster families? Would we rally around a foster family if someone felt that calling? Provide respite care so the parents can go on a date? Gather clothes for any new children? Provide them with a meal from time to time? Volunteer to come over and help out however you are needed?

If even half of the 55 churches had 1 family to volunteer to be foster parents, the need in Wayne County would be met. Is it an easy calling? NO–it is not. Being foster parents was one of the hardest callings we have ever done. But y’all–last time I looked the Bible didn’t mention only choose those things that were easy. And please don’t tell me that you couldn’t foster care because it would hurt your heart. Of course it would! If you are “loving others more than yourself” it’s going to hurt. In fact, there will be days that will just downright stink! But there will be days that won’t stink also!

But here’s the kicker. God didn’t just tell us to be foster parents. Here’s just one verse about helping orphans: Psalm 82:3 “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. “

You may not be called to be a Foster Family. But you are called to defend them, and to uphold them. What might that look like you ask?

1. Get certified to provide respite care. There are very few of us who could not volunteer for this responsibility. Foster families are not allowed to have just anyone “babysit”. They need people to fill out some paperwork and submit their driver’s license to be able to provide care for a short amount of time. If they need to go away for a longer stay, they need certified long term foster families.
2. Provide clothes, shoes, car seat, crib, toys, diapers, just about anything–when a foster family gets a new placement.
3. Bring a frozen meal to a foster family. Can you imagine the joy of knowing that one less meal would have to be made by you because someone cared enough to bring a meal to your family?
4. Welcome foster families into our churches. Y’all let me tell you–foster families are sometimes dealing with “real” issues. Sometimes the kids act out, say things you wouldn’t approve of, do self-harm and simply sometimes don’t know how to accept love. Love them anyways!
5. Be a friend. Did you realize that families with a large number of people in their family rarely get invited to do a game night or come over and get to know each other. Sometimes we just need to be hospitable. Foster families desire to feel normal–but we sometimes neglect to open our home because of the large number of people to feed, entertain, etc. Did you know that you can feed a whole bunch of mouths from a crockpot filled with spaghetti sauce and hamburger meat? Add some pasta, a little salad, and 2 loaves of garlic bread and that will feed about 14 hungry people. (I’ve got some experience on this.) Not only will you be showing some love to a foster family, but also what a great way to model to your own children how to show love and build friendship.
6. Become a CASA volunteer. Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteers attend court hearings, visitation meetings, meet with teachers, and other people involved with the foster child. Their goal is to advocate for the foster child to gain permanence in a timely manner whether that is reunification with the birth family or adoption through the Foster Care System. They gather facts and present their findings to the court system on behalf of the foster child.
   
   

Listen–I hope you are not feeling depressed –okay Julie, one more thing to add to my plate. What I’m saying is this–take a look at your life and your family’s lifestyle. Are there things that keep you from reaching out to others in need? Has God called you to help Foster Children, and you are running from it? Were you unaware of the need? The need is real. It’s not going away–in fact, the need will only get bigger if we don’t step up and do our part.

The need is just not in Jesup, Georgia. There are approximately 14,000 children in the Foster Care System in Georgia. The United States has around 443,000 children in the Foster Care System. There are 140 million social orphans in the world. 15 million orphans who have lost both parents.

But—I’m not talking about all of those.

I’m talking about 1.

What 1 child will YOU minister to? Whether by fostering or providing support for the foster family? We are not exempt from doing our part.

We are the hands and feet of Jesus.

There IS NO EXCUSE.

I love you all,