http://www.fostercaremonth.org

May is National Foster Care Month...You Can Change a Lifetime!

All children — including the 463,000 American children and youth in foster care — deserve a safe, happy life. Young people in foster care especially need nurturing adults on their side because their own families are in crisis and unable to care for them.
Each May, we salute the compassionate people who make a difference by serving as foster parents, relative caregivers, mentors, advocates, social workers, and volunteers. Thanks to these unsung heroes, many formerly abused or neglected children and teens will safely reunite with their parents, be cared for by relatives, or be adopted by loving families.

But some children in foster care are less fortunate. Most communities across the country are urgently seeking more everyday people to help these youth overcome their troubled childhoods and realize their full potential. No matter what their age, every young person in foster care benefits from a meaningful connection to a caring adult who becomes a supportive and lasting presence in his or her life.
Take a closer look at the number and diversity of people who were once in foster care. It might surprise you. In fact, there are an estimated 12 million foster care alumni in the U.S. representing all walks of life. Behind this statistic are countless stories of children who grew up to be thriving adults while others struggled with life’s challenges all alone. The difference between triumph and tragedy will become very clear as you read about these foster care alumni. Success stories come about when someone takes the time to offer comfort, provide support, give advice, or simply share a milestone moment with a youngster enduring a difficult family situation.
Now is the time to get involved. No matter how much time you have to give, you have the power to do something positive that will Change a Lifetime for a young person in foster care.

"21 KIDS!" Someone Recently Shared this Story and Link With Me

Very encouraging!! It is easy sometimes to feel isolated and bogged down by the "system".  It is wonderful to hear other stories of how God is moving to place children who do not have a  forever family, into loving Christian homes. I'll agree with a friend-I have no room to whine.  I love my children!! I like the quote/paraphrase from this families' blog-"The journey to the children is what beats you down-not caring for and loving them"
Reminds me-Don't ever listen to someone's "No", when God has told you "yes".  Don't ever ignore God's "No" when someone is telling you "yes".

http://itsacrazylifebutitsourlife.blogspot.com/p/our-adoption-story.html

I want to go hold children and help in whatever way I can....

I want to go to Africa. I want to go to Africa and hold children and help in whatever way I can. Yes, I have 5 children. I am a parent and foster parent. And I get a lot of practice holding and helping children. But, Africa has been in my heart for years. And no matter how impracticle it may seem, I have it in my heart to go. My husband is too sweet. "If you want to go, go ahead, we just need to work out the details." Coming from a man who will be left at home with 5 children, that means a lot. But, he has always been a hands on Dad. For which I am so grateful.  Now on to the details.......$$$, childcare, getting over the feeling that I am abandoning my family(for a few days), and not being able to be here for them. I am just sure it will be so hard for them to make it without me for 2 weeks. So God, what is the perfect plan???? I think Id like the "handwriting on the wall" type response.  At least, I must provide God with some comic relief on many days. In the least, I know He loves me and has the perfect plan ahead. All I need are the directions for one step at a time.

"Labor" Day

     I love children.  I love adoption and seeing children find wonderful loving homes! I love having a huge, sometimes chaotic family. We started parenting 15 years ago with the birth of our first child. Even at that time Jeff and I knew we wanted to adopt.  We individually knew we wanted to adopt before we were married. After the birth of our first child we signed up for our local foster care agency.  We took the training (what little there was 14 years ago) went through the home-study/psych eval/home invasion. And it just wasn't God's timing. We suffered through a miscarriage. Delt with diappointment and loss. And wondered why. When our daughter was 3 we were blessed with another child. Yet we still had a desire to adopt. We again sufferd through another miscarriage when our second child was 1. I was finished with pregnancy!
We went on with life and enjoying our girls. Yet I still felt there was a hole in our family.
In 2002 we again felt like we were supposed to get licensed to become adoptive parents with our local children's services (not foster parents-adoptive). We finished our training that summer. And we waited....
In August 2003, while on vacation our friends who were with us, pulled out a baby blanket. They said God told them we were going to be blessed soon and that this blanket was a physical reminder of the child that was coming soon. It was to wrap that child up in when we took them home.
      A couple of months later, God spoke to me and let me know that DCS would be calling and that we were to take that child. They did call, but they needed a "foster" home for a newborn. It was Labor Day weekend and they didn't have any open foster homes. We were not going to foster. HA, God had other plans. We accepted the placement. Our friends helped us rush to get everything together in 12 hours for a newborn. It had been 5 years since we had a baby and we had gotten rid if everything!
When we went to pick him up one worker said "Oh, his Mom will never get him back....", another said "There are always family members who want the babies.". We just took him home(in the blanket our friends gave us) and loved him the same way we loved our girls. After a long two years of ups and downs and trusting God, we finalized our adoption and he is ours forever.
     We took a break from foster care. Then in 2005 we again felt God calling us to help children. We were just going to take 30 day emergency placements. God must sit and laugh at us so often. Our first "emergency" placement stayed for 3 months then went to a wonderful relative. We have had several other short term placments. We currently have an "emergency" placement who we love dearly and who has been with us for 2 years. Our other wonderful little guy has been with us since birth, for 10 months.    
     We have continued to have a great desire to adopt and add to our permenant family. We have submitted our home study on numerous children in need of an adoptive home.  Sometimes, I wonder why we are a good enough family to foster parent a child, but not adopt one. I have many times thought of how much easier it would be just to adopt from overseas. More expensive, but with a definite timeline and end to the process. But, this is the place to which God has called us. My husband, when he was a teenager, would share how fun he thought it would be to have 10 kids.  He had become more conservative by the time we got together :). And, no, we are not planing on having 10 kids.
     Through everything I remain passionate about children. Especially those in need of loving families. I am very excited to see how God can use us in the future. I am reminding Him of how badly I want to go to Africa and minister to children there! I know I am going sometime. I know he has a plan for the children in our family. I know I need to pray and trust Him. I also really like to be in control!!!! Somehow He just doesn't want to share the drivers seat with me. And reminding myself of all He has done for us helps. Somedays though, it just seems like it is so much easier for other families to fulfill their dreams.

Over One-Half Million Children are in Foster Care on any Given Day...

According to the CWLA, on any given day, there are more than half a million children in foster care in the U.S., the majority of whom have entered care due to abuse and neglect by their parents. Three‐fourths of them are placed by the government with foster parents who open their homes to care for these vulnerable children and almost one‐fifth are placed in group homes and institutions.
http://www.cwla.org/advocacy/marcsummary.pdf